Occasionally, chapter 13 bankruptcy cases are filed by individuals who recently filed chapter 7 and obtained a chapter 7 discharge. As I noted in a post on filing second bankruptcy cases, a discharge in the chapter 13 case is unavailable unless 4 years have passed since the chapter 7 case was filed. However, chapter 13 can still be used adjust payment schedules, even without a discharge.
Chapter 20 Bankruptcy
There is no Chapter 20 of the Bankruptcy Code. Instead, "Chapter 20" is a nickname for a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy followed shortly by a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. The subsequent Chapter 13 case is used to clean up issues left unaddressed or arising after the Chapter 7, frequently with a secured debt.
