What is the difference between a discharge being denied and a debt being declared nondischargeable?
The court can deny the Debtor’s discharge of all debts, or determine that a particular debt or debts are nondischargeable. If the court denies the discharge of all debts, then the Debtor will still be legally responsible for all the debts as if no bankruptcy petition had ever been filed. If only certain debts are ruled nondischargeable, the Debtor will still receive a discharge order. However, the Debtor will remain legally responsible for those nondischargeable debts. For a discharge to be denied, either as to a particular debt or as to all debts, someone must file an adversary proceeding (lawsuit) with the court. That party must then prove one of the grounds for denial of the discharge or for a debt to be declared nondischargeable. See Question No. 19 (for discharge) and Question No. 15 (for dischargeability of a particular debt). If your discharge is not withheld or none of your debts is declared to be nondischargeable, then all the debts listed in your petition will be discharged u
