Middletown Bankruptcy Records Lookup

Middletown bankruptcy records are held by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware in Wilmington. The court is the only place to file a bankruptcy case in the state. To search Middletown bankruptcy records, use PACER, the court's CM/ECF system, or stop by the courthouse. This page covers how to search, what local help is out there, and which state offices come into play during a case. Middletown is in New Castle County, and most resources are shared with Wilmington and Newark.

About Middletown Bankruptcy Records

Middletown is a growing town in southern New Castle County. It has seen a lot of new home building over the past decade. With more homes and more businesses comes more consumer and small firm filings. All of those cases go to Wilmington.

There is no bankruptcy court in Middletown. The federal court sits at 824 N. Market Street, 3rd Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801. The drive from Middletown takes about 35 minutes on Route 1. Middletown residents can also use PACER online to avoid the drive.

Local document retrieval services can help Middletown residents pull case info from the Wilmington court. For info on one such service, see the Middletown bankruptcy records page. That's a private service, not a court.

Private retrieval services can save you a drive to Wilmington. Fees vary by service and by case.

Search Middletown Bankruptcy Records

PACER is the main online tool. Go to pacer.uscourts.gov and make a free account. Then search by party name, case number, or SSN. Fees are $0.10 per page with a $3.00 cap per doc.

Try the PACER Case Locator if you don't know where a case was filed. It covers every federal court in the U.S. The Delaware Bankruptcy Court case info page lists all search tools and what each does.

Bankruptcy cases are public records under 11 U.S.C. § 107. You can see the debtor name, case number, chapter, filing date, creditors, amounts owed, and the judge. You can view court orders and most filings. Some personal data, like SSNs, gets redacted.

Middletown Legal Aid Options

Middletown residents share the same legal aid groups as Wilmington and Newark. Delaware Volunteer Legal Services helps low-income folks in New Castle County at 302-575-0660. Their work covers bankruptcy, public benefits, housing, and some other areas.

Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. also serves the county. For a list of local programs, see dcadv.org. The Delaware State Bar Association has a Lawyer Referral Service for those who don't qualify for free help.

Robert I. Masten, Jr. takes consumer bankruptcy cases from Middletown and other parts of the county. The firm handles Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Most Middletown residents who file end up with a consumer bankruptcy case, not a business one.

Middletown Bankruptcy Records Fees

The court sets all filing, motion, and copy fees. See the full fee schedule for details. Key fees include:

• Motion to Terminate Automatic Stay: $199
• Motion to Redact: $28
• Adversary Complaint: $350
• Appeal: $298
• PACER Viewing: $0.10 per page
• Archive Search: $34 per case

Debtors must pay with cash, money order, or cashier's check. Personal checks and credit cards do not work for debtor fees. All others can use debit and credit cards too. If you can't pay the case filing fee up front, you can ask to pay in installments.

State Court Records in New Castle County

Middletown is served by New Castle County's state courts. The county courthouse sits at 500 N. King Street in Wilmington. The Superior Court keeps records of civil judgments, pending suits, state tax liens, and criminal matters.

State court records are often needed for bankruptcy schedules. If you have a civil judgment against you, you need to list that creditor. Use CourtConnect to search state cases online. CourtConnect does not show federal bankruptcy cases. For that, use PACER.

Forms and Local Rules

To file a case, you have to use the right forms. Official Bankruptcy Forms are set by the U.S. Courts and must be used. Local Forms are set by the Board of Judges for the District of Delaware. Some local forms are marked as required. See the forms overview page for every form.

The Local Rules took effect February 1, 2025. They cover plans, motions, claims, disclosure statements, and much more. Before you file a motion, read the rule that ties to it. You can find the rules at deb.uscourts.gov/local-rules.

Old and Closed Middletown Cases

The court keeps case files for 15 years. Older files go to the National Archives and Records Administration in Philadelphia. Cases filed before December 30, 2002, may be at NARA too.

To pull an old case, you need FRC info from the clerk. Mail a search request with a $34 money order or cashier's check. NARA then charges $70 for the first box and $43 for each more. Steps are on the closed case retrieval page.

Common Chapters for Middletown Filers

Chapter 7 is the top choice for Middletown consumers. A trustee sells non-exempt assets and pays creditors. Most cases close in four to six months. A discharge wipes out most unsecured debt.

Chapter 13 is for wage earners who want to keep their home or car. You pay back some debts over three to five years under a court-approved plan. Chapter 11 is for firms and some high-debt folks. For a plain English guide, see the U.S. Courts Chapter 11 basics page.

Middletown is in New Castle County

Middletown is in New Castle County. See the county page for more on court resources and local offices.

Other New Castle County Cities

Pick a nearby city for local info.

What Middletown Bankruptcy Records Show

Delaware bankruptcy records are public under 11 U.S.C. § 107. You can view most filings, but some data is redacted by rule. Full SSNs, bank account numbers, and the names of minors are cut out for privacy reasons.

A typical case record shows the debtor name, the case number, the filing date, and the chapter filed. It also lists creditors and what each is owed. The name of the judge on the case, the trustee, and the debtor's lawyer are all on the docket. Most court orders, motions, and plans are open too. You can read them online through PACER or in person at the courthouse.

Some parts of a case can get sealed by the court. Trade secrets, personal data, and some child-related files may be sealed. A party can ask the judge to seal more, but that is not common. If you need a certified copy of any filing, the clerk's office can make one for a small fee.

For a plain English guide to what a case holds, see the Delaware court records page. It explains what bankruptcy records show and how they differ from state court records.