Opinion ID: 2143173
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: In Determining Whether a Judgment is Dischargeable, the Trial Court May Look Behind the Judgment and Consider Entire Record.

Text: In determining whether the liability of a judgment debtor is dischargeable in bankruptcy under sec. 17 (a) of the Bankruptcy Act, Wisconsin follows the liberal practice of permitting a court to look behind a judgment and to consider the entire record, and the actual fact disclosed thereby as the basis for the adjudged liability will govern. [7] Applying this rule to the instant case, Judge LANDRY was permitted to look behind the judgment entered on the basis of Judge SWIETLIK'S findings of fact and conclusions of law to ascertain whether or not this LeRoy judgment was dischargeable in bankruptcy. Part of the record that he could consider was Judge SWIETLIK'S decision. Although LeRoy based his original action in Judge SWIETLIK's court on breach of contract by Shelton, in the proceedings before Judge LANDRY he was not prevented from looking behind the LeRoy judgment and concluding that the debt was not properly dischargeable in bankruptcy.