Court Opinion

ID: 9572097
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 20:38:23.804648+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:31:32.295522
License: Public Domain

Barnes, Judge,
concurring specially.
I concur fully in the judgment and opinion of the majority. I write separately, however, to emphasize to the bar that a party like the plaintiff in this case can avoid the application of judicial estoppel simply by filing a motion to amend the debtor’s bankruptcy petition or a motion to reopen the debtor’s bankruptcy case to declare the omitted claim or cause of action. This course of conduct guarantees that both the bankruptcy court and the debtor’s creditors are accurately advised of the debtor’s assets. With this information, the bankruptcy court can make a fair and equitable distribution of the debtor’s estate, and the debtor’s creditors can make an informed decision about their position and any settlement they enter into with the debtor. As the majority correctly states, notice to the trustee alone does not accomplish these goals, but a simple amendment or motion to reopen would.
I further note that the record in this case, unlike the record in Wolfork v. Tackett, 241 Ga. App. 633 (526 SE2d 436) (1999), includes a copy of the plaintiff’s confirmation plan which shows that his creditors were not fully compensated in his bankruptcy action. As a result, we can conclude that he successfully asserted a contrary position in the bankruptcy and apply judicial estoppel.