Q: Can a public notary come knocking at my door to "council" me for the 341 meeting?
I filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy with a public notary. They overcharged me & I reported them in court. In California, if you're not a lawyer, they should only charge you $200. I paid $850. This person made me file without having all my creditors on file. And then threatened to charge me over $200 extra for the amended paperwork. So I did them myself. My 341 meeting is tomorrow. Since yesterday, the notary has been calling me to pay him a visit so he can "counsel" me for the meeting. I never picked up the phone. So tonight, he showed up in my front door. Is this normal? Is this legal? He claims he only wants to help me. But I was uncomfortable and scared. I also think he wants me to lie under oath and say no one helped me with the paperwork.
A: I urge you to report this information to the Trustee at your hearing. This is inappropriate behavior. Paralegals are limited in what they can do when providing services to a person filing bankruptcy. However, it is also your responsibility to review the documents that are being filed in your case before signing them and before they are filed. The Office of the US Trustee that oversees bankruptcy cases will look into this situation so be sure to discuss the information with the Trustee.
Michael Francis Barrett agrees with this answer
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