Oregon House Candidate Drops out of Race for Prior Bankruptcies

District 30 candidate Adriana Canas (D), running against Shawn Lindsay (R), said she was dropping out of the race because she filed for bankruptcy twice, once in 2004 and again in February.

“As the full picture of my second bankruptcy has continued to unfold, I know the negative campaign that would be run about my financial history would be a distraction from the race, from the issues and Shaw Lindsay’s record.”

Canas stated that she filed for bankruptcy in February in order to save her family’s home in California. Her family fell on hard times after her brother faced a serious medical issue. Canas also stated she didn’t want to file for bankruptcy, but that was the only option she had to help them.

Canas also noted that when she and her husband paid all their creditors in full when they filed for bankruptcy in 2004.

There is a misconception that people who declare bankruptcy don’t actually pay their creditors, but this is untrue. Under certain debt-relief structures, like Chapter 13, debts aren’t forgiven, instead debtors agree to pay their creditors within a court-approved time frame. An Oregon bankruptcy attorney might suggest this plan if the individual has a source of income.

People all across the country are impacted by medical care costs. Medical bankruptcies account for half of the country’s bankruptcy filings on an annual basis. A bankruptcy lawyer can determine if an individual should file for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13.

A bankruptcy lawyer can also stop a bank from foreclosing on a person’s home once they file for bankruptcy. Many states exempt homes from bankruptcy auctions.