Bankruptcy Judge Orders Victim To Pay Back Thief!

Bankruptcy Judge Orders Victim To Pay Back Thief!

abcnews.go.com

Mark Poveromo feels ripped off twice over. A judge ordered him to repay money he collected from a builder convicted of stealing from him — and told him to kick in the thief's attorney fees and court costs, too.

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What the?

Talk about bizarre...

The contractor is found GUILTY of grand larceny, for taking the clients money and doing no work, but then has everything turned around in bankruptcy court and actually ends up victimizing the client a SECOND time, with the help of the court system! What a joke!

The case began in 2006, when Poveromo hired Mark R. Koch of Illinois for an $80,000 project to construct a building for his pet food business in Thomaston, Conn. Poveromo paid $39,500 up front, but Koch never did any work, according to court documents.

abcnews.go.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I can understand how this might appear outrageous at first glance, but I think this point describes a valid interest:

"Allowing a creditor to use the threat of incarceration on charges related to a prepetition debt undermines the most fundamental premise of bankruptcy law: the guarantee of equal treatment among creditors pursuant to the bankruptcy code," Rendlen wrote.

That, and the guy didn't show up in court.