Student loan debt is estimated to be more than $1 trillion nationwide, greater than all credit card debt of all Americans combined. Unlike credit card debt, student loan debt cannot be discharged in a bankruptcy without a showing of undue hardship. Prior to 1977, student loans could be discharged in the same way as credit card debt; however, concerns and fears over students abusing the bankruptcy system prompted Congress to add 11 U.S.C. Section 523(a)(8). Steven Werth, Associate with SulmeyerKupetz, and Magdalena Bordeaux, Supervising Attorney of Public Counsel’s Debtor Assistance Project, address the dischargeability of student loan debt in bankruptcy proceedings in the complimentary CLE-accredited webinar, “Examining the Dischargeability of Student Loan Debt in Bankruptcy Proceedings.”
