Casey Anthony has filed for bankruptcy.
The woman acquitted in the murder of her 2-year-old daughter in 2011 filed with the Middle District of Florida Bankruptcy Court on Friday, the same day two of her convictions for lying to law enforcement were thrown out by an appeals court.
- Previous Story: Casey Anthony: 2 convictions tossed, civil trial in August?
Matt Morgan, the attorney representing Zenaida Gonzalez in her defamation case against Anthony called the filing a delay tactic in a posting on his Twitter account.
Morgan also wrote that it will "likely stay" the case, but he had anticipated and prepared for it.
In a statement Morgan said, "This most recent filing appears to be yet another calculated delay tactic. We are not deterred and will stay the course."
But what does this mean for her upcoming court cases?
“It’s definitely a strategy and a commonly used one," said attorney Mark NeJame, who was named as a creditor in the filing. "You see many people filing for bankruptcy to avoid litigation, which could in fact wipe them out or keep them tied up for years.”
- Court Document: Casey Anthony's petition for bankruptcy
NeJame said such a “complex” petition doesn’t get filed overnight and called the timing “very interesting.”
“It completely stays any of the state court proceedings, so now it everything shifts over to bankruptcy court. The bankruptcy judge will be taking control of all matters right now,” explained NeJame.
NeJame said the proceeding should shed light on all the expenses Anthony has had and any possible book or movie deals.
According to the filing for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Anthony’s estimated liabilities are between $500 and $1 million.
By filing for bankruptcy, creditors must stop collection efforts against a debtor unless granted permission by the bankruptcy court, according to an explanation on the court’s website.
The filing also indicates Anthony has lived within the court district, which covers the Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa areas, for the last 180 days.
Anthony listed $1,084 in personal property and $792,119.23 in liabilities.
The document also lists people that might have a claim against Anthony, which included her own parents, Jeff Ashton and consultants that helped in her criminal case.
Claims listed in the filing include:
- Jose Baez, the lead defense attorney - $500,000
- Orange County Sheriff’s Office - $145,660.21
- IRS – $68,540
- Florida Dept. Of Law Enforcement – $61,505.12
- Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation - $10,283.90
- State of Florida - $4,135
Casey's legal team speaks
One of Anthony's defense lawyers, Andy Chmelir, said his client was looking for closure and that she actually feels bad she can't pay her legal fees.
“To some extent she feels, she feels bad that she's having to have all these legal services provided to her and she is unable to compensate anyone. So, she wants closure more than anything else," Chmelir said.
Chmelir said as for the future, Anthony is not able to make plans, but the pending litigation wasn’t helping.
“She doesn’t know. She can’t make any plans right now because right now she has various lawsuits that are ultimately going to require her presence,” said Chmelir.
Chmelir also said Anthony doesn't not have any book or movie deals.