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    Categories: Legal News

Casey Anthony Files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Protection

Two years ago, Casey Anthony was acquitted in the murder trial of her daughter Caylee, but she was convicted on four counts of lying to authorities. Two of those convictions were thrown out by a court in Friday, according to CNN. Anthony, 26, has now filed for bankruptcy, naming close to $800,000 in liabilities.

Not long after the ruling from the appeals court, Anthony filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in a federal court in Tampa. According to the court documents, Anthony claims that she owes over $800,000 to close to 80 creditors and that she does not have an income.

Anthony is also the center of multiple civil lawsuits, including one filed by Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, who says that Anthony ruined her reputation. Anthony told police back in 2008 that she last saw her daughter at Gonzalez’s apartment. The attorney for Gonzalez, Matt Morgan, spoke with CNN. He said that he thinks Anthony is trying to postpone the lawsuit by filing for bankruptcy.

“This most recent filing appears to be yet another calculated delay tactic,” Morgan said. “We are not deterred and will stay the course.”

Andy Chmelir, one of Anthony’s attorneys, said, “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.”

Central Florida News 13, an affiliate of CNN, obtained the bankruptcy documents. Anthony listed $1,000 in personal property, which include the following:

– Cash on hand: $474

– Furniture and laptop: $200

– Jewelry: $200

– Clothing and accessories: $100

People who have claims filed against Anthony are also listed in the documents. They include the following:

– Jose Baez, the lead defense attorney during Anthony’s trial: $500,000

– Orange County Sheriff’s Office: $145,660.21

– Internal Revenue Service: $68,540

– Cindy and George Anthony, her parents: Unknown amounts

The court that threw out two of the convictions against Anthony was the Florida 5th District Court of Appeals. The judges on the appeals panel agreed with Anthony, who said that multiple convictions amounted to double jeopardy. The remaining two convictions were upheld by the panel of judges.

Anthony can now appeal the two convictions remaining against her with the Florida Supreme Court.

Jim Vassallo: Jim is a freelance writer based out of the suburbs of Philadelphia in New Jersey. Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and minor in Journalism from Rowan University in 2008. While in school he was the Assistant Sports Director at WGLS for two years and the Sports Director for one year. He also covered the football, baseball, softball and both basketball teams for the school newspaper 'The Whit.' Jim lives in New Jersey with his wife Nicole, son Tony and dog Phoebe.

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