Prepetition Conduct by Debtor as Constituting “For Cause” Under 11 U.S.C.A. § 707(a) Permitting Dismissal of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Petition

A Chapter 7 bankruptcy case may be dismissed generally only for cause under 11 U.S.C.A. § 707(a). The question of what constitutes “cause” has often been litigated, especially with regard to a debtor’s alleged “bad faith.” This article collects and discusses the federal cases that have considered whether prepetition conduct by a bankruptcy debtor constitues bad faith.