Robocall Defendant Files for Bankruptcy, Staying His Case, He Says

Health Advisors of America owner Michael Smith, defendant in the eight-state robocalling lawsuit (see 2212130001), filed a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition Wednesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Southern Florida, said his notice Thursday (docket 4:20-cv-02021) in U.S. District Court for Southern Texas in Houston where the robocalling case resides. “The automatic stay provisions of Section 362 of the Bankruptcy Code apply to these proceedings,” said the notice. Smith’s bankruptcy petition (case number 23-10373) lists total assets of $3.09 million and total liabilities of $2.27 million. Smith owes nearly $137,000 in credit card debt to American Express, Capital One and Discover, said the petition. The Small Business Administration is his largest unsecured creditor, with nearly $527,000 owed on an undated loan.