What happens to my claim if they file for bankruptcy?

The stay operates immediately and broadly, and it is not a formality that gets waived for small or personal debts. Once a filing is made, pursuing the person is generally prohibited, and that covers a hearing already on the calendar as much as it covers a text message asking when they might have something for you. Carrying on regardless is treated seriously by the bankruptcy court, can expose you to sanctions and damages, and turns you from someone owed money into someone with a separate problem of your own. Not having known is limited protection once you have been notified, so the moment you hear about a filing is the moment to pause everything.

Participation replaces pursuit. Bankruptcy has its own creditor process, with its own forms and deadlines, and where you stand within it depends on the type of obligation and the chapter under which the case was brought. Some debts are discharged and disappear entirely, others survive, and secured claims behave differently from unsecured ones. That assessment sits genuinely outside self-help territory, which is worth saying plainly rather than dressing up. What you should do immediately is keep every record intact, diarise any date shown on the notice you receive, watch for the case to be dismissed or closed, and take advice on your particular claim before taking any other step.