It depends on how far apart you file the multiple bankruptcies. If you file a second bankruptcy within 365 days from the dismissal of the prior bankruptcy, your automatic stay might be limited to 30 days from the date of filing your second bankruptcy. Automatic stay stops most creditors from trying to collect from you like wage garnishment, bank levy, foreclosure, repossession, lawsuit, and harassing phone calls or letters. However, automatic stay will not stop child support or alimony.
Your Bankruptcy Attorney can request the Court to extend the automatic stay.
However, if you file a third bankruptcy that is within 365 days of two other bankruptcies that were dismissed, you might not have any automatic stay. Basically there is no protection after bankruptcy filing. You can try to request the Court to extend the automatic stay but there is no protection while you are doing it. At this point, you are a serial bankruptcy filer and have a tougher job ahead of you than if you had no bankruptcy dismissal within the last 365 days.
Keep in mind the key term is "dismissal". If the prior bankruptcy case was not dismissed but was successful in obtaining a discharge, the next bankruptcy filing even if it is within 365 will not have automatic stay limited to 30 days.
This hammers the point that bankruptcy is not a do-it-yourself project. The second bankruptcy will be tougher than the first because the Court must be convinced to extend the automatic stay, which is crucial in the case of saving a home from foreclosure. If the automatic stay expires, the lender can proceeds with collection activity, which is the foreclosure.
Consult an experienced Bankruptcy Attorney for your Chapter 7 or 13 Bankruptcy filing. Muoi Chea, Bankruptcy Attorney has Offices in Sacramento and Stockton, CA serving areas like Citrus Heights, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Elk Grove, Woodland, Vacaville, Solano, Tracy, Modesto, and the rest of Northern and Central California.