According to the United States Department of Justice website, the United States Trustee Program “seeks to promote the efficiency and protect the integrity of the Federal bankruptcy system”. Basically, the trustee's job is to oversee the bankruptcy process, detect and eliminate fraud, and ensure that all involved parties abide by the law.

You can find the trustee who is assigned to your case in a Chapter 7, Chapter 12, or Chapter 13 bankruptcy case at the top of your case docket. If you suspect bankruptcy fraud, report it to your trustee. An experienced Illinois bankruptcy attorney can help you work with and understand the trustee who is assigned to your case.

If you and your attorney have decided that filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy is your best option, all of your non-exempt assets will be liquidated in order to pay your debts before you can be excused from repayment (discharged) of eligible debts. These assets are collected and liquidated and then distributed to creditors by a private trustee. Certain assets are exempt from this process in the state of Illinois, this chart can help you get an idea of what some of these are. Your Illinois bankruptcy lawyer can help you understand what will happen to your belongings in your bankruptcy case.

Reuters reported a story about solar panel maker Solyndra agreeing to pay $3.5 million to settle accusations that it did not notify employees properly about layoffs. Solyndra has been in the news for their bankruptcy because they received millions of dollars in U.S. government loans before filing for bankruptcy.

Solyndra agreed to settle a week after it filed its Chapter 11 reorganization plan. The settlement papers outlining the pact were filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware, on August 10. The bankruptcy case is being overseen by Judge Mary Walrath.

California-based Solyndra laid off about 850 of its 960 employees just before filing for bankruptcy in 2011. Employees said they should have received at least 60 days' notice and sued the company.