Automatic stay
At the time of the filing of the bankruptcy petition, an automatic stay goes into effect. The automatic stay "stops the clock," giving the debtor some time to get back on its financial feet by stopping creditors from collecting from the debtor. The debtor doesn’t have to ask for it, and the court doesn’t have to order it. The automatic stay applies against all creditors, including government units, those who don’t know about the stay, and those who have already sued and even won judgments against the debtor. Once the bankruptcy petition is filed, all creditors must go to the bankruptcy court to have their claims enforced or to seek relief from the automatic stay in order to pursue their claims in other forums while the debtor is in bankruptcy.