I have a small claim court decision in my favor. I have been trying to collect from the defendand for 2 years. He claims he isn''t working.

How he described your "case" on the bankruptcy papers is irrelevant.  The fact is he owes you money on a judgment, and he filed bankruptcy.  You don't indicate which Chapter was filed, or other relevant facts, so it's difficult to fully advise you, but basically you should have received a Notice of bankruptcy which lists the deadline dates for you to object to the discharge of your debt. Certain debts are not dischargeable, such as those incurred through fraud, driving while intoxicated, etc.  You don't indicate what the basis of your judgment was, so I can't opine on whether or not you have any grounds to object.  But you should probably consult with a bankruptcy attorney in the location where the bankruptcy case was filed. If he filed a Chapter 13 case, you should also file a proof of claim so you can share in whatever distribution is being made to creditors.   If he filed a Chapter 7 case, unless he has a lot of assets, chances are you will not receive anything. Mark J. Markus, Attorney at Law Handling exclusively bankruptcy law cases in California since 1991. http://www.bklaw.com/ bankruptcy blog: http://www.bklaw.com/bankruptcy-blog/ Follow Me on Twitter:  @bklawr