The Court holds that whether a debtor's failure to disclose a claim in bankruptcy was "inadvertent or mistaken" — the showing that can excuse applying judicial estoppel to bar a later lawsuit on that claim — must be judged from the totality of the circumstances surrounding the omission. The Fifth Circuit erred by confining that inquiry to just two factors: whether the debtor knew the facts underlying the claim and whether he had a potential motive to conceal it.
CASE: Keathley v. Buddy Ayers Construction, Inc.
AUTHOR: Jackson, J.
DECIDED: 2026-06-11
OPINION: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-6_d1o2.pdf
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