Chapter 7 is a form of bankruptcy, in which a debtor asks a court to discharge (cancel) all of their debts in exchange for having all of their non-exempt property either sold or given to back to creditors (if they would want it). It is used instead of other forms (Chapter 11 and Chapter 13) of bankruptcy, usually because the debtor has little or no property, doesn't want the property they do have, or generally cannot repay the debt over a short period of time (3 to 5 years in the case of Chapter 13).