Involuntary Bankruptcy Goodell had an excellent job with a high salary and a promise of continued advancement. However, he made several miscalculations in the stock market that severely damaged his financial picture. Consequently, though he owned a lot of property, he had little cash on hand. This situation caused him to fall behind on his payments to most of his 14 creditors. Three of those creditors, the Bromfield Department Store, the Mariano Oil Company, and the Financial Bank, filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition against Strasser in federal court. Because Strasser owed them more than $14,425, the petition was accepted.