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58 C. Automatic Stay 1. General Protections and Limitations Immediately upon the filing of a petition under any Chapter of the Bankruptcy Code, an umbrella of protection, known as the automatic stay, opens over the debtor and its property. The automatic stay, the most fundamental of all protections afforded by the Bankruptcy Code, acts to protect the debtor and property of the estate from all types of collection efforts and to provide the debtor with relief from the financial and, in some cases, emotional pressures that led to the bankruptcy filing. With the imposition of the automatic stay, the debtor is granted time to reorganize and restructure its debts or, under a liquidation, ensure that its assets are distributed to creditors in an orderly fashion. Furthermore, because the imposition of the stay is automatic, it applies to all creditors, regardless of their knowledge of the filing of the petition. The automatic stay applies only to property of the estate, and, therefore, actions against property that is not property of the estate are not stayed by the automatic stay. 11 U.S.C. § 362(c)(1). Similarly, the automatic stay terminates when a case is closed, a petition is dismissed, or the debtor's discharge is denied or granted by the court. 11 U.S.C. § 362(c)(2). A party may also seek to modify or terminate the stay, which is addressed in the discussion of Section 362(d) of the Bankruptcy Code in Chapter V.C.3. below. Finally, the automatic stay can be terminated if an individual files repeat bankruptcy cases in close succession. 11 U.S.C. § 362(c)(3)–(4). 2. Specific Protections and Limitations Section 362(a) of the Bankruptcy Code provides for eight categories of collection activities that are automatically stayed upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition. These activities are: (i) the commencement or continuation of any proceeding against the debtor that was or could have been

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