openapi: 3.0.3
info:
  title: BankruptcyWatch PACER Cases API
  description: The BankruptcyWatch PACER API provides a comprehensive suite of services for interacting with United States Bankruptcy Court data via PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). The API enables creditors, lenders, and legal teams to search for bankruptcy cases, retrieve case details, file documents, monitor case activity, and automate bankruptcy workflows including Proof of Claim filing and loan restructuring.
  version: 1.0.0
  contact:
    url: https://www.bankruptcywatch.com/api-kickoff
servers:
- url: https://api.bankruptcywatch.com/v1
  description: BankruptcyWatch API Production
security:
- ApiKeyAuth: []
tags:
- name: Cases
paths:
  /cases/search:
    get:
      operationId: searchCases
      summary: Search Bankruptcy Cases
      description: Search for bankruptcy cases across all US bankruptcy court districts by debtor name, case number, SSN/EIN, or other criteria.
      tags:
      - Cases
      parameters:
      - name: debtorName
        in: query
        description: Debtor name to search for
        schema:
          type: string
      - name: caseNumber
        in: query
        description: PACER case number
        schema:
          type: string
      - name: district
        in: query
        description: Bankruptcy court district code
        schema:
          type: string
      - name: chapter
        in: query
        description: Bankruptcy chapter (7, 11, 13, etc.)
        schema:
          type: string
      - name: dateFiledFrom
        in: query
        description: Filter cases filed on or after this date (ISO 8601)
        schema:
          type: string
          format: date
      - name: dateFiledTo
        in: query
        description: Filter cases filed on or before this date (ISO 8601)
        schema:
          type: string
          format: date
      - name: status
        in: query
        description: Case status filter (open, closed, discharged)
        schema:
          type: string
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Bankruptcy case search results
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/CaseSearchResponse'
        '401':
          description: Unauthorized — invalid API key
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
  /cases/{caseId}:
    get:
      operationId: getCase
      summary: Get Case Details
      description: Retrieve detailed information about a specific bankruptcy case including parties, attorneys, and case status.
      tags:
      - Cases
      parameters:
      - name: caseId
        in: path
        required: true
        description: BankruptcyWatch case identifier
        schema:
          type: string
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Case details
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Case'
        '401':
          description: Unauthorized
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
        '404':
          description: Case not found
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
components:
  schemas:
    CaseSearchResponse:
      type: object
      description: Bankruptcy case search results
      properties:
        cases:
          type: array
          items:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Case'
        totalCount:
          type: integer
        pageSize:
          type: integer
        offset:
          type: integer
    Case:
      type: object
      description: A US bankruptcy court case
      properties:
        caseId:
          type: string
          description: BankruptcyWatch internal case ID
        caseNumber:
          type: string
          description: PACER case number
        debtorName:
          type: string
          description: Name of the debtor
        chapter:
          type: string
          description: Bankruptcy chapter (7, 11, 13, etc.)
        district:
          type: string
          description: Bankruptcy court district code
        dateFiled:
          type: string
          format: date
          description: Date the case was filed
        status:
          type: string
          description: Current case status
          enum:
          - open
          - closed
          - discharged
          - dismissed
          - converted
        judge:
          type: string
          description: Assigned bankruptcy judge
        trustee:
          type: string
          description: Appointed trustee name
        assets:
          type: string
          description: Asset amount range
        liabilities:
          type: string
          description: Liability amount range
    ErrorResponse:
      type: object
      description: API error response
      properties:
        errorCode:
          type: string
        message:
          type: string
        requestId:
          type: string
  securitySchemes:
    ApiKeyAuth:
      type: apiKey
      in: header
      name: X-API-Key
      description: BankruptcyWatch API key