Removing Joint Account Holder Before Filing Bankruptcy

[bleach1977]

I have a question on how to best handle my debt situation. I am over 70 years old and retired and on fixed income. When my husband died recently, my income dropped and of course my credit card debt became harder to manage. I currently have two cards for a total of 13k. I pay nearly $250 in minimum’s which is nearly half of my social security income and is too much money for me. I have made payments on time to these companies for nearly 20 years! I called a debt settlement company and their payment is closer to $300 which is too high for me even though I will be out of debt quickly with their method. I know taking a loan or doing consumer credit counseling will be too much money for my current situation. I know my two affordable options are basically to let this go and quit making payments or Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

The only problem is that one of my credit cards actually has my son as a primary applicant. So my arguments for my two solutions above do not work anymore. I know in my situation the creditors cannot garnish my wages and they are not likely to pursue me legally. But for the one card with my son, I know maybe they would pursue him legally or garnish his wages. Or if I file Chapter 7, will that go against him? Is there any way I can have him removed from this account? What options do I have in regards to my situation?

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
B

[Mr. Knowitall]

It's not realistic to expect that your creditor will let your son off the hook for the outstanding balance of the card.