Judge revokes Deal's daughter bankruptcy discharge

ATLANTA - A federal judge has revoked the discharge of a 2009 bankruptcy of more than $3 million in debts by the daughter and son-in-law of Republican gubernatorial candidate Nathan Deal.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Brizendine made the decision Friday after re-examining the case when it was revealed that Clint Wilder had a previous bankruptcy in 2001. Bankruptcy laws bar anyone from filing for protection more than once within eight years.

Deal's daughter and son-in-law, Carrie and Clint Wilder, filed for bankruptcy in 2009 after their Habersham County store failed. It left Deal and his wife, Sandra, on the hook for a $2.3 million loan they guaranteed for the venture.

Deal was not mentioned in the bankruptcy filing but the lawyer handling the case for the U.S. government said he should have been listed as a co-debtor.