(CN) - Casey Anthony should not face claims that she commissioned a $100,000 rescue search for the daughter she already knew was dead, a federal bankruptcy judge ruled.
Anthony was acquitted of murder in July 2011 regarding the death of Caylee Anthony after a six-week trial that made national headlines.
Prosecutors claimed Anthony killed her daughter with chloroform before taping her mouth, putting her in bags, leaving her in her trunk and then dumping her body.
Anthony's trial defense contended that the toddler drowned in the family swimming pool a month before she was reported missing.
In January, Anthony filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in Tampa Bankruptcy Court and listed $800,000 of debt with no income.
Four months later, nonprofit Texas Equusearch Mounted Search & Recovery filed a complaint with the court, objecting to the discharge of the debt. It claimed Anthony implored the group to assist with the search for her daughter she knew was dead.
"Over the couse of conducting these searched, the plaintiff spent over $100,000 of its limited funds to pay for, inter alia, motel rooms, rented vehicles and other expenses related to the searches," the complaint stated. "Over 4,200 people from 13 states volunteered their time to participate in the searches for Caylee. The plaintiff dedicated tens of thousands of hours to the searches. In fact, the plaintiff's searches for Caylee combined to be the second most costly search in the organization's history as it consumed 40% of its annual budget."
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge K. Rodney May partly dismissed the action last week, giving the rescue group 21 days to file an amended complaint and Anthony 21 days to file an answer.
Among other things, Texas Equusearch argued the massive allocation of resources for the search resulted in the group being unable to assist 15 other requests from other families searching for missing loved ones at the time, the complaint stated.
"The debtor knew at the time she made these representations that they were false, yet at no point during these 2 meetings or over the course of the plaintiff's searches for Caylee did the debtor ever correct or otherwise disagree with these false statements and alert the plaintiff to the truth that Caylee in fact had drowned in the family swimming pool on June 16, 2008," the complaint stated. "The debtor knew at the time she made these false representations and omissions that they were material facts upon which the plaintiff would rely and base its decision to dedicate its funds, resources and personnel to search for Caylee."
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