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This paper explores the mechanisms employed by French judges to discharge personal debts of over-indebted households in exchange for the liquidation of their assets. We use an original database consisting of judiciary decisions between 2003 and 2005. We highlight the determinants of selection between debtors whose debts are cancelled and those who are ordered to repay them. Debtors who are less able to repay have a greater chance of benefiting from a fresh start. If the repayment capacity increases by 1 %, the predicted probability of debt discharge decreases by a little more than 1 %. Overall, courts erase household debts in a rather restrictive way, applying criteria not limited to an assessment of debtors’ financial situation.