2008 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 5-29-2008 

# In Re C ate rb one P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 07-3054

F o llow thi s and a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2008

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2008 D e c i sion s b y an authori z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " In Re C at e r

bone " (2008). 2008 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1107. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2008/1107E L D - 2 6 NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

___________ N o. 07- 3054

___________ I N R E: STAN LEY J . CA TERBO NE, D ebt or S T ANL E Y J . CA T E RB ONE ; ADVAN CE D M E DI A GR OUP v. PP L ELECTRI C U TI LI TI ES STAN LEY J . CA TERBO NE, A ppel l ant

____________________________________ O n A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt f o r th e E a ste rn D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia ( D . C . C i vi l N o. 06- cv- 05117) D i s tr i ctJ udge: H onor abl e A ni t a B . B r ody

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o rP o s s i b l e Di s mi s s a l Du e t o J u r i s d i c t i o n a l De f e c t , o rUn d e r2 8 U. S . C. 1 9 1 5 (e )( 2 )( B ), o r S u m m a ry A c tio n P u rs u a n t to T h ir d C ir c u it L A R 2 7 .4 a n d I.O .P . 1 0 .6 A pr i l 18, 2008 B efore: S C IR IC A , C hief J ud ge, M C K E E , and S M ITH , C i rcui tJudg es.

( O pi ni on fi l ed: M ay29, 2008)

_________ OP I NI ON

_________T h e p arti es w ere inf o rm ed that this ap p ea l w o u ld b e su b ject t o d ism issal fo r a 1 ju ri s d ic tio n a l d e f

e c t. W e re v ie w o u r j u ri s d ic tio n o v e r t h is a p p e a l u n d e r 2 8 U .S .C . § 158( d) ( 1) . “A l though di s tr i ctcourt s have di s cr et i on t o heari nt er l ocut oryappea l s fr om bankrupt cycourt s , [28 U . S. C . ] § 158( d) does notgr antcourt s of appe al s s i m i l ar di s cr et i on t o r evi ew i nt er l ocut orydeci s i ons . ‘ T he court s of appe al s do nothave j ur i s di ct i on t o heari nt er l ocut oryappea l s i n bankrupt cycas es . ’ ” I n r e R ai ns , 428 F. 3d 8 9 3 , 9 0 0 -0 1 (9 th C ir . 2 0 0 5 ) ( in te rn a l c ita tio n s o m itte d ). -2- P E R C UR I AM S tan ley J. C a terb o n e a p p e a ls, p ro se , fr o m th e d istric t co u rt’s o rd e r d ism iss in g h is bankrupt cyappea l . Forthe fol l ow i ng r eas ons , thi s appea l m us tbe di s m i s s ed forl ack of ju ri s d ic tio n . I. T he part i es ar e fa m i l i arw i th the bac kgr ound of thi s cas e. St anl eyJ . C at erbone f ile d a C h a p te r 1 1 b a n k ru p tc ya c tio n in A u g u s t 2 0 0 6 n a m in g a p p e lle e a s th e d e f e n d a n t. O n A ug ust18 , 20 06 , the b ank rupt cycou rti ssued a p re- tri al order s et t i ng forth the dat es, t i m es , and condi t i ons underw hi ch di s coveryw oul d be conduc t ed i n the pr ocee di ng. I n a n o tic e d a te d O c to b e r 2 1 , 2 0 0 6 , C a te rb o n e f ile d a n a p p e a l o f

th is o rd e r t o th e d is tr ic t c o u rt . A ppel l ee f

i l ed a mot i on t o di s m i s s the appe al for , i nt eral i a, C at erbone’ s fai l ur e t o fol l ow the t i m e pr es cr i pt i ons cont ai ned i n Feder al R ul e of Bankrupt cyPr ocedur e 8002( a) and b ec au se th e a p p ea l w as tak en fro m a n o n -fina l ord er issue d b ythe b an k rup tcyco u rt . In an o rde r en tered o n Ju n e 1 8 , 2 0 0 7 , the d istri ct co u rtag ree d an d , in an ex p lana tory f o o tn o te, s e e m in g lyd ism iss e d th e a p p e a l f o r b e in g u n tim e ly . C a terb o n e f iled a tim e ly n o tice o f a p p e a l. 1-3- II. T he bankrupt cycourtor derC at erbone appe al ed fr om w as i nt er l ocut oryand thus w e d o n o t h a v e a p p e llate ju risd ictio n . “T h e f in a lityiss u e m u st b e re so lv e d w ith re sp e c t to th e d e c isio n s o f

b o th th e b a n k ru p tcy j u d g e a n d th e d istric t co u rt.” In re W h ite B e a u ty V i ew , I nc. , 841 F. 2d 524, 526 ( 3d C i r . 1988) . “W e cons i derfourfac t or s i n det erm i ni ng w hetherw e s houl d exer ci s e j ur i s di ct i on overa bankrupt cyappea l : ‘ ( 1) [t ] he i m pacton t he as s et s of the bankruptes t at e; ( 2) [the] [n] ece s s i tyforfur therfac t - fi ndi ng on r emand; ( 3) [t ] he pr ecl us i ve ef

fec tof [the C our t ' s ] deci s i on on the mer i t s of furtherl i t i gat i on; and ( 4) [ t]h e in ter e st o f

ju d icia l ec o n o m y .’” I n re O w e n s C o rn in g , 4 1 9 F .3 d 1 9 5 , 2 0 3 (3 d C ir 2005) ( ci t i ng B uncherC o. v. O ffi ci al C om m . of U ns ecur ed C r edi t or s of G enfa r m L t d. P 's h i p I V , 2 2 9 F . 3 d 2 4 5 , 2 5 0 ( 3 d C i r . 2 0 0 0 ) ) . “ W e a p p l y a b r o a d e rc o n c e p to f ‘ f i n a l i ty’ w hen cons i der i ng bankrupt cyappea l s under§ 1291 than w e do w hen cons i der i ng other ci vi l or der s underthe s ame se ct i on. ” I n r e M arvel E nt m ’ tG r oup, I nc. , 140 F. 3d 463, 470 (3d C i r. 19 98 ). B ut “[d]es pit e t hat r el axed view of f i nali tyi n the ban kruptcyset t i ng as a w hol e, the gene r al ant i pathyt ow ar d pi ece m eal appea l s s t i l l pr evai l s i n i ndi vi dual ad v ersa ryac ti o n s. ” In re N atale, 29 5 F . 3 d 3 7 5 , 3 7 8 -79 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 2 ). E ven underthi s m or e fl exi bl e s t andar d of fi nal i ty , the bankrupt cycourt ’ s or der w as nota fi nal or der . T he bankrupt cycourtm er el yi s s ued a pr el i m i narypr ocedur al or der conce rni ng the manneri n w hi ch di s coveryw as t o t ake pl ace dur i ng the bankrupt cy p roc ee d ing . T h u s, b ec au se C aterb o n e a tt em p ted to ap p ea l from an interl o cu toryo rde r,Gi v e n o u rd i s p o s i t i o n , we n e e d n o tr e a c h th e i s s u e o f u n t i me l i n e s s . S e e F e d . R. 2 B an k . P . 8 0 0 2 ; see a lso 2 8 U . S . C . § 1 5 8 (c)(2) -4- n o t a f in a l o rd e r, in th e d istric t co u rt, w e d ism iss th is a p p e a l f o r la c k o f

a p p e llate j ur i s di ct i on. 2