Source: http://www.gasb.uscourts.gov/vacated-orders
Timestamp: 2018-01-19 21:14:32
Document Index: 483736744

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2041', '§ 2045', '§330', '§341', '§330', '§521', '§ 502', '§ 1326', '§ 1326', '§ 1326']

Vacated Orders | Southern District of Georgia | United States Bankruptcy Court
Vacated per General Order 2017-1.
The Court, having determined that it is necessary to adopt local procedures to ensure uniformity in the deposit and investment of funds in the Court's Registry,
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the following shall govern the receipt, deposit and investment of registry funds:
A. No money shall be sent to the Court or its officers for deposit in the Court's registry without a court order signed by the presiding judge in the case or proceeding.
B. The party making the deposit or transferring funds to the Court's registry shall serve the order permitting the deposit or transfer on the Clerk of Court.
C. Unless provided for elsewhere in this Order, all monies ordered to be paid to the Court or received by its officers in any case pending or adjudicated shall be deposited with the Treasurer of the United States in the name and to the credit of this Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2041 through depositories designated by the Treasury to accept such deposit on its behalf.
A. Where, by order of the Court, funds on deposit with the Court are to be placed in some form of interest-bearing account, the Court Registry Investment System ("CRIS"), administered by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts under 28 U.S.C. § 2045, shall be the only investment mechanism authorized.
B. The Director of Administrative Office of the United States Courts is designated as custodian for CRlS. The Director or the Director's designee shall perform the duties of custodian. Funds held in the CRIS remain subject to the control and jurisdiction of the Court.
C. Money from each case deposited in the CRlS shall be "pooled" together with those on deposit with Treasury to the credit of other courts in the CRIS and used to purchase Government Account Series securities through the Bureau of Public Debt, which will be held at the Treasury, in an account in the name and to the credit of the Director of Administrative Office of the United States Courts. The pooled funds will be invested in accordance with the principals of the CRIS Investment Policy as approved by the Registry Monitoring Group.
D. An account for each case will be established in the CRIS titled in the name of the case giving rise to the investment in the fund. Income generated from fund investments will be distributed to each case based on the ratio each account's principal and earnings has to the aggregate principal and income total in the fund. Reports showing the interest earned and the principal amounts contributed in each case will be prepared and distributed to each court participating in the CRIS and made available to litigants and/or their counsel.
III. Deductions of Fees
A. The custodian is authorized and directed by this Order to deduct the investment services fee for the management of investments in the CRIS and the registry fee for maintaining accounts deposited with the Court.
B. The investment services fee is assessed from interest earnings to the pool according to the Court's Miscellaneous Fee Schedule and is to be assessed before a pro rata distribution of earnings to court cases.
C. The registry fee is assessed by the custodian from each case's pro rata distribution of the earnings and is to be determined on the basis of the rates published by the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts as approved by the Judicial Conference of the United States.
A. The Clerk of Court is further directed to develop a systematic method of redemption of all existing investments and their transfer to the CRIS.
B. Parties not wishing to transfer certain existing registry deposits into the CRIS may seek leave to transfer them to the litigants or their designees on proper motion and approval of the judge assigned to the specific case.
C. This Order supersedes and abrogates all prior orders of this Court regarding the deposit and investment of registry funds.
To fulfill the requirements of 11 U.S.C. §330(a), the Court periodically reviews the reasonableness of compensation awarded by the Court to counsel representing Chapter 13 debtors. Having conducted such periodic review, IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that:
2) The Court has not reviewed the relevant factors to support Chapter 13 fee awards in over three years. A hearing has been held and evidence presented in the case of In re McDonald, chap. 13 case no. 09-10284 (Bankr. S.D. Ga. Oct. 1, 2010). The evidence proves that the prevailing hourly rate for counsel practicing in the Southern District of Georgia for attorneys of comparable skill, expertise, and reputation has increased over that period of time in a significant amount.
The evidence also establishes that the provisions of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act ("BAPCPA") amendments, effective October 17, 2005, have had a material effect on the amount of time attorneys must devote to the representation of a Chapter 13 debtor in a professional manner consistent with the standards of practice prevailing in this District.
3) Effective in all Chapter 13 cases filed on or after January 1, 2011, a claim for attorney's fees for services rendered and expenses advanced to a Chapter 13 debtor will be deemed automatically approved by the Court, in the absence of an objection, so long as said claim does not exceed the sum of three thousand dollars ($3,000.00). The $3,000.00 fee contemplates appearance by counsel of record for the debtor at the §341 meeting and all hearings.
4) Debtors' counsel are directed to file written statements pursuant to Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 2016(b) disclosing the fee arrangement with their clients. Debtors' attorneys may represent debtors for a lesser amount in appropriate cases when the amount and nature of the debts or other relevant factors result in the expenditure of substantially less attorney time than a typical case.
In the event a debtor's attorney subsequently determines that an award of $3,000.00 does not adequately compensate the attorney for legal services rendered, the attorney may petition for reasonable attorney's fees disclosing all time expended in such representation from the beginning of the case under the standards set forth in 11 U.S.C. §330 and Norman v. Housing Authority of the city of Montgomery, 836 F. 2d 1292 (11th Cir. 1988).
Vacated by General Order 2017-2.
Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 5005(a)(2), authorizes the Court to establish practices and procedures for filing, signing, and verifying documents by electronic means.
1. Effective November 4, 2005, documents may be filed, signed, and verified by electronic and other means to the extent and in the manner required and authorized by previous General Order 2005-7, Order Adopting Case Management/Electronic Case Files System (CM/ECF) and Local Bankruptcy Rules for Electronic Case Files.
2. Effective October 1, 2010, absent good cause shown and the permission of the Court, attorneys in good standing admitted to practice before this Court, to include attorneys admitted pro hacvice, will file, sign, and verify documents only by electronic means to the extent and in the manner authorized by this General Order, and the Administrative Procedures attached hereto as Exhibit A, Administrative Procedures for Filing, Signing, and Verifying Pleadings and Papers by Electronic Means in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Georgia (Administrative Procedures).
3. Attorneys not admitted to practice in the Southern District of Georgia, and other non-attorney filers such as creditors, may request limited user access to file documents by electronic means to the extent and in the manner authorized by this General Order and the Administrative Procedures.
4. The official record of the Court as required by Fed. R. Bankr. P. 5003 shall be the electronic file maintained by the Court and such paper files as are permitted by the Administrative Procedures.
5. The Clerk's Office will implement and publish the Administrative Procedures, register attorneys, and issue individual logins and passwords consistent with those procedures to permit electronic filing and notice of pleadings and other documents.
6. Pro se litigants who are not attorneys in good standing admitted to the Bar of this Court must file documents with the Court in paper form.
7. The electronic filing of a petition, pleading, motion, or other paper by an attorney who is a registered participant in the Court's Electronic Case Files System shall constitute the signature of that attorney for purposes of the application of Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9011 and other applicable rules. The attorney whose login and password are used to accomplish an electronic filing certifies that the attorney and the attorney's law firm have authorized the filing.
8. No attorney shall knowingly permit or cause to permit his/her login or password to be used by anyone other than an authorized employee of his/her law firm.
Administrative Procedures shall constitute entry of that pleading or other paper on the docket kept by the Clerk under the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure.
11. The Clerk's Office shall enter all orders, decrees, judgments, and proceedings of the Court in accordance with the Administrative Procedures, which shall constitute entry of the orders, decrees, judgments, and proceedings on the docket kept by the Clerk under the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure. Any order filed with the electronic signature of a judge shall have the same force and effect as if the judge had affixed his or her signature to a paper order.
12. An attorney filing a pleading or other paper electronically shall serve the Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF) by electronic means and such service will be considered the equivalent of service of the pleading or other paper by first class mail, postage prepaid. This form of service applies only to recipients of the notice or service who are registered participants in the Electronic Case Files (ECF) system or have agreed in writing with the filer to accept such service in lieu of service by first class mail. For all remaining recipients of service or notice unable to receive an electronic notice, the filing party shall serve the pleading or paper upon all such entities in accordance with applicable bankruptcy rules. When mailing paper copies of documents that have been electronically filed, the filing party must include the "Notice of Electronic Filing" to provide the recipient with proof of the filing.
13. Receipt of an Electronic Case Files (ECF) login and password constitutes a request for electronic service and electronic notice pursuant to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure.
14. An attorney filing a Verified Pleading should thereafter ma inta in in his or her office the original Verified Pleading in its entirety for at least five (5) years after the conclusion of all appeals or the expirat ion of time for filing a timely appeal, whichever is later. The filing of a Verified Pleading constitutes a representation by the attorney who files it that the attorney has in his or her possession at the time of filing the fully executed original Verified Pleading and that he or she agrees to maintain it for the five (5) year period set forth above. A pleading or document that a person signs and thereby verifies, certifies, declares, affirms, or swears under oath or penalty of perjury concerning the truth of the matters set forth in that pleading or document is a "Verified Pleading."
15. This Order vacates General Order 2005-7 (Order Adopting Case Management/Electronic Case Files System (CM/ECF) and Local Bankruptcy Rules for Electronic Case Files (ECF) and General Order 2007-4 (Amendment of ECF Local Rule 7 and Debtor's Declaration Regarding Electronic Filing).
16. This Order is effective October 1, 2010, and shall be published together with Exhibit A, Administrative Procedures for Electronic Filing, and Exhibit B, ECF Local Rules for the Southern District of Georgia.
1. Order Pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §521 (i)
2. Notice of Automatic Dismissal
Amendment of ECF Local Rule 7 and Debtor’s Declaration Regarding Electronic Filing.
GENERAL ORDER NUMBER 2005-8 (posted Jan. 23, 2006)
The revised procedure for Salary Orders is that Debtor's must now complete an initial wage withholding order which must accompany the Chapter 13 plan.
GENERAL ORDER NUMBER 2005-7 (posted Nov. 4, 2005)
1. Judicial Economy. No mandatory provision, either allowing or prohibiting these payments to be handled by the Chapter 13 Trustee, can possibly meet the particular needs of every case. Failure to order in advance that debtors may elect the method most likely to permit their Plans to succeed will inevitably lead to countless motions to obtain this permission on a case-by-case basis, consuming untold hours of judicial and administrative resources and driving the cost of Chapter 13 proceeds to debtors, creditors, and counsel higher than can be justified.
2. Record-keeping and Evidentiary Considerations. Chapter 13 Trustees act as fiduciaries, and are uniquely qualified to receive and disburse funds, and to provide reliable records of all such payments. All parties in Chapter 13 cases justifiably rely heavily upon the integrity of these transactions and the records that the Trustee maintains and provides, at no additional cost, to all parties in interest.
3. Creditors' Interests Protected. In the case of adequate protection payments, because debtor's obligation to make these payments is not triggered until a claim is "allowed" and because claims are not "allowed" until filed (§ 502), it may be impossible for a debtor to know when to begin making such payments "directly". Payment to the Trustee of funds estimated to cover these claims will ensure debtors do not become delinquent under this provision simply because they lack any notice of an obligation to commence making them. Creditors rights are preserved under longstanding precedent of this Court. See In re Coplin, 1987 W. L 61929 (Bankr. S.D. Ga.). Coplin ensures that funds held by a Trustee in a case that is dismissed are held for a sufficient period of time, not expressly provided by the terms of § 1326(a)(2),so as to permit creditors with an interest in those funds to make a claim to them See also In re Holly, 109 B.R. 524 (Bankr. S.D. Ga. 1989). Holly applied the Coplin decision to Chapter 13 cases in the event of conversion to Chapter 7. Therefore, in the event of either dismissal or conversion of Chapter 13 case, funds held to provide for adequate protection will be applied to that purpose. The amendments to § 1326 do not negate this precedent.
4. Timely Hearing on Objections. Confirmation hearings will be conducted prior to the deadline for filing claims. As a result, the Court can timely adjudicate any dispute over the amount and method of payment of these claims at confirmation, should a timely objection to the Plan be filed by any creditor.
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §§ 1326 and 105, commencing October 17, 2005, debtors are authorized to designate in their Chapter 13 Plans whether lease and adequate protection payments shall be made "directly" to the creditor or remitted to the Trustee.
If these payments are remitted to the Trustee they shall be paid to the creditor designated in the Plan after a claim is allowed until confirmation or further order of this Court. Creditor's rights in these funds shall be governed by the terms of a confirmed Plan, further order of Court, or in the case of a dismissal prior to confirmation, remitted to the creditor for whose benefit they were paid by Debtor and held during the pendency of the case.
GENERAL ORDER NUMBER 2005-4 (posted Aug. 25, 2005; This order revises the Clerk's Office procedures for the filing of creditor mailing matrixes, effective August 29, 2005.)
Vacated per General Order 2015-1.
GENERAL ORDER NUMBER 2005-3
In all Chapter 13 cases filed on or after October 17, 2005, counsel for the debtors are required to utilize the Chapter 13 Plan and Motion and, if applicable, the Modification to Chapter 13 Plan After Confirmation, promulgated and distributed in this District which is attached hereto and posterrd on the OCurt's website at www.gas.uscourts.gov. Counsel's signature on the petition and in any other pleadings in the case shall be deemed to constitute a certification by counsel that the text of the Plan or Modification is identical in every respect to the terms of the standard form Plan of Modification.
If the debtor proposes a Plan or Modification which devistes from the standard form, the Plan or Modification shall contain the following in all capital letters and underlined text:
Failure to comply with the terms of this Order shall be grounds for immediate dismissal of debtor's case and imposition of sanctions on the attorney of record.
Vacated per General Order 2017-3.
GENERAL ORDER NUMBER 2005-2 (posted Oct. 13, 2005)
Vacated per General Order 2005-6
GENERAL ORDER 2001-1 [Contested Matters].
GENERAL ORDER 1997-2.
Vacated per General Order 2017-4.
GENERAL ORDER 1996-2. [Chapter 13 Plan and Modification].
In every Chapter 13 case filed in this District in which the debtor requests permission to pay filing fees in installments,
This 11th day of May, 1995.
GENERAL ORDER 1995-2. [Hearings on Confirmation].
GENERAL ORDER 12 (1994). [Filing of Petitions].