Lee Ann's Legacy
by
Chief Judge Michael G. Williamson
“Hers is an American success story,” said Chief Bankruptcy Judge Paul M.
Glenn in June of 2006 on the appointment of Lee Ann Bennett as Clerk of our
court. As described by Judge Glenn, “She has literally come up through the
ranks,” having held almost every job within the Clerk’s office during her 18
years of service to the federal court system. “Her performance has been
exceptional at every level and in every Division of this Court, she has proven
her abilities, and she is highly regarded by all in the Court."
Judge Glenn’s words were prophetic. In the years that followed with Lee
Ann at the helm of our court, she oversaw the management of a court with an
operating budget of more than $9.6 million and at one time employing more than
160 senior staff, deputy clerks in charge, supervisors, and case managers
resident in Tampa, Jacksonville, and Orlando.
In recent years working with Chief Judge Karen Jennemann, Lee Ann helped
guide our court through the transition of eight judge teams to a new model
based on “One Court, One Team.” Her knowledge of court administration led her
to be appointed Chair of the Bankruptcy Clerks Advisory Group in 2015, where
she provided advice to the Administrative Office of the United States Courts on
topics including work measurement formulas, shared administrative services, and
bankruptcy rules and form changes. Not surprisingly, she was recognized for her
achievements by being awarded the Director’s Award for Outstanding Leadership
in 2015.
Click here to real the full article.
 Trustee Spotlight:
News from the U.S. Trustee
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Tampa Trustee, V. John Brook, Jr. Retires from Active Case Rotation in 2017
Submitted by The Office of the U.S. Trustee
 V.
John Brook Jr. was appointed to the Tampa panel of trustees on August 2, 1988,
and retired from active case rotation on January 1, 2017. Over the past 28
years he has been assigned thousands of cases.
John
reflects that in those years some cases were fun—others were downright
aggravating. The two cases he remembers most involved a large phosphate plant
and a case of a tax protester back in the 1990’s. He fondly remembers that . . .
Click here to read more.
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 Pro Bono Corner
Helping the legal community
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The Florida Supreme Court and the
Florida Bar Recognizes Samuel Pennington with the Pro Bono Service Award
The
Florida Supreme Court and the Florida Bar recognized Samuel Pennington with the
Pro Bono Service Award for his “efforts above and beyond the call of duty to
serve the legal community and Florida as a whole.”[1]
The award is given annually to lawyers, groups, and a member of the judiciary
in recognition of their commitment to making legal services available to the
poor.[2]
In his legal career, Pennington has been committed to helping people through
pro bono legal services.
Pennington
graduated from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in 1979.
After working for several years with Christian Prison Ministries, he took the
Florida Bar exam in 1988. Since the mid-1990s, Pennington limited his practice
to the area of bankruptcy law and kept focus on providing pro bono legal
services.[3]
Click here to read the full article.
 Judge McEwen's
Make-Me-Smile Moments
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Before the end of February, the entire month of March’s Tampa Division courthouse clinic spots were fully subscribed! That’s really stepping up. Thank you, volunteers, on behalf of all the Tampa division judges.
In open court, Raul
Cabrera offered to write out a motion to waive the personal financial
management course requirement for an elderly pro se debtor who is undergoing
chemotherapy and whose daughter manages her financial affairs.
 Awards and Recognition
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The Orange County Bar Association Honors Judge Arthur Briskman with the James E. Glazebrook Memorial Bar Service Award
Submitted by: Eva Gadzheva
Pictured:
OCBA President, Wiley S. Boston, Esq., and Judge
Arthur Briskman
The
Orange County Bar Association honored Judge Arthur Briskman with the 2017 James
E. Glazebrook Memorial Bar Service Award. The award recognizes the
accomplishments of a state or federal judge who serves and supports local bar
associations; is dedicated to professionalism, both in and out of the courtroom;
and who exemplifies qualities that heighten professionalism, including
civility, integrity, and respect for our system of justice. Judge Briskman has
served the bankruptcy community for over thirty years and has helped improve
the effectiveness of the bankruptcy courts in their service and accessibility
to those most in need. In his award speech, Judge Briskman highlighted the role
of professionalism in helping those who feel invisible.
Click here to read the full article.
The
IRS is now using private debt collectors
by
Colleen Tressler, Consumer
Education Specialist, FTC
(Source: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov)
Do you have a debt with the IRS that’s more than two
years old? If so, you might be getting a letter from the IRS about your account
being transferred to a private debt collector. This new program only applies to
taxpayers who have had an IRS debt for years, and who were previously contacted
about it by the IRS. Here’s how it will work – and how to spot a scam.
If your debt is put into this
program, the IRS says you
will get two letters. The first letter will come from the IRS and will
say which private debt collection company your account has been assigned to.
The companies are: CBE, ConServe, Perfomant, or Pioneer. The second letter will
come from the private debt collection company assigned to your account. Both
letters will include the tax amount owed, the name of the private debt
collection company assigned, and a taxpayer authentication number that is
unique to you.
But here’s how you can tell you’re dealing with the
actual debt collector, not a scammer.
Click here for the full article.
 Case Law Update
Submitted By:
Bradley M. Saxton & C. Andrew Roy
Winderweedle Ward Haines and Woodman, P.A.
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Supreme Court Cases
Czyzewski v. Jevic Holding Corp.
137 S.Ct. 973 (March 22, 2017)
Eleventh Circuit Cases
In re Lunsford
848 F.3d 963 (11th Cir.
February 15, 2017)
In re Appling
848 F.3d 953 (11th Cir. February
15, 2017)
Bankruptcy Court Cases
In re Progressive Plumbing, Inc.
6:15-BK-07275 (Bankr. M.D. Fla.
March 2, 2017) (Jennemann, J.)
In re Rothenbush
2017 WL 933019 (Bankr. M.D. Fla.
February 27, 2017) (Colton, J.)
In re Aye
2017 WL 713566 (Bankr. M.D. Fla.
February 22, 2017) (Colton, J.)
In re Stanton
2017 WL 587983 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. February 14, 2017) (Williamson, J.)
In re Kaschkadayev
2017 WL 587982 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. February 14, 2017) (Williamson, J.)
In re Rhodes
563 B.R. 380 (Bankr. M.D. Fla.
February 3, 2017) (Briskman, J.)
In re Ferrer
2017 WL 401188 (Bankr. M.D. Fla.
January 30, 2017) (Funk, J.)
In re Dunning
Adv. 8:16-AP-00343 (Bankr. M.D.
Fla. January 25, 2017) (Colton, J.)
In re Bell
2017 WL 384678 (Bankr. M.D. Fla.
January 25, 2017) (Glenn, J.)
In re Fohrmeister
8:13-BK-14728 (Bankr. M.D. Fla.
December 30, 2016) (Colton, J.)
In re Petsch
8:16-BK-01766 (Bankr. M.D. Fla.
December 13, 2016) (Colton, J.)
Click here to read the summaries.
 Local Bar Associations
News and events from your local bar association
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Click the links below for updates, news and pictures from the local bar associations:
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