Above
and Beyond the Call of Duty
By: Chief Judge Michael G. Williamson
In the
October 2017 edition of the Court Connection, I expressed the Court’s appreciation
for our staff members who serve on one or more of the committees that Judge
Jennemann created when establishing uniform procedures throughout the District
(i.e., thinking “District Wide”).
In this
issue I would like to recognize five of our judges who contribute to the
practice of bankruptcy law, either in our court or on a national scale, by volunteering
for critical projects. Already burdened by substantial caseloads here in the
Middle District, these five judges truly are going “above and beyond the call
of duty.”
Click here to read about the judges.
Court Hosts Franklin Boys Prep Academy
By: Judge Catherine P. McEwen
In coordination with the George Edgecomb
Bar Association's Role Model Committee, Judge McEwen's chambers arranged a
courthouse visit early this month for 15 young men from Franklin Boys Prep
Academy, a public single-gender, college preparatory middle school. The group was comprised of 6th through 8th
graders.
The kids started their courthouse tour
with a sentencing hearing before District Court Judge Charlene Honeywell. The defendant had been convicted of cocaine
possession. The students watched
intently as they learned that the defendant had at least three prior
convictions for various crimes in another state. Because the attorneys were not prepared to
tell the judge how the other state categorized the crimes for purposes of
sentencing enhancement, she brought the attorneys up to sidebar to gently
"fuss" at them (a good lesson for the students about being prepared)
and continued the sentencing hearing to another day. After the hearing, Judge Honeywell stepped
into the well of the courtroom to talk to the students about the dangers of
drugs and other issues that could lead to failure. She also emphasized behaviors that could lead
to success, such as staying in school and studying, and she spoke on what it
takes to be a lawyer.
Click here to read more.
FLMB’s
Mortgage Modification Mediation
Program Featured in Bloomberg
By: Honorable Karen S. Jennemann
and Danielle L. Merola
Bloomberg
BNA Bankruptcy Law Reporter recently published an article praising this Court’s
Mortgage Modification Mediation Program (MMM). Author Daniel Gill mentioned the
program is working well with a much higher success rate compared to the Florida
state court foreclosure mediation programs. Some folks specifically deserve our
thanks for the program’s well-deserved nationwide praise, particularly the
Orlando Chapter 13 Trustee’s office, Tammy Branson, Bob Branson, and Liz
McCausland. We spoke with each of these folks to
get their take on the why our MMM program succeeded where others flounder.
Steve Wood from the Chapter 13 Trustee’s
office reports that since the start of the program in 2010, close to 4,000
loans have been successfully modified in Orlando. As of March 2018, about 67%
of completed mediations have succeeded.
Click here for the full article.
Pro Bono Corner
Submitted by Judge McEwen
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One morning Lynn Sherman was minding her own business up in the 9th
floor attorney lounge at the Tampa courthouse, preparing for a hearing, when a
woman walked in and sat down. Lynn
transformed from minding her own business to becoming mindful. Upon observing that the woman appeared to be
waiting for someone or maybe just plain lost, Lynn inquired whether she could
help her. Armed with a Rx sheet from
Judge McEwen (prescribing issues requiring attention), the woman stated she was
there for the Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association's free courthouse
clinic. Problem was, it was the wrong
day (Tuesday) and the wrong time (the clinic is open Monday and Wednesday
afternoons). Lynn, always attuned to pro
se’s in need (you should she her antenna rise while watching unrepresented
consumers in the courtroom), shrugged off the formalities of the clinic hours
and stepped up to handle the woman's multiple issues that morning.
Click here for the TBBBA Honor Roll for January,
February, and March!
Procedures
Committee Update: FLMB’s Resource
Hub—The Source
The quarterly update to The
Source will occur in April and will primarily focus on the Procedure Manual. The
content of this update will include adding seven new procedures, updating
existing procedures, and revising the sample motions included in some
procedures.
The new procedures are about
closing an adversary proceeding, dismissing an adversary proceeding, becoming
an electronic filer, Chapter 13 form plans, motions for adequate protection,
health care cases, and fees in Chapter 13 cases.
Click here to read more.
 Case Law Update
Submitted By:
Bradley M. Saxton & C. Andrew Roy
Winderweedle, Haines, Ward & Woodman, P.A.
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Supreme Court Cases
U.S Bank v. Village at Lakeridge, LLC
138 S. Ct. 960 (2018)
Merit Mgmt. v. FTI Consulting, Inc.
138 S. Ct. 883 (2018)
Eleventh Circuit Cases
Beem v. Ferguson
713 F. App'x 974 (11th Cir. 2018)
Bankruptcy Court Cases
In re Rome
2018 WL 1631251 (April 2, 2018) (Jennemann, J.)
In re Doganis
Case No. 3:17-bk-03086 (March 14, 2018) (Glenn, J.)
In re McHale
Case No. 6:10-bk-02527, Doc. No. 80 (March 9, 2018) (Jennemann, J.)
In re Suguinot
Case No. 6:10-05336, Doc. No. 34 (March 9, 2018) (Jennemann, J.)
In re Holland
Case No. 6:13-bk-14751, Doc. No. 119 (March 8, 2018) (Jennemann, J.)
In re Advanced Telecommunication Network, Inc.
Case No. 6:05-ap-00006, Doc. No. 304 (January 31, 2018) (Jennemann, J.)
In re Murphy
Case No. 9:17-07843-FMD(Bankr. M.D. Fla. January 18, 2018) (Delano, J.)
Click here to read the full update.
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The Court Connection is published quarterly.
Please submit items for inclusion in the next edition by June 30, 2018 to:
newsletter@flmb.uscourts.gov
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