Honorable Stacey L. Meisel

United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of New Jersey

Staff Information

Ntorian Pappas | Courtroom Deputy - (973) 776-3419

Alex Bisogno | Law Clerk

Aron Kaplan | Law Clerk

Ohanna Fernandes | Court Recorder

50 Walnut Street, 3rd Floor
Newark, N.J. 07102
Courtroom 3A

Chambers e-mail: [email protected]

Chambers phone number: (973) 645-2464

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Communication

Judge Meisel’s staff may be contacted by telephone, regular mail or email ([email protected]). Communication by fax is not permitted except with express authorization by Judge Meisel. For emergent applications, such as applications and orders shortening time, parties should e-file the documents and notify the court by e-mail to the Chamber’s e-mail address. Parties should be guided by D.N.J. LBR 5071-1 regarding adjournment requests, which must be made at least three days before the hearing. Adjournment Request forms for Chapter 7 and 11 matters should be emailed to Judge Meisel’s Chambers. Chapter 13 Adjournment Request forms should be submitted to the Standing Chapter 13 Trustee

Judge Meisel permits limited communications with her law clerks. Unless directed otherwise by the Court, litigants should never contact law clerks for advice on substantive or procedural matters other than of a rudimentary nature (such as to confirm the Court’s administrative policies and procedures or to alert the Court of some actual emergency that cannot be timely handled by conventional correspondence or formal filings). Communications with the Court about scheduling matters should be directed to Judge Meisel’s Courtroom Deputy. Communications from litigants purporting to justify litigants’ conduct because “Your Honor’s law clerk [or Deputy] said . . .” are highly disfavored and are never appropriate as an explanation of litigants’ strategic or tactical choices.

Telephonic Appearances:

All MATTERS ARE PRESUMED TO BE HEARD ON THE PAPERS.

Parties may request an exception to this presumption. To do so, please submit a request on CourtSolutions at http://www.Court-Solutions.com no later than 3:00 p.m. the court day prior to the hearing. If your request is approved, you may present oral argument telephonically. On the day of the hearing, log into your CourtSolutions’ account at least 10 minutes prior to the hearing time.

To appear telephonically, you will need to create a CourtSolutions account. Once you establish an account, you will be able to submit your request to appear telephonically. If the Court approves such request, the requesting party will receive an email from CourtSolutions with approval and dial-in information. Parties do not need to contact Chambers directly. Your dial-in information will be the same for every reservation you make. For complete information about CourtSolutions, please visit http://help.Court-Solutions.com. If you are having call-in or sign-in problems with CourtSolutions, please contact CourtSolutions directly at (917) 746-7476 or email [email protected].

To ensure the quality of the record, all calls must be made from quiet locations except in the most extreme emergencies.

Appearances In Chapter 13 Cases:

In Chapter 13 cases, parties may continue to appear telephonically through Court-Solutions.com; however, any person who wishes to appear in person may request to do so on notice to the Chapter 13 Trustee sent to the Court and the Chapter 13 Trustee no later than two (2) business days prior to the scheduled hearing. The Calendar Call for all Chapter 13 matters (both Confirmations & Motions) begins promptly at 10:00 a.m. All parties should log in at least 5 minutes before the call. Please be advised that the Court’s Docket may reflect the Confirmation Hearing time as 8:30 a.m. However, this is just for calendar control purposes and the Confirmation Calendar will actually begin at 10:00 a.m. along with the Motion Calendar.

Copies of Papers

Judge Meisel requires two (2) courtesy copies of all voluminous filings. This requirement is applicable to any submission, inclusive of Notice of Motion, Memorandum, Certifications, Exhibits, etc., that cumulatively exceed fifty (50) pages or any submission that includes 5 or more exhibits and as otherwise requested by the Court.

In addition to the requirements of D.N.J. LBR 9013-5, Judge Meisel requires two (2) courtesy copies of all Chapter 11 and Chapter 11 Subchapter V First Day Motions (with proposed interim and final orders, as applicable).

Courtesy copies must be docket-stamped and provided in a three-ring binder, with a table of contents and tabs (including exhibit tabs), and delivered to Chambers within one (1) business day of filing, unless sooner action is required. However, due to the (COVID-19) pandemic and during the effect of the Amended General Order dated April 6, 2020, please contact Chambers to coordinate submission of binder(s).

Any party moving for relief under Fed. R. Bankr. Pro. 9023 or 9024 must obtain and provide the Court with a written copy of the transcript of the hearing on the prior ruling or order within ten (10) business days of filing the Motion unless sooner action is required.

Motions

Motions:

Service: Judge Meisel requires compliance with D.N.J. LBR 5005-1. Service of a motion through the Court’s Notice of Electronic Filing is not proper service. In addition to D.N.J. LBR 5005-1 and the comments thereto, parties should consult Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9014 and Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7004 as well as the Register of Governmental Units available on the Court’s website. Service on corporations, partnerships, unincorporated associations or an insured depository institution must be made in accordance with Fed R. Bankr. P. 7004. A Motion to Reopen requires notice to all creditors unless the party receives an order from the Court. Failing to comply with service rules will result in a denial or adjournment of a motion.

Stay Relief and Other Motions: Assuming valid service, all motions will be decided on the papers unless opposition is filed. Where opposition is filed, a party may choose not to appear and rely on its papers, but the party must inform chambers of the decision not to appear. See D.N.J. LBR 9013-3.

Request to Waive 14 Day Stay of Order: Any request to waive the stay of an order for 14 days under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 4001(a)(3), 6004(h) or 6006(d), must comply with D.N.J. LBR 9013-1. Any movant requesting the waiver bears the burden of establishing cause for the waiver and shall detail the cause in the moving papers.

First Day Motions in Complex Chapter 11 Cases: Judge Meisel directs that parties notify Chambers by email or telephone of the need to schedule first day matters.

Proposed Orders: Parties should be guided by D.N.J. LBR 7058-1, 9013-1, 9013-4, and 9021-1 regarding proposed forms of order and proof of service of same.

If the Court schedules a hearing on an Order to Show Cause (“OSC”), such as on a party’s timely objection or written request for a hearing in accordance with the procedures set forth in the OSC, appearances are required at the hearing

Trials

Trials:

Pre-Trial Procedures: Parties should be guided by D.N.J. LBR 7016-1. Upon filing a proposed Joint Scheduling Order, appearances will not be required at the pre-trial conference. Appearances at the scheduled pre-trial conference are also not required when counsel notifies Chambers of the intent to settle the matter, dismiss the matter, or file default papers.

Discovery Disputes: Discovery Disputes: Parties should be guided by Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7037, D.N.J. LBR 7037-1 and the Joint Order Scheduling Pretrial Proceedings and Trial.

Requests to Enter Default and Default Judgment: Parties should be guided by D.N.J. LBR 7055-1. Judge Meisel will review such requests and schedule a proof hearing when necessary.

Other: Witness lists and exhibits are due fourteen (14) days prior to trial.

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Fee Applications

Fee Applications:

Fee Applications: Counsel/professionals should be guided by D.N.J. LBR 2016-1 through 2016-5 and 9013-3. Judge Meisel’s fee applications are generally scheduled on the first and third Wednesday of the month.

Reaffirmation Agreements

Reaffirmation Agreements:

Parties should be guided by 11 U.S.C. section 524 and Fed. R. Bankr.P. 4008.

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Honorable Stacey L. Meisel

Staff Information

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