Carr v. Sandler

190 B.R. 941, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19580, 1995 WL 775392
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedNovember 30, 1995
DocketNo. 95-183-CIV-FTM-17D
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 190 B.R. 941 (Carr v. Sandler) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Carr v. Sandler, 190 B.R. 941, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19580, 1995 WL 775392 (M.D. Fla. 1995).

Opinion

ORDER

KOVACHEVICH, Chief Judge.

This cause is before this Court on the following motions:

1. Appellee Nathurst’s Motion to Compel Service of Appellant’s Brief on Appel-lee Nathurst (Dkt. No. 10.).
2. Appellee Nathurst’s Motion for Extension of Time in Which to File Responsive Brief (Dkt. No. 10).
3. Appellee Nathurst’s Motion for Sanctions (Dkt. No. 10).
4. Appellee Sanchez’ Motion to Extend Time to File Appellee’s Answer Brief until ruling on Motion to Strike (Dkt. No. 11).
5. Appellant Carr’s Motion to Strike Pleading Filed by the Taylor Brion Law Firm (Dkt. No. 15).

STANDARD OF APPELLATE REVIEW

This case is before the Court on appeal from the Bankruptcy Court. The appeal is from a judgment of sanctions against Appellant. The Court has several Motions for consideration.

FACTS

This case is on appeal from the Bankruptcy Court on the granting of sanctions against Appellant, Stephany S. Carr. Appellant does not agree with Judge Paskay’s ruling of F.R.B.P. 9011 sanctions. The F.R.B.P. 9011 sanctions were awarded against Appellant because the Bankruptcy Court found that she filed documents without sufficient inquiry into the facts.

The documents in question include an order authorizing a F.R.B.P. 2004 examination, and a subpoena for appearance. The most important document, which was the cause for the sanctions, was the Motion for Apprehension and Removal of Debtor, Hugh Lee Na-thurst, III. There is no dispute that the events described below occurred.

Appellee Nathurst was required to attend a F.R.B.P. 2004 examination, but did not appear for the examination. One of the factual disputes is whether Appellant knew Appellee Nathurst would not attend the examination before she issued the Motion for Apprehension. The events that occurred are undisputed. However, the facts related to the issuance of the Order granting sanctions are in dispute.

On appeal, Appellant contends that Judge Paskay made his ruling based upon facts that did not apply to the Sanctions Order. Appellant also appeals the amount of sanctions awarded.

Appellee Nathurst, a named party to this action, is asking this Court to compel Appellant to provide him with a copy of the appellate brief. Appellee Nathurst also asks this Court to grant his Motion for Sanctions against Appellant.

Appellee Sanchez asks this Court to strike the paragraphs from Appellant’s Brief that contain issues not presented in the Notice of Appeal. On the Notice and Record of Issues on Appeal, Appellant stated only two issues for appellate review. Appellant’s Brief contains three issues. Appellee Sanchez asks this Court to strike the third issue. Appellee Sanchez’ reasoning is that Appellant should not be allowed to appeal an issue that was not timely brought before the District Court.

Appellant asks this Court to strike Appel-lee Sanchez’ Motion to Strike. Appellant argues that Appellee Sanchez is not a party in interest, and should not file Motions in this case. Appellee Sanchez and the Taylor Brion law firm withdrew from representing Appellee Nathurst before the case went on appeal.

Appellant asks this Court to disregard the Taylor Brion Law Firm as a party in this suit because it withdrew from representing Appellee Nathurst. Appellant also asks that the Law Firm’s Motion be stricken. Appel-lee Sanchez asserts that he is a party in interest because he represented Appellee Nathurst at the time the sanctions were awarded.

Appellee’s Motion to Compel Service of Appellant’s Brief

Appellee Nathurst is a named party in this case, yet Appellant’s attorney contends that Appellee Nathurst has no stand[944]*944ing in this dispute. Although being named a party does not necessarily give a person standing, it is probative of the issue.

A party in a case is one who has standing. “A party in interest must mean pecuniary interest”. Caserta v. Tobin, 175 B.R. 773, 775 (Bankr.S.D.Fla.1994) (citing Kapp v. Naturelle, 611 F.2d 703, 706 (8th Cir.1979)). Appellee Nathurst has a pecuniary interest in the sanctions award. Appellee Nathurst wants the sanctions award to become a part of the estate. Following Caserta v. Tobin, 175 B.R. 773, 775 (Bankr.S.D.Fla.1994) (citing Kapp v. Naturelle, 611 F.2d at 706), since Appellee Nathurst has a pecuniary interest in the sanctions award, he is a party in this appeal. As a party to the appeal, Appellee Nathurst should receive a copy of Appellant’s Brief.

The Law Firm of Taylor, Brion, Buker & Greene, et al., who formerly represented Ap-pellee Nathurst, filed a response to Appellee Nathurst’s Motion to Compel Service of Appellant’s Brief. The Law Firm states that Appellee Nathurst filed the Motion contrary to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(f). (Dkt. No. 14). The rule states “... the court may order stricken from any pleading any ... immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter”. Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(f).

The Law Firm states that the Motion is impertinent because Appellee Nathurst has a state action pending against Appellant and Appellee Sanchez. Since the state court action is not relevant here, Appellee Nathurst has a right to be served any papers in a case in which he is a party.

Federal Bankruptcy Rule 8008(b) states, “Copies of all papers filed by any party ... shall, ... be served by the party or a person acting for the party on all other parties to the appeal”, (emphasis added). The rule further states that “service on a party represented by counsel shall be made on counsel”. F.R.B.P. 8008.

Therefore, the Court grants Appellee Na-thurst’s Motion to Compel Appellant to serve a copy of the appellate brief. Accordingly, Appellant “shall serve ... a brief within 15 days after entry of the appeal on the docket ...” F.R.B.P. 8009(a)(1).

Appellee’s Motion to Extend Time to File Responsive Brief

Since Appellee Nathurst has not received a copy of the appellate brief, he filed this Motion to Extend Time for a Responsive Brief. Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 8008 states that all parties shall receive all papers involved in the litigation. The Court finds that Appellee Nathurst is a party in interest, and Appellant must serve him a copy of the appellate brief. Appellee Nathurst’s Motion to Extend Time for the Responsive Brief is granted. Appellee Nathurst must “... serve and file a brief within 15 days after service of the brief of appellant”. F.R.B.P.

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Related

Carr v. Sandler
104 F.3d 371 (Eleventh Circuit, 1996)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
190 B.R. 941, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19580, 1995 WL 775392, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carr-v-sandler-flmd-1995.