Eisenberg v. C & J Services, Inc. (In re G & M Enterprises, Inc.)

485 B.R. 112, 2013 WL 121581, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 119, 57 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 129
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 9, 2013
DocketBankruptcy No. 10-21932REF; Adversary No. 10-2154REF
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 485 B.R. 112 (Eisenberg v. C & J Services, Inc. (In re G & M Enterprises, Inc.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Eisenberg v. C & J Services, Inc. (In re G & M Enterprises, Inc.), 485 B.R. 112, 2013 WL 121581, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 119, 57 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 129 (Pa. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

RICHARD E. FEHLING, Bankruptcy Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

In this adversary proceeding, Debtor asks that I excuse its insouciance about defending itself. I entered default judgment against Defendant on August 8, 2011, and Defendant now asks that I vacate that judgment. I will not do so. Both Defendant and its counsel were entirely aware of everything that happened in this litigation, but were somnolent in their failure to respond to Trustee’s efforts to advance this case. When Defendant and its counsel finally decided to seek my reconsideration of the default, their approach was insufficient.

At the hearing on Defendant’s motion for reconsideration, Defendant offered an affidavit of an office manager rather than presenting live testimony of a principal. I did not permit the affidavit to be admitted into evidence. Solely because I rejected the offered affidavit, Defendant requested that I continue the hearing. Upon my further consideration, I will admit the affidavit into evidence and I will therefore [116]*116deny Defendant’s motion for a continuance as moot. I will deny Defendant’s motion for reconsideration on the merits, taking the affidavit fully into account. This Memorandum Opinion contains my findings of fact and conclusions of law and supports my Order of even date herewith. Through my Order, I deny the request for a continuance as moot and deny the motion for reconsideration on the merits.

II. BACKGROUND

A. PREHEARING PROCEDURAL HISTORY

The procedural history of this adversary proceeding, particularly the issuance of numerous formal notices of pleadings and orders, is instructive. Plaintiff/Trustee filed his complaint initiating this matter on December 1, 2010. Trustee sought the recovery of certain sums that were alleged by Debtor to be owed to the estate by Defendant. On December 3, 2010, Trustee served the summons and complaint on Defendant, via first-class mail, addressed specifically to the attention of Gale Humlhanz, an acknowledged principal and agent of Defendant.1 Defendant never answered the complaint.2 On January 5, 2011, three days after the date by which Defendant was obliged to answer the complaint, Karl D. Cooper, Esquire, entered his appearance on behalf of Defendant. Through my Order dated January 19, 2011, I ordered Trustee to proceed with an appropriate motion for default pursuant to Bankruptcy Rule 7055 or face dismissal of the case for lack of prosecution. On January 31, 2011, Trustee filed his request for entry of default by the Clerk. Trustee served Defendant by first-class mail and Mr. Cooper was served by email through the Court’s Notice of Electronic Filing.3 Trustee also served the request by mail on Mr. Cooper. The Clerk entered default against Defendant on February 9, 2011. The Clerk’s entry of default was served on both Defendant and Mr. Cooper.

By my Order dated February 10, 2011,1 denied Trustee’s request that I enter default judgment against Defendant because the relief should have been requested through a motion for default judgment. My February 10, 2011 Order was served on Defendant and Mr. Cooper on February 12, 2011. On February 16, 2011, Trustee filed his renewed motion for default judgment against Defendant. Trustee again served both Defendant and Mr. Cooper. On March 2, 2011, Mr. Cooper filed Defendant’s response to Trustee’s motion for default judgment. A hearing on Trustee’s motion for default judgment was scheduled on March 24, 2011, but was continued first to April 7, 2011, and then to April 26, 2011. On April 25, 2011, Trustee [117]*117and Defendant filed a stipulation4 through which Trustee would withdraw his motion for default judgment if Defendant filed its answer to the complaint within 20 days. Defendant also agreed in the stipulation to provide certain discovery to Trustee. Defendant claimed that it had difficulty gathering the necessary documents to prepare an appropriate response. I approved the stipulation through my Order dated April 28, 2011, which was served on Defendant and Mr. Cooper on April 30, 2012.

When nothing had been filed on the docket more than two months later, I entered another Order, dated July 7, 2011, requiring Trustee to file an appropriate motion pursuant to Bankruptcy Rule 7055 or face dismissal for lack of prosecution. On July 14, 2011, Trustee filed a renewed motion for default judgment against Defendant and served Defendant and its counsel with the renewed motion. On August 1, 2011, Trustee certified that no response to his renewed motion had been filed. I entered judgment against Defendant in the amount of $84,542.63 through my Order dated August 8, 2011.5 Once again, notice of the Order entering judgment was served on both Defendant and its counsel on August 10, 2011. On August 24, 2011, the Clerk’s Office closed this adversary proceeding.

Nine months later, on May 9, 2012, Trustee moved to reopen the case because his efforts to collect on the judgment against Defendant had been unsuccessful. Defendant had refused to comply with his requests for discovery relating to its assets. Trustee based his request to reopen on the need to accord relief to the Debt- or/Trustee and for other cause under Section 350 of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. § 350. Trustee was attempting to obtain assets that he could distribute to creditors and that would assist him in his administration of Debtor’s estate. Again, Trustee served both Defendant and Mr. Cooper with the motion to reopen. Trustee certified no response to the motion to reopen on May 24, 2012, and I reopened this case through my Order dated May 29, 2012.

On May 29, 2012, Trustee filed his motion to compel the deposition of Ms. Hum-lhanz, which he served on both Defendant and Mr. Cooper. On June 13, 2012, Trustee certified no response and I entered an Order, dated June 18, 2012, compelling the deposition of Ms. Humlhanz. Cary B. Hall, Esquire, Defendant’s new counsel,6 had not yet entered his appearance in this case. On June 20, 2012, therefore, notice was served solely on Defendant and Mr. Cooper.

In October 2012, Defendant and its counsel finally ceased ignoring Trustee’s proceedings in this Court. On October 19, 2012, almost two years after this litigation started, over fourteen months after the default judgment had been entered, seven months after Defendant’s bank account had been garnished,7 and four months after I ordered Ms. Humlhanz to submit to being deposed, Mr. Hall finally entered his appearance for Defendant.8 On that same [118]*118date, Mr. Hall filed Defendant’s motion to reconsider the judgment entered against Defendant on August 8, 2011, fourteen months previously. Mr. Hall self-scheduled an evidentiary hearing for the motion on November 6, 2012. Trustee filed his answer to the motion for reconsideration on October 23, 2012. On November 6, 2012, counsel for Trustee and counsel for Defendant appeared in Court for the evi-dentiary hearing scheduled by Mr. Hall on Defendant’s motion for reconsideration.

B. ADMISSIBILITY OF THE SNYDER AFFIDAVIT AND DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR CONTINUANCE OF THE NOVEMBER 6, 2012 HEARING

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
485 B.R. 112, 2013 WL 121581, 2013 Bankr. LEXIS 119, 57 Bankr. Ct. Dec. (CRR) 129, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eisenberg-v-c-j-services-inc-in-re-g-m-enterprises-inc-paeb-2013.