I’ll use this post to answer two questions New York bankruptcy debtors might have that relate to each other: What is the case number in bankruptcy and what is the docket? I’ll also discuss why these items are important.
The case number, as its name implies, is the specific code that identifies a debtor’s case. It distinguishes their cases from those of others, and it gives parties a unique key for searching for specific cases. (Read about how to find information about a bankruptcy case.)
In the Eastern District of New York, which includes Brooklyn bankruptcy cases as well as those of Staten Island, Queens, and Long Island, the case number is usually a two-digit number, followed by a hyphen and a five-digit number, and then a hyphen with just three letters. The two-digit number is the year in which the case was filed, and the five digit number is the case identifier. Those final three letters are the presiding judge’s initials.
Take for example this opinion (pdf) I randomly pulled from the Eastern District’s Web site: 14-73390-las. It was filed in 2014 and presided by Judge Louis A. Scarcella. It discusses an adversary proceeding that has a different case number, 14-08229-las. Interested parties can look up the case by using the number for the bankruptcy or just the adversary proceeding if that’s what they’re interested in.
And what will they find? The docket. A docket or case file is the full set of documents that make up a debtor’s bankruptcy case, from petition through discharge and the order closing the case. Depending on the complexity of the case, the file can be quite large. The file is also what people mean when they refer to “the record.” It can include court transcripts of testimony from adversary proceedings to more mundane documents like notices of appearance.
It might be worth considering why so much information must be created and stored for bankruptcy cases. Bankruptcy is probably the most common type of court proceeding people will experience in their lives—outside of traffic courts. So why not minimize the paperwork? The standard answer is that all legal proceedings track everything that’s filed, so bankruptcy should be no different. Additionally, the 2005 bankruptcy reform added a few mandatory reporting requirements, so there are policy reasons—often poor ones—for more paperwork.
But the best reason is that in law practice sometimes the most trivial details can magnify in importance in certain contexts. It might matter precisely how much a debtor owes a creditor. A party’s address might become relevant for the purpose of determining jurisdiction and venue. In fact, it’s very important to ensure that detailed information appears in the case file in case an appeal is necessary. Then, of course, there’s the problem of a party switching or adding lawyers in a case. It’s a lot easier to look through the file and get up to speed than if the information was incomplete.
If you’re experiencing serious financial difficulties, then talking to an experienced New York bankruptcy lawyer can help you strategize your options and ensure the paperwork is done correctly.
For answers to more questions about bankruptcy, the automatic stay, effective strategies for dealing with foreclosure, and protecting your assets in bankruptcy please feel free to contact experienced bankruptcy attorney Brooklyn NY Bruce Weiner for a free initial consultation.