The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Oklahoma is re-announcing the posting of proposed revised Local Rules, Local Forms, and Guidelines for public comment.  The proposed revised Local Rules, Local Forms, and Guidelines are available here.  Local Rules and Local Forms are displayed in a redline version illustrating the proposed revisions. Most Guidelines have been substantially revised, making a redline version impractical; consequently, clean versions of the proposed Guidelines are provided. 

The Court also posts a proposed revision to Local Rule 1001-1, new subsection J, “Signature, Verification, and Retention of Documents and Pleadings,” which provides:

“The electronic filing of a Document electronically signed by a client of the Registered Participant,
including but not limited to the petition, statement of financial affairs and schedules of assets and
liabilities, shall be deemed a certification by the Registered Participant that he or she has the
Document bearing the person’s original signature in his or her physical possession. The Registered
Participant must produce the original signed Document on request of the Court or a trustee.
Electronically filed pleadings and Documents requiring original signatures, other than the
signature of the Registered Participant, must be maintained in paper form by the Registered
Participant until one (1) year after the later of the running of the appeal time or closing of the
bankruptcy case.”

These proposed revised Local Rules, Local Forms, and Guidelines are available for public comment, until May 15, 2024.  Please share any comments with the Court by sending an email to comments@okwb.uscourts.gov by May 15, 2024.