| Monday, November 9, 2020 Holiday-Related Closings. The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Oklahoma announces holiday-related court closings. The Court will be closed on Friday, November 27, 2020, and Thursday, December 24, 2020. Attached is General Order 20-14 regarding these closings. |
| Monday, November 9, 2020 Update Regarding Corrective Entries. Effective December 1, 2020, the Clerk’s Office for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Oklahoma will issue only one corrective entry regarding a deficiency in a filing. The corrective entry will provide filers seventy-two hours to correct the deficiency. If the deficiency is not corrected within seventy-two hours, the document will be stricken. Our prior practice had been to issue two corrective entries, with each one providing seventy-two hours to correct the deficiency. |
| Monday, November 2, 2020 Inflationary Adjustments to the Bankruptcy Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule (Effective December 1, 2020). On March 17, 2020, the Judicial Conference approved a recommendation to increase certain miscellaneous fees for inflation. These adjustments are scheduled to become effective December 1, 2020. An updated fee schedule will be published on our website at that time. Tables listing the inflationary increases for Court of Appeals, District Court, Bankruptcy Court, and Court of Federal Claims Miscellaneous Fee Schedules and the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation Fee Schedule are available here. |
| Friday, August 28, 2020 U.S. Trustee Program Extends Telephonic or Video Section 341 Meeting. The U.S. Trustee Program has extended the requirement that section 341 meetings be conducted by telephone or video appearance to all cases filed during the period of the President’s “Proclamation on Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak” issued March 13, 2020, and ending on the date that is 60 days after such declaration terminates. However, the U.S. Trustee may approve a request by a trustee in a particular case to continue the section 341 meeting to an in-person meeting in a manner that complies with local public health guidance, if the U.S. Trustee determines that an in-person examination of the debtor is required to ensure the completeness of the meeting or the protection of estate property. This policy may be revised at the discretion of the Director of the United States Trustee Program. |
| Friday, August 14, 2020 Notice of Proposed Amendments to Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure Posted for Public Comment. The Judicial Conference Advisory Committees on Appellate, Bankruptcy, Civil, and Criminal Rules have Proposed Rule Amendments and are circulating them to the bench, bar, and public for public comment beginning on August 14, 2020 and closing on February 16, 2021. |
| Tuesday, July 21, 2020 Public Notice Regarding Unavailability of CM/ECF ″List of Creditors″ Report. RESOLVED 7/22/2020 - The "List of Creditors" report in the CM/ECF system is not working at this time. Until the Bankruptcy Noticing Center (BNC) resolves this issue, please use the CM/ECF Query feature to obtain the names and addresses of creditors and/or parties for a bankruptcy case: Query > Creditor - for a list of creditors; and |
| Friday, July 10, 2020 Building Closed on July 10, 2020. On Friday, July 10, 2020, the building was closed due to a power outage. |
| Tuesday, June 16, 2020 IMPORTANT NOTICE - U.S. TRUSTEE PROGRAM EXTENDS TELEPHONIC OR VIDEO SECTION 341 MEETINGS TO CASES FILED THROUGH OCTOBER 10, 2020. The U.S. Trustee Program is extending the requirement that section 341 meetings be conducted by telephone or video appearance to all cases filed through October 10, 2020. However, if the responsible U.S. Trustee or case trustee determines that an in-person examination of the debtor is required to ensure the completeness of the meeting or protection of estate property, the U.S. Trustee may approve the continuation of the section 341 meeting to an in-person meeting in a manner that complies with local public health guidance. |
| Wednesday, June 10, 2020 Notice of OKWD General Order 20-11.1. The District Court of Western District of Oklahoma amended OKWD General Order 20-11 to delete the prohibition of more than ten people in a courtroom gallery at any time. All persons in a courtroom gallery must be sufficiently spaced to provide for social distancing, and all other provisions of OKWD General Order 20-11 remain in effect. |
| Friday, May 29, 2020 Notice of Third Amended General Order 20-6, Conducting Hearings Telephonically and Operations Update in Response to COVID-19. The Court has amended this General Order to provide that not all hearings will be conducted telephonically. Some hearings may be held in person at the courthouse; others may be held telephonically; and others may be held by video conference. The Court will provide notice for every hearing, and the notice will specify whether the hearing will be held in-person at the courthouse, by phone, or by video conference. |
| Thursday, May 28, 2020 Notice of OKWD General Order 20-15 Requirement to Wear Face Coverings when in the Federal Courthouses. All visitors to the courthouse are required to wear face coverings at all times. Please see OKWD General Order 20-15 for more information. |
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Friday, May 8, 2020 The Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure and its five advisory committees invite public input on possible rule amendments that could ameliorate future national emergencies’ effects on court operations. Congress has directed the Judicial Conference and the Supreme Court to consider such amendments in light of the COVID pandemic [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020, Pub. L. No. 116-136, § 15002(b)(6)]. As a result, the advisory committees for the appellate, bankruptcy, civil, criminal, and evidence rules are considering whether rule amendments are needed to deal with future emergencies. The committees seek input on challenges encountered during the COVID pandemic in state and federal courts, by lawyers, judges, parties, or the public, and on solutions developed to deal with those challenges. The committees are particularly interested in hearing about situations that could not be addressed through the existing rules or in which the rules themselves interfered with practical solutions. Suggestions should be sent to RulesCommittee_Secretary@ao.uscourts.gov. Because the Rules Committees are moving forward quickly, responses are requested by June 1, 2020. |
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Wednesday, April 29, 2020 A new CM/ECF event is available for docketing forbearance agreements pursuant to the CARES Act. The event will appear in the categories Claim Actions and Creditor Claimant Activity. The filer will go to Bankruptcy > Claims Actions (or Creditor Claimant Activity, Notices & Other) > Notice of Debtor’s Request for Post-Petition Mortgage Payment Forbearance Due to COVID-19 Pandemic > (if the PDF contains a Certificate of Service, select the appropriate radio button). The filer will be prompted to attach a PDF of the forbearance agreement.
The final docket text will be: |
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Tuesday, April 21, 2020 |
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Wednesday, April 15, 2020 On March 27, Congress passed, and the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”). The CARES Act made some changes to the Bankruptcy Code, most of them temporary, to provide financial assistance during the Coronavirus crisis. The enactment of the CARES Act requires one-year amendments to five official forms to account for a new definition of “debtor” applicable to subchapter V of chapter 11 and a new exclusion for certain Coronavirus related payments from the definitions of “current monthly income” and “disposable income.” Because the CARES Act took effect immediately upon enactment and its bankruptcy provisions are of limited duration, the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules has exercised the authority delegated to it by the Judicial Conference to make conforming technical changes to five bankruptcy forms (Official Forms 101, 122A-1, 122B, 122C-1, and 201). The new forms are located on the United States Courts website:
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Wednesday, April 1, 2020 |
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Saturday, March 28, 2020 The intake counter at the Clerk’s Office is closed, and no person-to-person assistance is available until further notice. The public may submit filings or payments through a drop box located outside the Clerk’s Office. The drop box will be checked daily during regular business hours. Filings will be processed in accordance with the Clerk’s Office’s usual business practices.
INSTRUCTIONS Insert the top page of the document being filed in the date and time stamp. Place the file-stamped document in an envelope. The envelope should include the filer’s name and phone number. Include all applicable fees. PLEASE NOTE LOCAL RULE 5080-1(A): “Any document presented for manual filing without proper provision for payment of the filing fee shall not be accepted for filing by the Clerk.” Fees should be paid by cashier’s check or money order payable to “Clerk, United States Bankruptcy Court.” Include any filing instructions, if necessary. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if return copies are desired.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Filings and payments may also be submitted to the Clerk’s Office by mail to the address listed below: United States Bankruptcy Court Please review the Court’s website at www.okwb.uscourts.gov for more information and updates. The Clerk’s Office may be contacted at (405) 609-5700, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
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Thursday, March 26, 2020 |
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Tuesday, March 24, 2020 |
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Wednesday, March 18, 2020 Please see General Order 20-7 in reference to coronavirus and entering the Courthouse. |
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Monday, March 16, 2020 Please review General Order 20-6 entered by the District Court on March 13, 2020. The Order provides that the Western District of Oklahoma has developed protocols should pandemic conditions call for reduced or interrupted Court operations. At this time, the Bankruptcy Court has adopted the following measures: Chambers staff are teleworking. For hearings currently scheduled, chambers will contact attorneys to coordinate telephonic hearings or continuances. If a matter needs to be heard on an emergency basis, attorneys should contact chambers. We will continue these measures while the social distancing recommendations are in place. If you have any questions, please contact (405) 609-5700 or trainers@okwb.uscourts.gov. |
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Monday, March 16, 2020 Effective immediately, all in-person chapter 7, 12, and 13 section 341 meetings scheduled through April 10, 2020, are hereby continued until a later date to be determined. Absent special circumstances, section 341 meetings may not proceed during this period except through telephonic or other alternative means not requiring personal appearance by debtors. Appropriate notice will be provided to parties in accordance with bankruptcy law and rules. |
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Tuesday, January 7, 2020 |
| Wednesday, December 11, 2019 Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule Change (PACER Fees). On September 17, 2019, the United States Judicial Conference modified the Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule to increase the quarterly threshold for waiving Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) fees from $15 per quarterly billing cycle to $30 per quarterly billing cycle. PACER users will not be charged a fee for usage that does not exceed $30 in a quarterly billing period. This change takes effect on January 1, 2020 and will be reflected on a PACER user’s quarterly bill received in April 2020. |
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Monday, November 4, 2019 The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Oklahoma will be closed on the following days: |
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Friday, October 11, 2019 At its September 26, 2019 meeting, the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules made minor conforming amendments to certain official forms to address the Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need Act of 2019 (the HAVEN Act). The HAVEN Act amended 11 U.S.C. §101(10A) to exclude from the definition of Current Monthly Income certain payments made under title 10, 37 or 38 of the United States Code in connection with a disability, combat-related injury or disability, or death of a member of the uniformed services. These official forms were amended:
These amended forms went into effect on October 1, 2019, and apply to cases filed on or after that date. For more information about these form changes, please see the United States Courts website [Note: this hyperlink has expired.]. |
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Tuesday, August 27, 2019 The Judicial Conference Advisory Committees on Appellate, Bankruptcy, Criminal and Evidence Rules have proposed amendments to their respective rules and requested that the proposals be circulated to the bench, bar, and public for comment. The public comment period ends February 19, 2020. If approved, the amendments would become effective December 1, 2021.
To view the proposed amendments, advisory committee reports, and information about submitting written comments or testifying at public hearings, please visit the Rules & Policies webpage on the U.S. Courts website at https://www.uscourts.gov/rules-policies/proposed-amendments-published-public-comment. |
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Wednesday, May 29, 2019 |
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Wednesday, January 30, 2019 A Temporary General Order, an Order Extending Deadlines, and a Miscellaneous Order have been entered by Chief Judge Janice Loyd. Please see the attached orders. OKWB Temporary General Order.pdf |
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Thursday, August 9, 2018 |
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Monday, October 2, 2017 |
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Wednesday, October 21, 2015 |
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Thursday, October 1, 2015 The REAL ID Act of 2005 establishes minimum standards for state-issued drivers’ licenses and the use of identification to enter Federal facilities. For more information on the REAL ID Act, visit http://www.dhs.gov/real-id-public-faqs. On January 19, 2015, Phase 3 of the Act becomes effective. The Judges of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma have determined that the public may continue to use their Oklahoma drivers’ licenses as photographic identification to enter the Courthouse and the Old Post Office Building for the Bankruptcy Court. |
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Wednesday, September 9, 2015 New forms, effective 12-01-2015 [Note: this hyperlink has expired.]. |
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Monday, February 2, 2015 |
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Tuesday, December 16, 2014 |
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Sunday, June 1, 2014 New fee schedule, effective 06-01-2014, FeesChart.pdf. |