Yes. The Northern District of Ohio Bankruptcy Court began accepting electronic claims in all cases effective February 1, 2019.

Yes. Check the box indicating that the Payment Address is different from the Notice Address. An additional address field will appear for this alternate address for payments.

A debtor filing an individual bankruptcy case has a right to represent himself or herself (pro se debtor); however, the use of an attorney is strongly recommended. Bankruptcy can be a daunting process, and can have serious long term consequences on the debtor and his or her possessions that a lawyer will be able to explain. Ignorance of the law may cost an individual far more than an attorney's fee. By law, a corporation is required to have an attorney. The clerk’s office does not provide legal advice, therefore, individuals who choose to represent themselves will not be provided legal advice by court personnel. 
 

No. A claimant or a claimant’s agent may utilize the electronic filing feature available on the court’s website without becoming a registered ECF user; no login or password is required.

The court prints the name of the trustee in chapters 7, 12, and 13 bankruptcy cases on the Notice of Bankruptcy, Meeting of Creditors and Deadlines. You may obtain the trustee's name by accessing the court's Multi-Court Voice Case Information System (McVCIS), or through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER). The name of the trustee may also be  accessed on the public terminals in each court location from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
 

Every member in good standing of the Bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio is entitled to practice before the Bankruptcy Court. Any member in good standing of the Bar of any court of the United States, or of the highest court of any state may, upon written or oral motion, be permitted to appear and participate in a case or proceeding at the discretion of the court. Refer to the Local Bankruptcy Rules for Bankruptcy Court requirements. For admission requirements and forms for admission to the District Court Bar, contact the United States District Court.

Official transcripts of court hearings are produced by certified court reporters. Ordering instructions for transcripts and audio recordings may be obtained by visiting the ECF and Case Info section of the court’s website.

Bankruptcy cases are public records, and are available for viewing at the office in which the case was filed.  Basic case information  is available through the Multi-Court Voice Case Information System (McVCIS) or through Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER). Closed cases filed before December 30, 2002, may also be viewed at the National Archives Records Administration in Dayton.  For more information on archived cases, see Archived Case Search located under the ECF and Case Info section of the court’s website.

If the court confirms the chapter 11 plan of reorganization or liquidation, the debtor in possession or trustee (if appointed) will generally distribute funds in accordance with the plan.

Generally, trustees distribute funds to creditors six to eight weeks after the Notice of the Final Report and Account, however, the distribution of funds may take longer.

When filing the claim, there is a drop-down box on the first screen which allows you, the filer, to select who is submitting the claim. The options are: Creditor; Creditor’s Attorney; Debtor; Debtor’s Attorney; or Trustee. If the attorney is the filer, you will be able to add the attorney name and address and select the creditor’s name from the listing of creditors in the case or if the creditor is not listed or listed incorrectly, you are able to add the correct creditor. Both names and addresses will be added to the mailing matrix and displayed on the Proof of Claim and Claims Register.

No. At the screen for adding attachments, choose the File a Proof of Claim button without adding any attachments.

When completing the fillable claim form, check the box (above item 1, on the form) to indicate that the claim amends a previously filed claim. You can then enter the Court claim number and/or date of the previous claim.

No. A withdrawal of claim should only be filed if the claim was filed in error.

With the exception of documents filed under seal, all documents filed in bankruptcy cases are public record.  Documents may be accessed using public terminals in the Clerk's Office during regular business hours, or for  individuals who have PACER access, case information is viewable on the Internet 24-hours a day.
 

Individuals who have money held by the court may search the court's unclaimed funds database and refer to the Local Rules on the court’s website for recovery guidelines.  The unclaimed funds database consists of bankruptcy-related funds that have been (1) marked for distribution, where the case trustee has been unable to locate the creditor or other party entitled to the funds; or (2) distributed by the trustee, but not negotiated by the ECF and Case Info section of the court’s website.
 

Generally, all debts listed on the petition are dischargeable. However, certain types of debt listed in 11 U.S.C. §523 are not dischargeable. The non-dischargeable debts listed in §523 include, but are not limited to:

• Certain taxes and fines;
• Debts arising from certain fraudulent conduct;
• Debts not listed in your bankruptcy petition;
• Alimony, child maintenance or support, and certain other related debts arising out of a divorce decree or separation agreement;
• Debts caused by the Debtor's willful and malicious injury to another;
• Government guaranteed student loans;
• Debts caused by a death or personal injury related to your operation of a motor vehicle while intoxicated; and
• Post-bankruptcy condominium or cooperative owner's association fees.

The creditor matrix is a list of the creditors in the case. It must be filed in the proper format so that creditors’ addresses can be read and notices generated by the court's automated noticing system. Please see the Local Rules; on the court’s website for creditor matrix formatting instructions.

A proof of claim is a written statement that notifies the bankruptcy court, the debtor, the trustee and other interested parties that a creditor wishes to assert its rights to receive a distribution from a bankruptcy case that has assets. The proof of claim should include a copy of the documentation giving rise to the claim, as well as evidence of secured status if the claim is secured. A proof of claim form may be obtained by visiting the Forms section of the court’s website.
 

Chapter 7: Often called the liquidation chapter, a chapter 7 case filing is used by individuals, partnerships, or corporations who have no hope for repairing their financial situation. In chapter 7 asset cases, the debtor's estate is liquidated under the rules of the bankruptcy code. Liquidation is the process through which the debtor's non-exempt property is sold for cash by a trustee and the proceeds are distributed to creditors.

Chapter 11: Often called the reorganization chapter, a chapter 11 case filing allows corporations, partnerships, and some individuals to reorganize without having to liquidate all assets. When filing a chapter 11, the debtor presents a plan to creditors, which if accepted by the creditors and approved by the court, will allow the debtor to reorganize personal, financial or business affairs, and again become a financially productive individual or business.

Chapter 13: An individual with a regular income who is overcome by debts, but believes such debt can be repaid within a reasonable period of time, may file under chapter 13 of the bankruptcy code. Chapter 13 permits the debtor to file a plan in which the debtor agrees to pay a certain percentage of future income to the bankruptcy court trustee for payment to creditors. If the court approves the plan, the debtor will be under the court's protection while repaying such debts.

More information regarding chapter types may be found in the Bankruptcy Basics Manual located on the court’s website under Rules and Procedures.

Under Chapter 7, an impartial trustee is appointed to administer the case by collecting and liquidating the debtor's non-exempt assets in a manner that maximizes return to the debtor's unsecured creditors.

Under Chapter 13, an impartial trustee is also appointed to administer the case. The primary role of the chapter 13 trustee is to determine the feasibility of a debtor's repayment plan for the court and to serve as a disbursing agent, collecting payments from debtors and making distributions to creditors.

It is the judge’s discretion on how to handle situations in which the entire filing fee was not paid in a previously dismissed case, and another case is filed by the debtor within 180 days of the entry of the dismissal order.  The judge may decide to:  (1) dismiss the case being filed, (2) refuse to allow the debtor to pay the filing fee in installments for the new case, (3) make the debtor pay the filing fee from the previous case(s), or (4) take any other action that is appropriate.

The claim will immediately appear on the claims register upon submitting the proof of claim.

To expedite the handling of complaints of criminal violations in the bankruptcy system, the United States Trustee requires the submission of complaints in the form of a signed letter, bearing the return address and telephone number of the person filing the complaint.
The complaint will be reviewed promptly upon receipt. If the information furnished establishes a reasonable belief that a criminal violation has occurred, the matter will be referred to the United States Attorney. If the United States Attorney deems the matter to hold prosecutorial merit, it will be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency for investigation. A clearly written statement containing copies of any available documentation will expedite the process. For additional guidelines on suspected bankruptcy fraud reporting, see the U.S. Trustee section of the court’s website.

The following information should be submitted with the complaint:

1. The name and address of the person or business against whom the complaint is filed.

2. The name on the bankruptcy case, the case number, and the filing location.

3. Any identifying information regarding the individual or the business.

4. A brief description of the alleged fraud, including how the party filing the complaint became aware of the fraud, and when the fraud occurred. Include all supporting documentation.

5. A description of the type of asset that was concealed and its estimated dollar value, or the amount of any unreported income, undervalued asset, or other omitted asset or claim.

6. The name, address, telephone number, and email address of the person filing the complaint.  The party submitting the complaint is not required to identify himself/herself, though it is often helpful to do so if questions should arise.

Letters may be submitted via e-mail to [email protected]. Letters may also be submitted via U.S. Mail to one of the following addresses:

Executive Office for U.S. Trustees
Office of Criminal Enforcement
441 G Street, NW
Suite 6150
Washington, DC 20530
Tel: (510) 637-3200
Fax: (510) 637-3220

Office of the United States Trustee
280 S. First Street, Room 268
San Jose, CA 95113
Tel: (408) 535-5525
Fax: (408) 535-5532

Executive Office for U.S. Trustees
Criminal Enforcement Unit
20 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Suite 8000
Washington, DC 20530

No; they are two different ECF systems. Users must have a separate ECF account with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to file on bankruptcy cases. To register for a U.S. Bankruptcy Court account, please see the ECF and Case Info section of the court’s website.