Local Rule Rule 2003-1: Meeting of Creditors

Rule 2003-1. Meeting of Creditors

(a) FIRST DATE OF MEETING. If the meeting of creditors is rescheduled because the trustee recuses themself or rejects their appointment, the date to which the meeting is rescheduled will be deemed the first date set for such meeting.

(b) MEETING CONCLUSION. The meeting of creditors will be deemed concluded on the first date set for such meeting, unless the trustee files a statement indicating the meeting is not concluded and specifying the date and time to which the meeting is continued. The statement must be filed within seven days after the meeting. The trustee may file more than one statement under this rule.

(c) NOTICE. The trustee must provide notice of any statement filed under this rule to the debtor, the attorney for the debtor, and the United States trustee.

[Effective April 15, 1997. Amended effective January 1, 2002; January 9, 2006; December 1, 2009; December 2012; September 3, 2025.]

2025 Advisory Committee Notes Local Rule 2003-1 was amended to provide greater clarity as to the timing of the meeting of creditors. Subsection (a) was added to clarify the first date set for the meeting of creditors if the trustee recuses themself or rejects their appointment. There are several deadlines in the rules that are set based on the first date set for the meeting of creditors. See, e.g., Fed. R. Bankr. P. 4003(b)(1) (providing that a party in interest may file an objection to claimed exemptions within 30 days after the meeting of creditors concludes). But see Fed. R. Bankr. P. 1019(b) (providing new timelines, including under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 4003(b), when a case is converted to chapter 7). Note that Fed. R. Bankr. P. 2003(e) uses the words "adjourn" and "adjournment" to refer to a meeting's continuance.

Subsection (b) addresses the conclusion of the meeting and largely contains the substance of former Local Rule 2003-1, with a few exceptions. The 28-day timeline for reconvening was removed as unnecessary. However, a seven-day deadline was added for filing a statement under subsection (b) to ensure timely notice of rescheduling the nonconcluded meeting. Note that trustees must also adhere to the requirements of Fed. R. Bankr. P. 2003(e), which requires the trustee to announce at the meeting that the meeting is not concluded and provide the date and time to which it is continued. The statement required under subsection (b) ensures that the information shared at the meeting of creditors is also made available on the case docket. Lastly, the notice provisions were moved to new subsection (c). The list of entities required to receive notice was reduced as Fed. R. Bankr. P. 2003(e) and the 2011 Advisory Committee Notes thereto make clear that filing the statement is generally sufficient for purposes of notice.