Local Rule L.R. 1015: Joint Administration and Affiliated Debtor Cases.

L.R. 1015 - Joint Administration and Affiliated Debtor Cases. A. Joint Cases. The estates under a joint petition filed pursuant to Bankruptcy Code § 302(a) will be jointly administered unless otherwise ordered by the Court.

B. Affiliated Debtor Cases in Chapter 11. The debtor or a party in interest may request by motion that cases in this Court regarding a debtor and its affiliate(s) be jointly administered. A motion for joint administration must be filed as early in the case as possible. Unnecessary delay may result in the Court's denial of the motion for joint administration. Such a motion must be served on the L.R. 9013-3(D) Master Service List or on those who would be on such a list. The motion for joint administration must be filed in the case requested to be designated as the lead case. Joint administration of a debtor and its affiliates, unless otherwise ordered by the Court, is not a substantive consolidation of the cases. 1. Designation of Lead Case. Unless otherwise stated in the order granting joint administration, when multiple affiliated cases are filed, the first case filed (i.e. the case having the lowest case number) will be designated as the lead case. 2. Docket. A single case docket and case file will be maintained in the lead case after entry of the order for joint administration. 3. Style of Court Documents. Pleadings and other documents filed after entry of the order for joint administration should be styled with the caption of the lead case and should indicate that the cases are being jointly administered. The caption for a pleading or other document filed in a jointly administered case should follow the designated example in Local Form 22. Such documents will be filed in the lead case only. 4. Claims. A separate claims register will be maintained for each affiliated case. A proof of claim must specifically state the name and case number of the debtor against which the claim is asserted. If claims are asserted against more than one of the affiliated debtors in a jointly administered case, a separate original proof of claim must be filed in each case.