Honorable Vincent F. Papalia

United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of New Jersey

Staff Information

Peggy Cohen | Judicial Assistant - (973) 368-1244

Juan Filgueiras | Courtroom Deputy - (973) 645-3262

Mariela Primo | Court Reporter - (973) 776-3457

Margaret Hall | Career Law Clerk

50 Walnut Street
Newark, NJ 07102
Courtroom 3B

Chambers e-mail: chambers_of_vfp@njb.uscourts.gov

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Communication

Judge Papalia's staff may be contacted by telephone, email (chambers_of_vfp@njb.uscourts.gov) or regular mail. For emergent applications, parties should notify Chambers by email. Parties should be guided by D.N.J. LBR 5071-1 regarding adjournment requests.

IN-PERSON/TELEPHONIC APPEARANCES: Effective March 28, 2022, Judge Papalia will be returning to in-person hearings, with the option for any party to request to appear telephonically through CourtSolutions in lieu of in-person participation. Please note: This change does not apply to appearances in Chapter 13 cases, which shall proceed as set forth in the following paragraphs.

APPEARANCES IN CHAPTER 13 CASES: In Chapter 13 cases, parties may continue to appear telephonically through CourtSolutions; however, any person who wishes to appear in person may request to do so on notice to the Chapter 13 Trustee sent to the Court and the Chapter 13 Trustee no later than two (2) business days prior to the scheduled hearing. The Calendar Call for all Chapter 13 matters (both Confirmations and Motions) begins at 10 a.m. All parties should log in at least 5 minutes before the Calendar Call. Please also note that the Court’s Docket may reflect the Confirmation Hearing time as 8:30 a.m. However, this time is stated only for calendar control purposes. The Confirmation Calendar will actually begin at 10 a.m. along with the Motion Calendar.

All requests for telephonic appearances before Judge Papalia will continue to be arranged through CourtSolutions, http://www.Court-Solutions.com, or by calling (917) 746-7476 no later than 3:00 p.m. on the business day prior to the hearing.

For health safety requirements for entering the Courthouse, please be guided by the Court’s General Order regarding Court Operations and Procedures during COVID 19, which is available on the Court's website, http://www.njb.uscourts.gov and must be reviewed sufficiently prior to the scheduled hearing to ensure that the person(s) entering the courthouse are in compliance with those requirements before seeking entry. Those not in compliance will not be permitted to enter the courthouse and must make arrangements to appear by CourtSolutions.

Copies of Papers

NEW PROCEDURE: In addition to mandatory e‑filing, Judge Papalia requests courtesy copies of all papers with voluminous exhibits (in excess of 5 exhibits or 50 pages) be provided in a binder with tabs and delivered to Chambers within two (2) business days of their filing, unless sooner action is required.

This requirement does not apply to stay relief motions in Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 cases, unless the parties are otherwise advised by the Court.

Motions

Motions:

Parties should be guided by D.N.J. LBR 9013-1 through 9013-5 regarding the filing of motions, responsive papers, and cross-motions.

Chapter 7 and 11: Motions in Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 cases are scheduled on Tuesdays. Appearances are required on contested motions, while uncontested matters are decided on the papers.

Chapter 13: Motions and confirmation hearings in Chapter 13 cases are scheduled on Chapter 13 days (the first and third Thursdays of each month).

First Day Motions in Complex Chapter 11 Cases: The parties should notify Chambers regarding the filing and scheduling of all first day matters. Parties should also be guided by D.N.J. LBR 9013-5.

Proposed orders should be submitted in accordance with D.N.J. LBR 7058-1, 9013-1, 9013-4, and 9021-1.

Discovery Disputes: Judge Papalia prefers to resolve most discovery disputes without the filing of a formal motion. In most cases, the parties seeking relief should contact chambers to request permission to file a short letter (2-3 pages) outlining the issue(s). If granted, the opposing party may respond with a similar length letter and the Court will schedule a hearing (usually telephonic) to address the issue(s). The parties must state that they made a good faith effort to resolve the dispute prior to bringing it to the Court’s attention. Parties should also be guided by D.N.J. LBR 7037-1.

Telephonic appearances: Judge Papalia is amenable to telephonic appearances in accordance with the policy stated on the Court's website:www.njb.uscourts.gov. Upon approval from the chambers of Judge Papalia, counsel may appear telephonically by arranging a telephone appearance through CourtSolutions, by going to http://www.Court-Solutions.com or calling (917) 746-7476 no later than 3:00 p.m. the court day prior to the hearing date.

For additional calendar information, see www.njb.uscourts.gov

Trials

Trials:

Pretrial Procedures: Parties should be guided by D.N.J. LBR 7016-1.

Pursuant to D.N.J. LBR 9019-1 and 9019-2, all adversary proceedings are presumptively referred to mediation.

Pursuant to D.N.J. LBR 7016-1(b), if the parties submit Local Form Joint Order Scheduling Pretrial Proceedings and Trial and Local Form Mediation Order not later than three days before the scheduled pretrial conference, they do not need to appear at the pretrial conference.

Requests to Enter Default and Default Judgment: Parties should be guided by D.N.J. LBR 7055-1. Judge Papalia reviews the adversary complaint with respect to which default judgment is requested and will schedule a proof hearing where necessary.

Fee Applications

Fee Applications:

Counsel should be guided by D.N.J. LBR 2016-1 through 2016-5.

Reaffirmation Agreements

Reaffirmation Agreements:

Parties should be guided by 11 U.S.C. § 524 and Fed. R. Bankr. P. 4008.

Leases: Judge Papalia does not approve reaffirmation agreements on leases. The parties may enter into a lease assumption agreement without need for Court approval.

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Honorable Vincent F. Papalia

Staff Information

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