Honorable Vincent F. Papalia

United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of New Jersey

INSTRUCTIONS FOR REMOTE HEARINGS

Beginning May 1, 2025, Judge Papalia will conduct virtual or remote hearings via Zoom. This includes his regular Tuesday and Thursday Chapter 7 and 11 motion calendars and his Chapter 13 calendar (see the Motions tab for more information).

APPEARANCES:

In-Person Appearances: Parties are welcome and encouraged to attend hearings on contested matters in person. Please consult the District Court’s website for up-to-date information regarding Courthouse admission:

Zoom Appearances: Parties may request to appear by Zoom or telephonically by sending an email to Chambers_of_vfp@njb.uscourts.gov by no later than 3pm one (1) business day prior to the scheduled hearing.

Telephonic Appearances: Parties wishing to participate telephonically only (i.e. without video) may request to appear by Zoom or telephonically by sending an email to Chambers_of_vfp@njb.uscourts.gov by no later than 3pm one (1) business day prior to the scheduled hearing.

Please review the Zoom Appearance Guidelines below. Failure to adhere to these guidelines and the appropriate standard of conduct may result in denial of participation in the Zoom proceeding.

Zoom is a free video conferencing platform that a party may download and become familiar with prior to the hearing. Information for Zoom may be found at https://zoom.us/ and https://zoomgov.com/. Please ensure that your computer/device settings allow for video and microphone access so that Judge Papalia may hear and see you. To appear via Zoom parties may click on the Zoom link below or use a telephone to dial-in using the dial-in information. Once connected to Zoom the party will enter the virtual Zoom Courtroom. Please connect to Zoom at least 5 minutes prior to your hearing.

Hearing Recording Prohibited: Any recording of a court proceeding held in-person, by video, teleconference or Zoom, including "screen-shots" or other audio or visual copying of a hearing, is prohibited. Violation of these prohibitions may result in sanctions, including removal of court-issued media credentials, restricted entry to future hearings, denial of entry to future hearings, or any other sanctions deemed necessary by the Court.

Courtroom behavior. Although held remotely, a Zoom hearing or trial is a judicial proceeding and therefore the formalities of a courtroom must be observed. Parties are expected to conduct themselves in the same way that they would if they were in person in the courtroom. This includes appropriate formality and attire.

“Public Proceedings.” Please be reminded that the Zoom proceeding is a “public proceeding” and the Zoom connection information is publicly available on the Court’s website. Thus, any party interested may “listen in” to the Zoom proceeding. Parties who “listen in” must have their cameras off and their microphones muted at all times. Failure to adhere to this rule will result in removal from the Zoom proceeding.

Video/audio. All personal video and audio must be off upon entry into the Zoom courtroom. The Court requests that each party on Zoom remain muted with camera off until such time as their matter is called or until the Court directs otherwise. The Court prefers that parties appear with their video on; however, video is not mandatory. If necessary, parties may appear without video and/or may appear telephonically by dialing into the Zoom using the dial-in information. Links to the Zoom meeting and dial-in information can be found below.

Speaking and Questions. Each time you speak, identify yourself by stating your full name for the record. Remember to speak slowly and distinctly. Do not interrupt others. As stated above, please remain muted until your case is called or directed otherwise by the Court. Please wait for a pause in conversation before identifying yourself to ask a question.

Participate from a quiet place with reliable reception. Do not use a speaker phone or call/log in from a public place. Disruptions or background noise may cause the Judge to mute you or terminate your participation.

Technical Problems. If you are having trouble with the video or audio or other technical difficulties, please let the Court know as soon as possible. Though glitches are expected, they do not always occur on the Court’s end, so the Court will not necessarily know if you are experiencing problems until you so advise the Court. To report these problems you may use the “chat” feature, the “raise hand” feature, email Chambers at chambers_of_vfp@njb.uscourts.gov, or call Chambers at (973) 368-1246.

Staff Information

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

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

Christy McDonald | Career Law Clerk - (973) 368-1246

Sydney Chapman | Term Law Clerk - (973) 645-3321

50 Walnut Street
Newark, NJ 07102
Courtroom 3B

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

Judge Tabs

Communication

Judge Papalia’s staff may be contacted by telephone, email, or regular mail. Communication by fax is not permitted except with consent of Judge Papalia. For emergent applications, parties should notify Chambers by email or by telephone. Parties should be guided by D.N.J. LBR 5071-1 regarding adjournment requests which are to be made not later than three business days prior to the hearing. All requests for adjournment should be submitted on local form "Adjournment Request" and directed to the Chambers email box, except adjournment requests in Chapter 13 cases which must first be submitted to the Chapter 13 Trustee. Please consult the Chapter 13 Trustee’s website for information regarding adjournment requests of chapter 13 matters. Requests for extension of time should be directed to the Chambers email. Per D.N.J. LBR 9013-4, proposed forms of order along with proof of service are to be submitted to Judge Papalia’s Chambers e-mail address chambers_of_vfp@njb.uscourts.gov. .

APPEARANCES IN CHAPTER 13 CASES: In Chapter 13 cases, parties may continue to appear telephonically through Zoom begining May 1, 2025; 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.

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

Trial

Trial:

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 Agreement:

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.

Transcripts

Transcripts:

How to Request a Written Transcript of a Court Hearing:

Contact the appropriate transcription service per below.

Judge	Transcription Service	Phone	Email
Judge Papalia	J&J Court Transcribers	609-586-2311	jjcourt@jjcourt.com

Click here for the Court’s transcription fees.

How to Request an Audio Reproduction of a Proceeding on Compact Disc:

To request audio of a hearing on compact disc, the requesting party should send a written letter of request to the Court with the case number, case name and hearing date. The request should be accompanied with a money order made payable to: "Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court" for the reproduction fee. The fee may also be paid online using the court’s Online Fee Payments module.

The compact discs are data discs and can only be played after downloading the audio player from our website. Click here to download the Court Recordings Audio Player.

How to Request Audio on the Docket:

To have audio of a hearing put on the docket (known as a tagged hearing), send an email or call the Court Recorder per below. To expedite the process and ensure the Court is able to complete the request, a request for audio tagging should be made prior to the hearing date. See D.N.J. LBR 5007-1.

Listening to recordings on the docket requires a PACER account. There is no fee for audio on the docket.

Click here for instructions on how to listen to a tagged hearing.

Judge	Court Recorder	Phone	Email
Judge Papalia	Mariela Primo	973-776-3457	Mariela_Primo@njb.uscourts.gov

United States Bankruptcy Court

District of New Jersey

Honorable Christine M. Gravelle, Chief Judge | Jeanne A. Naughton, Clerk of Court

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Honorable Vincent F. Papalia

Staff Information

Judge Tabs