Honorable Andrew B. Altenburg, Jr.

United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of New Jersey

Staff Information

Chambers - (856) 361-2320

Heather Renye | Courtroom Deputy (856) 361-2353

Anthony Sodono | Electronic Recorder (856) 361-2325

Suzanne Sweeney | Career Law Clerk

Brooks West | Law Clerk

Mitchell H. Cohen U.S. Courthouse
400 Cooper Street, 4th Floor
Camden, N.J. 08101
Courtroom 4B

Chambers e-mail: [email protected]

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Communication

EFFECTIVE 1/17/2023, IF A PARTY FAILS TO APPEAR TO BE HEARD ON A CONTESTED MATTER, THE MOTIONS/RELIEF SOUGHT WILL BE DENIED AND/OR THE OBJECTION/RESPONSE THERETO WILL BE OVERRULED FOR LACK OF PROSECUTION.

Communication:

Heather Renye, Courtroom Deputy, may be contacted by telephone, e-mail [email protected] or regular mail. Communication by fax is not permitted except with the consent of Judge Altenburg. For emergency applications, such as applications and orders shortening time, parties should e-file the documents and notify Chambers by message to Judge Altenburg’s Chambers e-mail address ([email protected]). Parties should be guided by D.N.J. LBR 5071-1 regarding adjournment requests. Proposed “Orders to be Submitted” or “OTBS” are to be submitted in accordance with D.N.J. LBR 9027-2 to the Chambers e-mail address.

Judge Altenburg only permits limited communications with his law clerks. Unless directed otherwise by the court, litigants should never contact law clerks for advice on substantive or procedural matters other than of a rudimentary nature. Questions about the outcome of hearings may be answered by reviewing the minutes concerning the hearing placed on the court’s docket. All communications with the court about scheduling matters should be directed to Heather Renye, Courtroom Deputy.

Telephonic appearances:

All requests for telephonic appearances before Judge Altenburg shall be arranged through CourtSolutions, http://www.Court-Solutions.com, no later than 3:00 p.m. the court day prior to the hearing. For complete information about CourtSolutions, please visit http://help.court-solutions.com. If you are having call-in or sign-in problems with CourtSolutions, please contact CourtSolutions directly at (917) 746-7476 or email [email protected].

NOTE: ANY REQUEST TO APPEAR BY TELEPHONE OTHER THAN BY “LISTEN ONLY”, WILL BE DEEMED A REQUEST FOR ORAL ARGUMENT. ANY PARTY REQUESTING TO APPEAR BY TELEPHONE OTHER THAN BY “LISTEN ONLY”, MUST ADVISE ALL OTHER PARTIES OF THEIR INTENT TO DO SO. YOUR APPEARANCE WILL BE YOUR REPRESENTATION THAT YOU HAVE COMPLIED WITH THIS REQUIREMENT.

NOTE (EFFECTIVE APRIL 26, 2022):

UNCONTESTED MATTERS WILL CONTINUE TO BE HEARD ON THE PAPERS.

HOWEVER, ALL CONTESTED HEARINGS, INCLUDING TRIALS AND EVIDENTIARY HEARINGS, WILL BE PRESUMPTIVELY IN-PERSON (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF CHAPTER 13 CONFIRMATION HEARINGS AND FRIDAY DISMISSAL HEARINGS).

PARTIES MAY CONTINUE TO REQUEST TO APPEAR BY TELEPHONE IN THE NORMAL COURSE. FOR GUIDANCE ON INDIVIDUAL CASES, PARTIES ARE DIRECTED TO CONTACT CHAMBERS.

Please note that CourtSolutions is not permitted on Chapter 13 confirmation days held in the courtroom.

The use of CourtSolutions as opposed to another teleconference provider is preferred.

Copies of Papers

In addition to mandatory e-filing, 2 sets of courtesy copies of papers to Chambers are preferred only when there are voluminous documents or exhibits or upon request of the Court.

Additionally, for trials/plenary hearings, Judge Altenburg requires two copies of exhibits, one for himself and one for his law clerk.

Motions

Motions:

SEE “COMMUNICATIONS” TAB FOR TELEPHONIC APPEARANCE REQUIREMENTS

Service: Judge Altenburg requires strict compliance with D.N.J. LBR 9013-3, Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9014, Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7004(b) and (h) when applicable, Fed. R. Bankr. P. 3007 when applicable, and Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7005 when applicable. D.N.J. LBR 7005(b) does not relieve parties of their obligations for service under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9014 for an initiating motion in a contested matter. Service on corporations, partnerships, unincorporated associations or an insured depository institution must be made in accordance with Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7004. Failing to comply with service rules will result in a denial or adjournment of a motion, or the grant of a motion seeking relief from a judgment or order due to improper service.

Stay Relief and other Motions: Assuming service is valid, uncontested motions will be determined on the papers. Motions will be deemed uncontested if responses are untimely filed. Parties should be guided by D.N.J. LBR 9013-1, including its provision for responsive papers and cross-motions. IF A MATTER IS CONTESTED, APPEARANCES ARE REQUIRED. Failure to appear will result in denial/overruling of motion/opposition.

Questions about the outcome of hearings may be answered by reviewing the minutes concerning the hearing placed on the court’s docket.

First Day Motions in Complex Chapter 11 Cases: Judge Altenburg directs the parties to notify the Courtroom Deputy, Heather Renye, by Chambers e-mail or by telephone of the need for scheduling of all first day matters.

Summary Judgment Motions and Motions to Dismiss Adversary Proceedings: Judge Altenburg requires oral argument for summary judgment motions and motions to dismiss adversary proceedings if opposition is filed. Appearances for requests to enter default judgments may be required even if unopposed. Counsel should contact Chambers to ascertain if a plenary hearing will be required. Hearings are scheduled for Motion Days at 2:00 p.m. as listed on Judge Altenburg ‘s calendar posted to the court’s website: www.njb.uscourts.gov.

14 Day Waiver of Stay of Order Requests: Any request to waive the stay of an order for 14 days under Fed. R. Bankr. P. 4001(a)(3), R. 6004(h), and 6006(d) must comply with D.N.J. L.B.R. 9013-1(m). Most importantly, any movant requesting waiver of the 14 day stay of the order shall bear the burden of establishing cause for the waiver of the 14 day stay provisions and shall detail the cause in its moving papers. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in the 14-day waiver of the stay language being stricken from the movant’s proposed form of order.

Trials

Trials:

SEE “COMMUNICATIONS” TAB FOR TELEPHONICE APPEARANCE REQUIREMENTS

Pre-Trial Procedures: Parties should be guided by D.N.J. LBR 7001-1. Upon the filing of a proposed joint scheduling order, Judge Altenburg will generally not require appearances at the pre-trial conference. Appearance at the scheduled pre-trial conference will also not be required where counsel has notified the Courtroom Deputy of an intention to settle the matter, dismiss the matter, or to file default papers.

Discovery Disputes: Judge Altenburg does not have any special procedures for resolution of discovery disputes however, parties should be guided by Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7037(a)(1).

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

Other: Witness lists and exhibits are due seven (7) days prior to trial. Additionally, Judge Altenburg requires two copies of exhibits, one for himself and one for his law clerk.

Use of Courtroom’s Electronic Exhibit Display: Attorneys are advised that Judge Altenburg’s courtroom is equipped with technology for displaying exhibits electronically, either by reflection or from a party’s laptop or USB drive. Arrangements to use the system must be made at least three (3) days in advance. Please contact Heather Renye, Courtroom Deputy, to arrange use.

Use of Zoom:

Zoom Registration Form

Zoom Proceeding Guidelines

Fee Applications

Fee Applications:

Counsel should be guided by D.N.J. LBR 2016-1. Fee applications are generally considered on the papers unless opposition is filed.

Reaffirmation Agreements

Reaffirmation Agreements:

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

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Honorable Andrew B. Altenburg, Jr.

Staff Information

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