Tuesday, May 26, 2015

2015 Amendments to the Federal Rules and Potential Changes in 2016

Last month, the Supreme Court sent to Congress amendments to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. These Amendments will become effective on December 1, 2015, absent Congressional action blocking the changes. The Bankruptcy Rule change only impacts Rule 1007. The Civil Rule changes relate to Rules 1, 4, 16, 26, 30, 31, 33, 34, 37, 55, and 84, and the Appendix of Forms.

Much more interesting, in my opinion, will be the rule changes submitted next year and that will be effective on December 1, 2016. The entirety of the changes proposed for December 1, 2016, may be viewed HERE. The proposed changes include a reduction in the length of appellate briefs and the elimination of the 3 mailing days provided by the rules. 

The comments period has closed for the changes proposed for 2016. There are 61 comments to the proposed appellate rule changes, and much has been written on the subject. With regard to the proposed civil rule changes, there are only 13 comments.  I link to two specific comments, one from the United States Department of Justice and the other from the Solicitor General of the United States, but all are available at the following links: CivilAppellateBankruptcy; and Criminal.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

After Merger, Claim May Be Continued As If Merger Did Not Occur

In Fiorentino v BAC Home Loans Servicing, LP (5D13-3250), the Fifth District reversed the foreclosure judgment. However, in a footnote the court cited to section 607.1106(d), Florida Statutes. That statutory section is titled "effect of merger or share exchange," and the cited provision states that "Any claim existing or action or proceeding pending by or against any corporation party to the merger may be continued as if the merger did not occur or the surviving corporation may be substituted in the proceeding for the corporation which ceased existence."

Applied to the case before the court, the court noted the following:
The record reflects that BAC merged into Bank of America effective July 1, 2011, and did not survive the merger. Pursuant to section 607.1106(1)(d), Florida Statutes, the claim may be continued as if the merger did not occur, or the surviving corporation, Bank of America, may be substituted in the proceeding.
While not a new law, it is a statutory provision that isn't referenced often.