Local Rule 1015. RELATED CASES; CONSOLIDATION OR JOINT ADMINISTRATION

(a) Notice of related cases. An attorney or a debtor who is aware that a case on file, or about to be filed, is related to another case that is pending or that was pending within the preceding two (2) years, must file a notice of related cases, setting forth the title, case number and filing date of each related case, together with a brief statement of the relationship.

(b) Cases deemed related. Cases deemed to be related within the meaning of this rule include the following:

(1) The debtors are the same entity;

(2) The debtors are spouses or domestic partners;

(3) The debtors are partners in a partnership;

(4) The debtor in the case is a general partner or majority shareholder of the debtor in the other case;

(5) The debtors have the same partners or substantially the same shareholders; or

(6) The debtors are affiliated as that term is defined under 11 U.S.C. § 101(2).

(c) Reservation of judicial discretion to deem case as related. Without limiting the foregoing, the court may deem the case to be so related that it should be treated as related.

(d) Assignment to judges. Unless the court directs otherwise, related cases will be assigned to the same judge. Whenever the clerk is apprised of related cases, after consulting with the assigned judge, the clerk will reassign each successive related case to the judge to whom the first case was assigned, unless the court orders otherwise.

(e) Nonlimitation of applicability. A judge may re-assign any case or adversary proceeding to another judge.

(f) Trustee assignment. If a debtor files a chapter 13 bankruptcy case within two (2) years of a prior dismissed chapter 13 case, the U.S. Trustee’s Office will request that the new case be assigned to the trustee that administered the prior case, with the exception of a change in venue.

(g) Joint administration. A motion seeking to jointly administer two (2) or more cases will, if granted, result in the joint administration of such cases unless otherwise ordered by the court.

(1) A motion to jointly administer two (2) or more cases must be filed in all cases listed in the motion, and the hearing on the joint administration will be held by the judge in the first assigned case.

(2) The party that obtained the order for joint administration must, within fourteen (14) days of the entry of the order, file with the court a combined matrix, without duplication, constituting a total mailing list of all interested parties in all the jointly administered cases.

(h) Assignment of jointly administered or consolidated cases. Unless otherwise ordered, jointly administered cases will be assigned to the lowest numbered case as the lead case. Subsequent filings of papers must be filed only in the lead case.

(i) Caption of jointly administered or consolidated cases. The caption of jointly administered or consolidated cases must include the name of each debtor entity, a list of each case number and a note specifying "Jointly Administered" [or Consolidated] under Case No. XX-XXXXX."