Opinions
All court opinions may be accessed at no charge via PACER through the "Written Opinions" link on the Reports page. You must, however, have an account to access the report via CM/ECF or PACER.
Access to opinions from 1997 to present, that are PDF searchable, unrestricted & unsealed, are also available through the Government Printing Office using the Advanced Search for Government Publications. There is no login required and publications are available free of charge.
Court Opinions Database
The court's provides free access of some opinions, at the discretion of the judges, for the years 1998 to present. The results shown below are automatically displayed for all years, all judges, and all keywords/topics.
A search may be performed using the Search box above, or filtering by year, judge, and/or keyword/topic. To search for more than one judge and/or keywords/topics simultaneously, hold down the Ctrl key (or Command key) and select each item.
| Keywords/Topic | Date | Title | Description | Judge | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discharge, Dischargeability | 11/09/2017 | Boyer Insurance Group, LLC v. Harrison E. Smith, Jr., |
The Defendant obtained financing by leading the Plaintiff to believe, with intent to deceive that he would execute agreements to grant the Plaintiff a security interest and automatic payments on the loan. The Court found the Defendant’s indebtedness to the Plaintiff was procured by false pretenses and is non-dischargeable under 11 U.S.C. §523(a)(2)(A). |
Judge David T. Thuma | |
| Discharge Injunction, Injunctions, Setoff | 10/27/2017 | Alliance Well Service, LLC v. J.S. Ward & Son, Inc. |
Plaintiff sought recovery of an insurance refund from Defendant after Defendant retained the refund to offset Plaintiff's debt. The Court entered summary judgment in Plaintiff's favor, finding Defendant's claim to the refund insufficient under theories of setoff and recoupment. Additionally, Defendant's claim was limited by the Code's discharge injunction under § 524(a)(2) and by a "confirmation injunction" in Debtor's reorganization plan. |
Judge David T. Thuma | |
| Attorneys Fees | 10/19/2017 | Debbie J. Wallace |
The Court granted the United States Trustee's motion to compel counsel to file a fee application in a dismissed chapter 11 case under Section 329. Additionally. the Court has jurisdiction to conduct a review of the fee application and can allow the fees in full or in part. |
Judge David T. Thuma | |
| Fraudulent Transfers | 10/05/2017 | Craig H. Dill v. Soutwest Structural Services, Inc. et al |
The Court denied the Trustee's partial motion for summary judgment to avoid previous transfer of a promissory note. There were genuine fact issues about some elements of the Plaintiff's claims against Defendant in regard to: the value of the note, the value of exchanged consideration, Defendant's intent to incur debts beyond their ability to pay, and whether the Defendant was financially stable after transfer.frau |
Judge David T. Thuma | |
| Preference | 09/26/2017 | Edward A. Mazel v. Janice Encinias |
The Court denied the Trustee’s motion for summary judgment on claims to recover preferential transfer due to the the Trustee failing to provide admissible evidence that the transfer enabled the Defendant to receive more than she would if the transfer had not occurred. |
Judge David T. Thuma | |
| Attorneys Fees, Fees, Professionals | 09/20/2017 | Hungry Horse, LLC |
Debtor's application to employ counsel was objected to by the Unsecured Creditors Committee for an increase in fees and for a fee defense provision. The Court will not rule on the reasonableness of Debtor's counsel proposed hourly rates, but takes the view that billing rates should remain constant throughout the bankruptcy case. Additionally, the Court would consider approving a fee defense provision. |
Judge David T. Thuma | |
| Discharge, Dischargeability, Nondischargeability | 09/19/2017 | Charles J. Davis v. Michael Adam Arellano |
Plaintiff sought to declare debt owed by Defendant nondischargeable under §§ 523(a)(4) and (a)(6). Court denied both claims and granted Debtor's discharge, finding evidence insufficient to support findings of "fraud or defalcation" under § 523(a)(4), or a "willful and malicious injury" under § 523(a)(6). |
Judge David T. Thuma | |
| Contract Interpretation, Waiver | 08/31/2017 | Los Alamos National Bank v. Lamey et al |
Creditor sought to establish Debtor’s liability under a guaranty. |
Judge David T. Thuma | |
| Appeals, Dismissal | 08/30/2017 | Cynthia Moya |
The Court denied the debtor’s motion for stay pending appeal of the order dismissing the debtor’s bankruptcy case, finding that the debtor failed to show a likelihood of success on appeal. Debtor did not file a timely objection to the motion to dismiss her case despite having received notice of the objection deadline. Debtor’s motion for stay pending appeal addressed only one of the trustee’s grounds for dismissal. Debtor also failed to satisfy the irreparable harm requirement necessary to obtain a stay pending appeal. |
Chief Judge Robert H. Jacobvitz | |
| Attorneys Fees, Fees, Professionals | 08/23/2017 | Hungry Horse, LLC |
The Unsecured Creditors’ Committee and United States Trustee objected to Debtor’s counsel interim fee application on a number of grounds. Court reduced fees for clerical work, and determined that a prior order apportioned only 50% of fees incurred in a certain adversary proceeding to Debtor. |
Judge David T. Thuma |