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"DeBN" Debtor Electronic Bankruptcy Noticing

   

 

General Information

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern of Virginia (“the court”) now offers debtors the opportunity, pursuant to Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9036, to request delivery by email, rather than by U.S. mail, of court-generated notices and orders that have been filed by the court, through a program called Debtor Electronic Bankruptcy Noticing, also known as DeBN, a Bankruptcy Noticing Center (“BNC”) program.

Only the court can serve notices on the debtor electronically through DeBN, and it only applies to court-generated notices and orders that the court sends to the BNC
for service upon the debtor.
  For examples, click court-generated notices and orders.  All other parties, including creditors, attorneys, and trustees, must serve documents upon debtors according to applicable court rules (by U.S. mail, overnight mail, or personal delivery).

For the Debtor: DeBN Provides the Following Advantages

  • Faster  ̶  You will receive court-generated notices and orders the same day they are filed by the court.
  • Convenient  ̶  Access your court-generated notices and orders from a computer or mobile device that has an internet connection and free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  • No more lost paperwork  ̶  Storing court-generated notices and orders on your computer means never losing a paper copy and being able to view the notices an unlimited number of times.
  • Less paper clutter  ̶  Helps the environment and reduces paper clutter in your home.
  • It is a voluntary, FREE service for you and all participating debtors.

For the Debtor: A DeBN Overview

Only a Debtor Can Activate a DeBN Account

  • Activating a DeBN account is easy and starts with you clicking the Debtor’s Electronic Bankruptcy Noticing Request (DeBN) form.  That form also can be accessed from the court’s Internet web site  by selecting Click here in the ATTENTION DEBTORS DeBN banner, in addition to that web site’s Forms page, under the Local Forms heading.  The form next should be completed, printed, signed, and filed with the court at the clerk’s office in the division location where your bankruptcy case is filed.  The court creates your DeBN account.
  • You can file a DeBN request form in one of three ways: (1) through your attorney electronically; (2) through the U.S. mail; or (3) by bringing the completed form to the court clerk’s office in the division location where your bankruptcy case is filed.

Note: If you are a joint debtor, you may file a DeBN request form.  If both joint debtors would like to participate in the DeBN program, each joint debtor must file a separate such request form.  If, however, only one joint debtor requests activating a DeBN account, the other  joint debtor will continue to receive court-generated notices and orders in the U.S. mail.

BNC

  • Once you have filed a completed and signed DeBN request form and your DeBN account has been created, you will receive a confirmation email from the BNC.  From that point forward, all future court-generated notices and orders will be delivered by the BNC to you via email, as long as your bankruptcy case name and address match your DeBN account name and address, and there are no email transmission failures.  In the event of a change in your email address, you must file an updated DeBN request form, or there will be an undeliverable email bounce-back, and your DeBN account automatically will be disabled.
  • When a court-generated notice or order is sent to the BNC for service upon you, the BNC will email the notice to you at the end of the day.  The court-generated notice or order will be emailed as a single PDF attachment, and a separate email will be sent for each notice or order that has been so filed.

Your Length of Enrollment in DeBN

Once your DeBN account has been created, the account will continue to remain active, unless:

  • your account automatically is disabled due to an email transmission failure (known as email bounce-back), or
  • you file a request to deactivate the account (you may file such a request at any time).

You Must File an Updated DeBN Request Form IF:

  • your email address changes.
  • you file a new case after enrolling in DeBN (so you can ensure that your name and address in the DeBN account match the new case).
  • you wish to deactivate or reactivate your DeBN account.

For additional information, see the linked items, below:

How DeBN Email Works
DeBN Requirements
DeBN Frequently Asked Questions
DeBN Bankruptcy Clerk’s Office Contacts
DeBN Brochure