Firm denied fees for misconduct in bankruptcy case

Freivogel on Conflicts has a new case of interest to bankruptcy lawyers.  In this case, a firm was not allowed to recover fees because of what the judge called the law firm's almost wanton disregard for the disclosure requirements of the Bankruptcy Code and Rules.  The judge found the firm had ample opportunity to cure the problems when facts were discovered or deficiencies were pointed out by the U.S. Trustee.  Because it didn't, the judge concluded that "severe sanctions are warranted" and added that, in light of the firm's "steadfast assertion that it did nothing wrong, I would have serious concerns about the veracity of its disclosure statements in future cases if the firm thought it could get away with a minor slap on the wrist."

The case is called In re Gluth Bros. Const., Inc., Slip Copy, 2011 WL 5023417, Bkrtcy.N.D.Ill.,2011.