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Debtor Electronic Bankruptcy Noticing (DeBN)

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Note: Only the court is authorized to send notices to the debtor through this DeBN program. All other parties, such as trustees and creditors, will continue to serve the debtor via U.S. mail or in person as required by court rules.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida now offers debtors the opportunity to request receipt of court notices and orders via email, instead of U.S. mail, through a program called “Debtor Electronic Bankruptcy Noticing” or “DeBN.”  DeBN is a free and voluntary service that provides the following advantages:

  • Faster – You’ll receive notices the same day they are filed by the court.
  • Convenient – Access your notices any­where you have internet access.
  • No more lost paperwork – Storing notices on your computer means never losing a paper copy.
  • Less paper clutter – Helps the environment and reduces paper clutter in your home.
  • It is FREE!

Pursuant to Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9036, a party may make a written request for delivery of notices via email, instead of U.S. mail. Through the DeBN program, only notices and orders that have been filed by the court can be emailed to the debtor.

Signing up for DeBN is easy

Once the activation of your account is complete, you will receive a confirmation email from the Bankruptcy Noticing Center (BNC) with your account information.  From this point forward, all future notices and orders filed by the court will be delivered to you via email, as long as your name and address in the bankruptcy case match your name and address in your DeBN account and there are no email transmission failures.

 

How it Works

Once the debtor files a DeBN request form and the clerk’s office creates the DeBN account, all future court notices or orders will be emailed to the debtor.  When the court files a notice or order and sends it to the BNC for service upon the debtor, the BNC will email the notice to the debtor at the end of the day. The court notice or order will be emailed as a single PDF attachment, and a separate email will be sent for each court notice or order that has been filed.  There is no limit to the number of times the debtor may view the PDF attachment, and the debtor is free to print the attach­ment, save it to his or her computer, or simply retain the email for viewing at any time.  If the PDF attachment exceeds 8 MB, the notice will be sent to the debtor by U.S. mail instead of email.

Overview of DeBN: 

 

Keep the Court Advised

Fill out an updated request form (see 2nd checkbox in Local Form 80, “Debtor’s Request To Receive Notices Electronically Under DeBN Program“) if you:

  • Change your email address;
  • File a new case after enrolling in DeBN (so the court can make sure your name and address in your DeBN account match your new case); or
  • Wish to deactivate or reactivate your account.

 

Length of Enrollment

A DeBN account remains active, until:

As long as the debtor’s DeBN account is active, all court notices and orders will be emailed to the debtor by the BNC in any current or future bankruptcy or adversary case from any bank­ruptcy court district in which the debtor’s name and address in that case match the name and address in the debtor’s DeBN account, including cases where the debtor may be listed as a creditor.