Local Rules Govern: The Local Rules for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland will govern all procedural aspects of the case.

Local Rules

Deliveries to Chambers: Any deliveries to chambers must be made during normal business hours.

Orders Submitted to Chambers: All proposed orders uploaded for consideration shall conform to Local Bankruptcy Rule 9004-1(b). All proposed orders shall reference the motion and docket number of the motion. If orders are not submitted promptly after a hearing, there may be a delay in entry of the order. Counsel are strongly encouraged to use any applicable form order in Appendix A of the Local Bankruptcy Rules.

Communication for Emergencies: Counsel should send a courtesy email to the Courtroom Deputy at hearings_mmh@mdb.uscourts.gov when filing an emergency motion or request for an immediate hearing.

• In-Person Hearing Notice
• Evidentiary Protocol

Judge Harner is amenable to telephonic appearances under certain circumstances. Requests for telephonic appearance are to be made by contacting the Courtroom Deputy by email at hearings_mmh@mdb.uscourts.gov at least 24 hours in advance of a hearing. Counsel appearing by telephone assume the risk of disconnection or miscommunication, and they are strongly encouraged to use a land line and not a cellular phone, speaker phone, or hands-free device. Counsel may not make a proffer, examine witnesses, or introduce evidence when appearing by telephone.

For general guidance, click here to access the Court's Virtual Hearings Access and General Information page.

Virtual Hearing Protocol

Chapter 13 Instructions: Contact your Ch. 13 Trustee for Hearing Access

• Rebecca Herr - hearing@ch13md.com
• Brian Tucci - hearings@ch13balt.com

For virtual hearings other than Chapter 13 matters, contact Anna Marie Komisarek, Courtroom Deputy, at (410) 962-2966 or at hearings_mmh@mdb.uscourts.gov

Please see the new Electronic Exhibit Protocol, effective December 2023.

The use of exhibits in an electronic format by any party in proceedings before Judge Harner is optional at this time but the Court encourages parties to consider the utility and efficiencies of using electronic exhibits. The Court welcomes parties to submit comments on their experiences with electronic exhibits and these protocols to Judge Harner’s courtroom deputy, Anna Marie Komisarek, at hearings_mmh@mdb.uscourts.gov.

Hearings on Self Docketed Matters: Motions for relief from stay, and other self docketed matters, that will take more than 20 minutes or are evidentiary must be specially set. Please contact the Courtroom Deputy by email at hearings_mmh@mdb.uscourts.gov for a hearing date and time, as soon as it becomes apparent that the matter will exceed the 20 minute limit.

Motion Hearing Dates

Motions to Approve Short Sales in Chapter 13 Cases: In the absence of unusual circumstances, the movant must file with the motion an order approving the sale and providing that all liens must be paid at closing unless any lien holder otherwise consents in writing.

Motions to Avoid Liens: Provided the motion complies with the Local Rules, Judge Harner does not require counsel to appear at the scheduled hearing if no response has been filed to the motion.

Motions for Relief from the Automatic Stay: Judge Harner hears motions for relief from the automatic stay on Thursdays. Movant’s counsel must send an email message to the Courtroom Deputy at hearings_mmh@mdb.uscourts.gov by the immediately preceding Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. to alert the Court that the matter has been resolved by consent, continued, or should be taken off the calendar as a “no response.” In the absence of notification to the Courtroom Deputy, the motion will be called at the scheduled date and time even if no response has been filed.

First Day Motions in Business Chapter 11 Cases: Counsel should send a courtesy email to the Courtroom Deputy at hearings_mmh@mdb.uscourts.gov to alert Chambers of the filing of first day motions and to schedule all first day matters. In Complex Chapter 11 Cases, the Courtroom Deputy will schedule a first day hearing as soon as practicable upon at least 24 hours’ notice; counsel seeking a first day hearing on less than 24 hours’ notice must file an emergency motion for expedited hearing in accordance with the Court’s Administrative Order No. 02-03. In all other Business Chapter 11 Cases, upon the filing of a motion for expedited hearing, the Courtroom Deputy will schedule a first day hearing no sooner than 24 hours after receipt of the first day motions. Counsel may file an affidavit or declaration of the debtor’s authorized representative in support of first day motions.

Initial Cash Collateral Hearings: Counsel should send a courtesy email to the Courtroom Deputy at hearings_mmh@mdb.uscourts.gov to request an emergency cash collateral hearing.

Initial pre-trial conferences will be scheduled in the ordinary course by the Court. However, prior to the scheduled conference date, the Courtroom Deputy will send an email to all counsel asking if they prefer to waive appearance at the conference and seeking their estimate of time needed for discovery. If counsel agrees that no initial pre-trial conference is necessary, the Court will enter a scheduling order accordingly.

In adversary proceedings in which a party is unrepresented, the initial pre-trial conference will be held unless specific arrangements are otherwise made.