NORTHROCK MINERALS LLC v. COHEN
- Jed Rakoff
- 1:24-cv-03155
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Northrock Management v. Joseph Cohen, Judge Rakoff stayed the fee motion after bankruptcy while leaving the final judgment and appeal unaffected.
Northrock Management LLC’s pending motion for attorney’s fees is stayed because of Joseph S. Cohen’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition. The order states that the stay does not affect the final judgment or the appeal.
What happened
Northrock Management LLC, formerly Northrock Minerals LLC, sued Joseph Cohen and Snow Joe LLC. After final judgment was entered on May 19, 2025, the defendants filed an appeal. On August 22, 2025, Cohen notified the court that he had filed a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition.
The court said it retained jurisdiction over Northrock Management’s pending motion for attorney’s fees. Because of Cohen’s bankruptcy petition, the court stayed that fee motion. The stay will continue unless the bankruptcy court grants relief.
Judge Rakoff stated that the stay does not affect the earlier final judgment or the propriety of the appeal. The order therefore stayed only the pending fee motion.
The detailed version
- NORTHROCK MINERALS LLC v. COHEN · No. 1:24-cv-03155
- Jed Rakoff
- Aug. 22, 2025
Background
The opinion states that Joseph S. Cohen notified the court on August 22, 2025, that he had filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. The district court had entered final judgment on May 19, 2025, and the defendants had filed a notice of appeal on June 16, 2025.
Issue
The issue was how Cohen’s bankruptcy petition affected Northrock Management LLC’s pending motion for attorney’s fees. The court stated that it retained jurisdiction over that motion despite the entry of final judgment.
Ruling
The court stayed the pending motion for attorney’s fees. It stated that the stay would remain in effect unless and until the bankruptcy court granted relief. The court also stated that the stay did not affect the prior entry of final judgment or the propriety of the appeal from that judgment.
Disposition
The order stayed the attorney’s-fee motion. It did not vacate or alter the final judgment and did not disturb the appeal. Judge Jed S. Rakoff entered the order.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.