Nevada Supreme Court, 2020

World Buddhism Ass'N Headquarters Vs. Las Vegas Monorail Co.

World Buddhism Ass'N Headquarters Vs. Las Vegas Monorail Co.
Nevada Supreme Court · Decided October 9, 2020

World Buddhism Ass'N Headquarters Vs. Las Vegas Monorail Co.

Opinion

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEVADA

WORLD BUDDHISM ASSOCIATION No. 80858 HEADQUARTERS, A CALIFORNIA NON-PROFIT CORPORATION, Appellant, vs. FILED LAS VEGAS MONORAIL COMPANY, A OCT 0 9 2020 NEVADA NON-PROFIT EUZADETH A. BROWN CORPORATION, CLERK OF pypRatE COURT Res ondent. BY OEPUTY=(AlY

ORDER DISMISSING APPEAL Counsel for respondent has filed a Notice of Bankruptcy Filing, informing this court that Las Vegas Monorail Company has filed a Chapter bankruptcy case in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Nevada, Case No. 20-14451-nrnc. The filing of a bankruptcy petition operates to stay, automatically, the "continuation" of any "judicial . . . action . . . against the debtor." 11 U.S.C. § 362(a)(1). An appeal, for purposes of the automatic stay, is considered a continuation of the action in the trial court. See Ingersoll-Rand Fin. Corp. v. Miller Mining Co., Inc., 817 F.2d 1424 (9th Cir. 1987). It appears that Las Vegas Monorail Company was a defendant below. Therefore, this appeal is stayed pursuant to the automatic stay provisions of federal bankruptcy law.

Given the applicability of the automatic stay, this appeal may linger indefinitely on this court's docket pending final resolution of the bankruptcy proceedings. Accordingly, we conclude that judicial efficiency will be best served if this appeal is dismissed without prejudice. Because a dismissal without prejudice will not require this court to reach the merits of this appeal and is not inconsistent with the primary purposes of the SUPREME COURT OF NEVADA

(0) 1947A Mlijare> AO-17iso . • 4 bankruptcy stay—to provide protection for debtors and creditors—we further conclude that such dismissal will not violate the bankruptcy stay.' See Indep. Union of Flight Attendants v. Pan Am. World Airways, Inc., 966 F.2d 457, 459 (9th Cir. 1992) (holding that the automatic stay does not preclude dismissal of an appeal so long as dismissal is "consistent with the purpose of the statute [11 U.S.C. §362(a)"]; Dean v. Trans World Airlines, Inc., 72 F.3d 754, 755 (9th Cir. 1995) (holding that a post-bankruptcy petition dismissal will violate the automatic stay "where the decision to dismiss first requires the court to consider other issues presented by or related to the underlying case").

Accordingly, we dismiss this appeal. This dismissal is without prejudice to appellant's right to move for reinstatement of this appeal within 90 days of either the lifting of the bankruptcy stay or final resolution of the bankruptcy proceedings, if appellant deems such a motion appropriate at that time.

It is so ORDERED.

Gibbons

Stiglich Silver

'The automatic stay provides a debtor "with protection against hungry creditors" and gives the debtor a "breathing spell from its creditors" by stopping all collection efforts. Dean v. Trans World Airlines, Inc., 72 F.3d 754, 755 (9th Cir. 1995). Further, it assures creditors "that the debtor's other creditors are not racing to various courthouses to pursue independent remedies to drain the debtor's assets." Id. at 755-56.

SUPREME COURT OF NEVADA (0) 1947A 40111. cc: Hon. Elizabeth Goff Gonzalez, District Judge Dana Jonathon Nitz, Settlement Judge Hawkins Melendrez, P.C.

JT Law Group Schiffer & Buus APC Armstrong Teasdale, LLP/Las Vegas Eighth District Court Clerk

SUPREME COURT OF NEVADA (0) 1947A .00

Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.