In re Perrotta, 2007 WL 3307256 (Bankr. D. N.H., November 7, 2007).  The United States Trustee sought a Rule 2004 Order in order to determine, through an "informed decision," whether the debtor’s case should be "presumed abuse" pursuant to §707(b).  The Court denied the request, concluding that the UST should rely upon existing information (i.e., pay advice, tax returns, schedules, etc.) to make the initial determination under §704. 

As stated by Chief Judge Gregory F. Kishel of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota,

There is no reference [in the Bankruptcy Code] to materials to be obtained from the debtor or third-party sources via formal discovery, informal exchange, or independent investigation. There is certainly no newly-created right in the UST to compel the production of documents or any other information from a debtor on an expedited basis, or to obtain them in any way other than those under generally-applicable law. So, in doing the statutorily-mandated early evaluation of a case for the prospect of a presumption of abuse, the UST ultimately is relegated to relying on what the debtor “filed” in the case. The statute seems to contemplate that this will present sufficiently-reliable information on which to make an evaluation-at least when the debtors and their counsel have complied with the newly-heightened duties of verification as to accuracy that BAPCPA has imposed.

BAPCPA put in place very short time limits for the UST to make a determination as to whether a debtor’s case should be presumed to be an abuse and then to file a motion seeking dismissal under § 707(b)(2). BAPCPA further instituted new requirements that debtors produce additional financial information including pay advices and tax returns as well as the information set forth in the Means Test Form. 11 U.S.C. § 521(a)(1)(B)(iv), (a)(1)(B)(v), and (e)(2)(A)(i). Taken together, this Court concludes that Congress could not have contemplated that the UST would undertake exhaustive research or discovery before filing a motion to dismiss. Rather, the UST would only be required to review the information filed with the Court as contemplated by § 704(b)(1)(A). Thus, BAPCPA did not place any burden on the UST to engage in extensive discovery in order to determine whether a debtor’s case is a substantial abuse and thus subject to dismissal.FN2 The UST is required to file a statement of her determination of abuse under § 707(b). If she finds the filing to be presumptively abusive, she must then file a motion to dismiss within thirty days or file a statement as to why dismissal is not being sought. Upon the filing of the motion, the formal discovery rules of Part VII of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure are then applicable pursuant to the contested matter rule of Rule 9014(c). The statutory framework and deadlines can only lead to the conclusion that Congress intended the UST to file first and investigate beyond the documents submitted by the debtor later. In the context of the statutory mandate, the UST can satisfy her obligations under Rule 9011 by making the determinations required under § 704(b)(2) on the documents in the file and provided to the chapter 7 trustee and, if a motion is filed, by pursuing discovery as contemplated by Rule 9014 in prosecuting such motion.


FN2. Of course, nothing prevents the UST from engaging in informal discovery or making requests to a debtor’s counsel in order to clarify one or more points which may bear on the filing of a motion to dismiss under § 704(b)(2). However, the BAPCPA amendments to the Bankruptcy Code do not require such efforts, formally or informally.