Bankruptcy Petition Preparers

(a)  State Certification Required; Sanctions.  Any bankruptcy petition preparer, as defined by Code § 110, that is not certified under the Rules of the Arizona Supreme Court who prepares a document for filing in this Court may be subject to sanctions. A certified bankruptcy petition preparer must provide their certification number, a business phone number, and an email address on any document prepared for filing.

(b) Disciplinary Authority of Court.  A certified bankruptcy petition preparer who prepares documents for filing submits to the jurisdiction of the Court. If the Court or other party in interest has cause to believe that a bankruptcy petition preparer has engaged in unprofessional conduct, any party may seek and the Court may impose any of the following:

(1)  Civil contempt; 

(2)  A reduction or refund of fees;

(3)  An injunction against the bankruptcy petition preparer;

(4)  A referral of the matter to the Arizona State Supreme Court Board of Licensed Document Preparers, or the State Bar of Arizona, if appropriate; and 

(5)  The imposition of any sanctions deemed appropriate.

Notes 2018:  Includes new section concerning disciplinary authority of the Court.