United States Fourth Circuit

In a professional malpractice action filed by a Chapter 11 debtor against the law firm that represented him in his bankruptcy case, the district court had bankruptcy jurisdiction over this action under 28 U.S.C. section 1334 because the malpractice claim arose in the bankruptcy case. Summary judgment to the law firm is affirmed because the malpractice claim is barred on res judicata grounds by an earlier order of the bankruptcy court.

Appellate Information

• Decided 03/06/2003
• Published 03/06/2003

Judges

• Before MICHAEL and GREGORY, Circuit Judges, and REBECCA BEACH SMITH, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, sitting by designation.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Joseph Daniel Gallagher, Gill & Sippel, Rockville, Maryland, for Appellant.  Andrew Jay Graham, Kramon & Graham, P.A., Baltimore, Maryland, for Appellees.   ON BRIEF:  Geoffrey H. Genth, Kramon & Graham, P.A., Baltimore, Maryland, for Appellees.