JANICE D. LOYD, Bankruptcy Judge.
On the date above written, this matter came on for consideration upon Debtor's pro se stream-of-consciousness thirty-three (33) word pleading entitled Motion for Summary Judgment and Declaratory Ruling Against Christopher Holland Since He Was Overpaid and Application to Enjoin Christopher Holland as a Creditor Since His Judgment Was Discharged in the Bankruptcy of Geo Exploration, LLC or Became Stale and Not Enforceable filed October 5, 2017 (the "Motion") [Doc. 144].
Although the Local Rules provide that a party's failure to respond to a motion for summary judgment is deemed consent to the court granting the motion, the Court nonetheless has ruled substantively on such motions and generally does not grant dispositive motions on procedural default alone. Thus, notwithstanding a non-responding party's "consent", the Court cannot grant a motion for summary judgment based solely on Defendants' failure to respond and must consider the merits of the motion. Issa v. Comp USA, 354 F.3d 1174, 1177-78 (10
Despite the rhetoric and verbosity, it appears to the Court that the claim asserted in the Motion can be boiled-down to the Debtor attempting to deny creditor Christopher Holland ("Holland") any claim in the bankruptcy because (1) the debt was discharged in a prior bankruptcy and (2) the debt was reduced to a judgment in state court but should not be enforced due to Holland's alleged fraud in obtaining it. As a matter of law, neither allegation states a claim upon which relief can be granted, let alone summary judgment in Debtor's favor.
First, it appears from the Motion and exhibits that the bankruptcy which purportedly discharged Holland's debt was the bankruptcy of GEO Exploration Co. LLC, Case No. 09-14024, and not the bankruptcy of this Debtor. Furthermore, the debtor in the prior bankruptcy was a limited liability company for which a discharge would not be granted, i.e. discharges are only available to an individual. 11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(1).
Debtor also asserts that Holland violated the discharge injunction (albeit there was none) and violated the automatic stay by seeking to collect a judgment entered against the Debtor and GEO Exploration, LLC, jointly and severally, in an administrative hearing before the Oklahoma Department of Labor and perfected in the District Court of Oklahoma County in 2010. The judgment in the Department of Labor case concerned unpaid wages to Holland. There, of course, was no automatic stay in effect as to the Debtor until the filing of this involuntary bankruptcy in 2016, and there is no evidence before the Court that Holland or the Department of Labor has taken collection efforts against this Debtor since that filing. There is no doubt that Holland, and several other defendants, are defending claims made by the Debtor in state court litigation, but merely defending an action by the debtor is not a violation of the automatic stay. In re Bryner, 425 B.R. 601 (10
Second, Debtor claims that the March 17, 2010, Department of Labor judgment is null and void since it was taken in violation of the automatic stay. If there was an automatic stay, it was the one afforded to GEO Exploration, LLC, not this Debtor.
The Court takes judicial notice that on October 5, 2017, the Debtor filed the identical pleading, even utilizing the Bankruptcy Court style of the case, in the District Court of Oklahoma County in case number CV-2010-1171. The motion filed in the state court case even sought the recusal of this bankruptcy Judge. On October 20 2017, the District Court, the Honorable Richard Ogden, denied the motion.