Fieldstone A&E Files Chapter 11 Amid Construction-Defect Claims

Fieldstone A&E, LLC, a Michigan architecture and engineering firm, filed for chapter 11 protection under Subchapter V on July 30, 2026, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, case number 26-48494. Its voluntary petition lists dozens of unsecured claims valued at $0.00 each — contingent, unliquidated, and disputed obligations arising from litigation and notices of claim brought by homeowners' associations, condominium associations, and other construction-related parties.

The company is wholly owned by Ryan Rasmussen, its president and sole member, who signed the petition and all first-day filings. The debtor has not filed a first-day declaration explaining the events leading to the case, and on the petition date the court ruled that three of the debtor's proposed first-day requests — retention of a claims agent, bar-date procedures, and a special service list — do not qualify as first-day motions under Local Rule 9013-1(c), leaving those requests to be addressed by separate order.

Debtor	Fieldstone A&E, LLC
Court	U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Michigan (Southern Division)
Case Number	26-48494
Petition Date	July 30, 2026
Judge	Hon. Thomas J. Tucker
Subchapter V Trustee	Deborah L. Fish
Claims Agent (proposed)	Verita Global (Kurtzman Carson Consultants, LLC)
Plan Filing Deadline	October 28, 2026
General Claims Bar Date	November 25, 2026

Construction-Defect Litigation and Sole-Member Ownership

Fieldstone A&E's largest unsecured creditors list reports every listed claim at $0.00, with each obligation marked contingent, unliquidated, and disputed. The debtor attributes the claims to pending litigation and notices of claim brought by homeowners' associations, condominium associations, and other construction-related entities and individuals. Phillippi Landings C Condominium Association, Inc. is the lone listed claimant marked contingent and unliquidated without a disputed designation. Counsel representing the claimant group includes Ball Janik LLP, Stockham Law Group, Shutts & Bowen LLP, and Becker Lawyers.

Ryan Rasmussen holds 100% of Fieldstone A&E's equity as its sole member and serves as president. He signed the petition, the corporate resolutions authorizing the filing, and the creditor-matrix verification. The Michigan limited liability company operates as Fieldstone Architecture & Engineering, Fieldstone A & E, Fieldstone Engineering, and Fieldstone Architecture from its Auburn Hills, Michigan headquarters. The petition does not disclose estimated asset or liability ranges, and no NAICS code or business description beyond the entity's trade names is on the public record.

Cash Management, Payroll, and the Local Rule 9013-1(c) Ruling

On the petition date, the court determined that three of the debtor's proposed first-day requests do not qualify for expedited treatment. The order held that the application to retain Verita Global as claims and noticing agent, along with requests to set proof-of-claim bar-date procedures and establish a special service list, fall outside Local Rule 9013-1(c)'s definition of a first-day motion. The court said it would address the debtor's other first-day requests by separate order and adjourned the remaining first-day hearing to August 5, 2026.

The court entered the remaining first-day relief on August 5. An order authorizing continued use of its prepetition cash management system permits Fieldstone A&E to keep its existing bank accounts, and a related stipulation identifies a debtor-in-possession bank account without establishing a financed DIP facility. A separate order authorizing, but not directing, payment of employee wages and related obligations was also entered.

The debtor also filed a Rasmussen declaration supporting cash-collateral and adequate-protection relief, with a certificate of service filed August 4. The operative cash-collateral order and its economic terms — including the facility amount, secured lender, and adequate-protection package — are not yet available in the public record.

Verita Global, Claims Bar Dates, and the Subchapter V Trustee

The U.S. Trustee's office appointed Deborah L. Fish as Subchapter V trustee on August 1, 2026, under 11 U.S.C. § 1183(a). Fish, of Allard & Fish, P.C. in Detroit, filed a verified statement of disinterestedness with the appointment notice. Andrew R. Vara, the U.S. Trustee for Regions 3 and 9, submitted the appointment through trial attorney Kelley Callard.

The debtor's pending application to retain Verita Global — formally Kurtzman Carson Consultants, LLC, doing business as Verita Global — cites more than 500 noticing parties as the basis for delegating claims and balloting administration away from the clerk's office. Under the proposed terms, Verita would maintain the claims register, provide an online claims-filing interface, and handle solicitation and tabulation if a plan is proposed, with fees paid as an administrative expense subject to a 10-day U.S. Trustee objection period.

The chapter 11 case notice sets November 25, 2026 as the general deadline for proofs of claim, February 23, 2027 for governmental units, October 26, 2026 for dischargeability complaints under 11 U.S.C. § 523(c), and August 27, 2026 for the section 341 meeting of creditors.

Key Timeline

• July 30, 2026 — Fieldstone A&E filed its voluntary chapter 11 petition and elected Subchapter V treatment.
• July 30, 2026 — The court ruled that the claims-agent retention, bar-date, and special-service-list requests do not qualify as first-day motions under Local Rule 9013-1(c).
• August 1, 2026 — Deborah L. Fish appointed Subchapter V trustee.
• August 3, 2026 — Court adjourned the remaining first-day motions hearing to August 5, 2026.
• August 4, 2026 — Certificate of service filed for Rasmussen's declaration supporting cash-collateral relief.
• August 5, 2026 — Court entered the cash-management and employee-obligations orders.
• August 19, 2026 — Initial scheduling conference set under the initial scheduling order.
• August 27, 2026 — Section 341 meeting of creditors scheduled.
• October 28, 2026 — Statutory deadline to file a Subchapter V plan under 11 U.S.C. § 1189(b).
• November 25, 2026 — General claims bar date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the claims agent for Fieldstone A&E, LLC?

Kurtzman Carson Consultants, LLC, doing business as Verita Global, is proposed as claims, noticing, and balloting agent. The court has not yet ruled on the retention application after finding on the petition date that the request does not qualify for first-day treatment under Local Rule 9013-1(c).

When must Fieldstone A&E file a Subchapter V plan?

The statutory deadline is October 28, 2026, 90 days after the July 30, 2026 petition date, under 11 U.S.C. § 1189(b).

What is the general deadline to file a proof of claim?

The chapter 11 case notice sets November 25, 2026 as the general bar date, with a February 23, 2027 deadline for governmental units.

For related coverage of Subchapter V filings tied to litigation exposure and construction-market pressure, see ElevenFlo's coverage of ENGlobal's ransomware-driven restructuring, Pappas Piping Services' Chapter 11 amid a weak construction market, and CCA Construction's judgment-driven filing.