Civil Procedure › Bankruptcy › Civil Remedies

Incentive Awards Corrupted Class Action Settlement By Undermining Adequacy Of Class Representatives And Counsel

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently considered “the issue of whether class representatives and class counsel are adequate where the settlement agreement conditions payment of incentive awards on...more

What happens if I do not provide my bankruptcy attorney with the documents he requested?

If you are considering bankruptcy or are wondering what is required of a debtor who files for bankruptcy, then you will want to read this post! Contact: George E. Bourguignon, Jr. Phone: (508) 769-1359...more

Rubin: Enforcement of US Judgments in England

UK Supreme Court decision confirms traditional rules on enforcement of all US judgments in England and reverses a significant liberalisation of cross-border bankruptcy law....more

Your Last Resort: The Unpaid Account

A suit on an unpaid account against your customer will likely entitle you to the principal balance plus interest and attorney fees. But a suit on an unpaid account is only as good as your customer’s ability to satisfy the...more

Ninth Circuit Rejects Class Action Settlement Providing Conditional Incentive Awards

Earlier this week, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed approval of a $45 million class action settlement that had been reached with three credit reporting agencies in Radcliffe v. Experian...more

Using Recievers to Collect Judgments Against Intellectual Property Assets

I have been asked to be a receiver to help collect a judgment. The judgment debtor has intellectual property assets. Plaintiff’s counsel has asked me how hard it will be to get me appointed and if I would be able to sell the...more

When in Doubt, File a Motion: Trends Concerning Automatic Stay Violations

Bankruptcy filings in Virginia, and nationwide, declined significantly in 2012, and it appears the decline is continuing in 2013. However, thousands of cases continue to be filed, and it is important for practitioners to...more

Fifth Circuit Crafts New Test For Foreign Debtor Relief

Originally published in the New York Law Journal on January 3, 2012. On Nov. 28, 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in In re Vitro S.A.B. de C.V. issued a groundbreaking decision under Chapter 15 of...more

Fifth Circuit Crafts New Test For Foreign Debtor Relief

Originally published in the New York Law Journal on January 3, 2012. On Nov. 28, 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in In re Vitro S.A.B. de C.V. issued a groundbreaking decision under Chapter 15 of...more

UPDATE: Court Rejects CalPERS’ Efforts to Lift Stay In San Bernardino Case

In a ruling predicted by the Restructuring Review Blog last month, Judge Meredith A. Jury of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California rejected arguments by CalPERS that the Bankruptcy Court should lift...more

Illinois Supreme Court Holds Judgment of Foreclosure Not Immediately Appealable

Under Illinois law, a judgment of foreclosure does not end a mortgage foreclosure case; it remains modifiable by the trial court and is strictly interlocutory. After such a judgment is entered, the property is sold once...more

Fifth Circuit Refuses to Enforce Mexican Reorganization Plan's Proposed Release of Non-Debtor Bond Guarantors

The Fifth Circuit recently upheld a Texas Bankruptcy Court’s refusal to enforce non-debtor third party releases in the Mexican reorganization proceeding (known as a concurso mercantil) of Mexican glass manufacturer Vitro SAB...more

Bankruptcy Abroad: US Creditors’ Rights Remain Relevant in Chapter 15

With an increasing number of businesses operating without regard to borders in today’s global economy, the importance of understanding Chapter 15 — the Bankruptcy Code provisions instructing the cooperation between the United...more

Rogers Towers: The Extraordinary Remedy of Discharging Third Party Liability in Bankruptcy Proceedings

Recently the Fifth Circuit handed down a thorough opinion regarding Chapter 15 cross-border insolvency and its effects on domestic and foreign creditors. Beyond the Chapter 15 context, however, the court of appeals in In re...more

I am deciding between bankruptcy attorneys, one that costs less and will perform the bare minimum, and another that costs more and...

If you are contemplating filing a bankruptcy or hiring an attorney for any matter, you will want to read this post! Contact: George E. Bourguignon, Jr., Esq. Phone: (508) 769-1359 or (413) 746-8008 Email: ...more

Judgment Proof: The English Supreme Court Pushes Back On U.S. Bankruptcy Court Jurisdiction

In a case with truly global implications, the Supreme Court of England and Wales held earlier today that judgments of U.S. Bankruptcy Courts against foreign defendants who had not submitted to the Bankruptcy Court’s...more

Third Circuit Reiterates Narrow Application of Equitable Mootness Doctrine

The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit recently reiterated its position that the doctrine of equitable mootness should only apply if granting relief on appeal would undermine a consummated bankruptcy plan....more

Can A Receiver Be Appointed To Collect Accounts Receivable?

QUESTION: Can a receiver be appointed at the request of a secured creditor holding a lien on accounts receivable for the limited purpose of collecting the receivables?...more

The Strategy of Acquiring Distressed Assets by Purchasing Secured Claims is Aided by a Recent Supreme Court Opinion

In a recent opinion, the Supreme Court unanimously affirmed a secured lender’s right to credit-bid at a bankruptcy sale of assets encumbered by such lender’s liens. In addition to solidifying the rights and protections...more

Attorney Fees Incurred to Defend the Bankruptcy Court's Stay Violation Order are Subject to Recovery

In Schwartz-Tallard v. America’s Servicing Co., 2012 DJDAR 9091 (2012), the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decided a fee case under the so-called Sternberg bankruptcy doctrine. The doctrine...more

How will my student loans be treated in a chapter 13 bankruptcy?

If you are considering options on how to deal with the heavy debt burden of student loans or desiring to learn more about how chapter 13 bankruptcy may help you or both, then you want to read this post! Contact: George...more

Rogers Towers: “Down” is Out, “Off” is In: Stripping Liens in Chapter 7 after McNeal

Prior to the real estate market crash in 2008, homeowners routinely borrowed against the equity in their homes, in turn, granting lenders second or even third mortgages. However, once the market crashed, their equity...more

What does the Eaton decision mean for Massachusetts homeowners facing foreclosure?

If you are a Massachusetts resident that faces foreclosure or may be facing foreclosure in the future, you sure want to read this post. Contact: George E. Bourguignon, Jr. Phone: (508) 769-1359 or (413)...more

Vitro: Chapter 15 and the Limits of Comity: Texas Bankruptcy Court Refuses to Enforce Third Party Release Provisions in Mexican...

On June 13, 2012, Judge Harlin D. Hale of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas refused to enforce provisions of a Mexican plan of reorganization that purported to extinguish guarantees by the...more

Eaton v. Federal National Mortgage Association

Final decision in Eaton, the decision that changes foreclosure practice in Massachusetts.

This is a copy of the long-awaited, important Massachusetts decision concerning foreclosures in Massachusetts titled Eaton v. Federal National Mortgage Association. It was issued 22 June 2012 and makes a substantive change...more