A fraudulent transfer is an attempt to avoid a debt by improperly transferring assets to a third party, or a transfer of assets for less than fair value made while the company is insolvent or will become insolvent as a result...more
On August 3, 2023, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas found that the majority of the shares of stock of a reorganized debtor should be allocated to unsecured creditors, and not the secured creditors,...more
A bankruptcy trustee's ability to avoid and recover pre-bankruptcy preferential transfers is essential to preserving or augmenting the estate for the benefit of all stakeholders. In 2019, however, the Bankruptcy Code was...more
For most non-bankruptcy attorneys, their first experience in bankruptcy court could very likely begin with a call from an agitated and bewildered client asking for help to understand why they have been sued by a trustee in a...more
AVOIDING POWERS - Fraudulent Transfers - Trustee may avoid transfer as actual fraudulent transfer only if ultimate decision-maker has fraudulent intent. Before entering into a two-step LBO transaction, the debtor formed...more
In a recent post, our own Harriet Wallace observed a truism in a recent ruling by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware in the chapter 7 iteration of the infamous Jevic case—the wording of an order...more
The Bankruptcy Code grants the power to avoid certain transactions to a bankruptcy trustee or debtor-in-possession. See, e.g., 11 U.S.C. §§ 544, 547–48. Is there a general requirement that these avoidance powers only be...more
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York recently added some weight to the majority rule on a hot-button issue for claims traders. In In re Firestar Diamond, Inc., 615 B.R. 161 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2020),...more
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina recently added some weight to the majority rule on an issue that has long divided bankruptcy and appellate courts. In In re Southern Produce Distributors,...more
Bankruptcy trustees continue to vigorously pursue actions in which they sue colleges, universities and other institutions of higher education to recover tuition payments made by parents for their children when the parents...more
Transfers and transactions up to ten years old may be scrutinized, unwound and recovered by a trustee, the bankruptcy court sitting in Massachusetts recently held in the NECCO (think chalky wafer candy) bankruptcy case. The...more
The ability of a bankruptcy trustee to avoid fraudulent or preferential transfers is a fundamental part of U.S. bankruptcy law. However, when an otherwise avoidable transfer by a U.S. entity takes place outside the U.S. to a...more
On February 25, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated the bankruptcy court’s dismissal of avoidance actions brought by Irving Picard, the trustee (Trustee) for the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff...more
In Picard v. BAM LP (In re Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC), Adv. Pro. No. 10-04390 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Jan. 18, 2019), a matter arising out of the Ponzi scheme perpetrated by Bernard Madoff through Bernard L. Madoff...more
Two United States Bankruptcy Judges for the Southern District of New York recently issued a joint opinion addressing common issues raised by motions to dismiss in two separate adversary proceedings – one pending before Judge...more
The Supreme Court recently addressed two bankruptcy issues. In its Merit Management opinion, the Court resolved a circuit split regarding the breadth of the safe harbor provision which protects certain transfers by financial...more
The ability of a trustee or chapter 11 debtor-in-possession to avoid fraudulent or preferential transfers is a fundamental part of U.S. bankruptcy law. However, when a transfer by a U.S. entity takes place outside the U.S. to...more
On January 31, 2018, Hancock Fabrics Inc., the post-effective date debtor, filed approximately 68 complaints seeking the avoidance and recovery of allegedly preferential and/or fraudulent transfers under Sections 547, 548 and...more
The United States Supreme Court recently declined to review a decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit favorable to a bank regarding alleged fraudulent transfers to the bank. In doing so, the...more
The ability to avoid fraudulent or preferential transfers is a fundamental part of U.S. bankruptcy law. However, when a transfer by a U.S. entity takes place outside the U.S. to a non-U.S. transferee—as is increasingly common...more
In the recent decision of Klauder v. Echo/RT Holdings LLC (In re Raytrans Holding, Inc.), Adv. No. 15-50273 (CSS) (Del. Bankr. Aug. 10, 2017), Judge Sontchi granted Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss the Trustee’s Second Amended...more
In In re FAH Liquidating Corp., Case No. 13-13087 (Bankr. Del. June 13, 2017), the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware recently followed the Fourth Circuit and Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York...more
A substantive non-consolidation opinion is a common feature of structured finance transactions in the U.S. Most, if not all, opine as to what a bankruptcy court would do, but express no opinion on the appellate process. We...more