Market Trends: What You Need to Know - As shown in the American Bar Association's Private Target Mergers and Acquisitions Deal Points Studies: Earnout provisions were included in 26% of the deals reported in the 2023...more
We lawyers and judges may be Dylan’s “writers and critics who prophesize with your pen.” Then, as now, the times for us are a-changin’, as U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn C. Ferguson recognized in her opinion in In re...more
The right to set off a claim is a legal concept through which reciprocal claims between a creditor and a debtor company are settled against each other reducing or extinguishing the smaller claim and leaving only a balance...more
In Short - The Situation: Historically, creditors pursued by liquidators under the unfair preference regime could rely on a statutory set-off as a defence to the claim, reducing or eliminating their liability to repay...more
On December 22, 2022, the Court of Appeal of Québec upheld a Superior Court ruling that GST and QST input tax credits and refunds (“ITCs/ITRs”) claimed by a petitioner in connection with damage payments arising from...more
This practice note discusses the use of setoff by creditors as a mechanism to limit loss when a debtor has filed bankruptcy. In bankruptcy, setoff is governed by and subject to the limitations imposed by Section 553 of the...more
Background - During a winding up, the statutory duty of a liquidator is to gather in the estate of the company, which includes recovering any amounts owing to the company. Creditors then submit proofs of debt and receive...more
For some time, the reliance on section 553C of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Act) as a "set-off" defence to an unfair preference claim, under section 588FA of the Act, has caused much controversy in the insolvency...more
The ability of a creditor to exercise its contractual, common law or statutory rights under non-bankruptcy law to set off amounts owed to a debtor in bankruptcy against the debtor's obligations to the creditor gives...more
The Third Circuit’s recent decision in In re Orexigen Therapeutics Inc., 990 F.3d 748 (3d Cir. 2021) holds that section 553 of the Bankruptcy Code, which governs creditor setoffs, requires “strict bilateral mutuality.” As a...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit recently became the first circuit court to address the question of whether a corporate parent can set off an obligation that it owes to a bankrupt company against a claim owed...more
Progressive Northern Insurance Company V. Muller, Et Al. 2020 VT 76 (August 28, 2020) - Vermont Supreme Court holds that “Combined Single Limit” and “Limits of Liability” provisions in UIM policy cap auto insurer’s total...more
Introduction - In the midst of the unprecedented global health challenge presented by the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), businesses will almost certainly face pervasive disruptions to operations as the economy...more
Few issues in bankruptcy create as much contention as disputes regarding the right of setoff. This was recently highlighted by a decision in the chapter 11 case of Orexigen Therapeutics in the District of Delaware. Judge...more
The Situation: Section 553C of the Corporations Act 2001 (WA) ("Act") provides that if a creditor and a company in liquidation have mutual dealings, the creditor must offset any sum the creditor owes to the company in...more
Another decision has been issued that reinforces that section 553 does not allow setoff without mutuality, or “triangular setoff.”...more
On October 24, 2018, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (BCFP), formerly known as the CFPB, entered into a Consent Order with Cash Express, LLC. Cash Express is a small dollar lender based in Cookeville, Tennessee,...more
In July 2017, we wrote about the case of Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd v Forge Group Power Pty Ltd (in liquidation) (receivers and managers appointed), in which the Western Australian Supreme Court held that rights of set off...more
We generally advise clients to think carefully before commencing an involuntary bankruptcy petition against an alleged debtor. One of the primary reasons for our caution is section 303(i) of the Bankruptcy Code, which...more
Any first-year law student could attest that understanding what the law is can be a difficult task, in part because the law is not always applied consistently by courts. This problem gives rise to a maxim law professors often...more
This article provides a brief overview of the somewhat related doctrines of setoff and recoupment in the Chapter 11 context. Setoff is recognized in the Bankruptcy Code to offset the claims of creditors and the debtor in a...more
In Feltman v. Noor Staffing Grp., LLC (In re Corp. Res. Servs. Inc.), 564 B.R. 196 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2017), the bankruptcy court considered whether section 553 of the Bankruptcy Code creates a right of setoff when no such...more
On November 16, 2016, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Kentucky found that a creditor exercising its post-petition right to setoff without bankruptcy court permission had violated the automatic...more
All bankruptcy lawyers (and most long-suffering trade creditors) know that creditors who receive payments from a debtor within the “preference period” – 90 days before a voluntary bankruptcy case was filed, or 1 year if the...more
In Allen v. State Farm Florida Ins. Co., 2D15-3114 (Fla. 2d DCA June 10, 2016), a sinkhole plaintiff sued two insurers for the same damage, and then settled with one of them before trial. The non-settling insurer wanted to...more