It’s time for a primer on the Wagoner rule and the in pari delicto defense, two concepts that arise when a debtor’s fraud leads to bankruptcy. Trustees who replace a debtor’s management often sue those involved in the...more
If the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) fines an employer for unlawfully firing workers who tried to unionize, can the employer discharge the fine in bankruptcy, or will the exception to discharge found in Bankruptcy...more
2/7/2019
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Affirmative Defenses ,
Appeals ,
Back Pay ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 7 ,
Debtors ,
Dischargeable Debts ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Just Cause ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Personal Liability ,
Section 7 ,
Union Organizers ,
Willful Violations
A court in New York has allowed offshore debtors to take control of an investment account in the U.S. over the objection of a shareholder. At stake was the court’s discretion to permit chapter 15 debtors to access the funds...more
When a bankruptcy petition is filed, an automatic stay comes into effect staying proceedings against the debtor or the debtor’s property. 11 U.S.C. § 362(a). The stay centralizes litigation regarding the debtor and its...more
10/1/2018
/ Automatic Stay ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Borrowers ,
Chapter 11 ,
Chapter 7 ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Debtors ,
Liquidation ,
Loans ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
Motion for Relief
The Third Circuit denied a $275 million break-up fee to a bidder that was unsuccessful in its attempt to buy the crown-jewel assets in the high-profile EFH bankruptcy case. In re Energy Future Holdings Corp., No 18-1109, 2018...more
The Bankruptcy Court in Delaware recently denied a request for an administrative expense claim to an entity that tried but failed to buy a debtor’s key assets. The decision arises out of the first of three attempts by...more
8/9/2018
/ Administrative Expenses ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Competitive Bidding ,
Contribution Claims ,
Creditors ,
Debtors ,
Merger Agreements ,
Purchasers
Section 327(a) of the Bankruptcy Code imposes restrictions on the employment of professionals to assist a trustee, requiring that such professionals “not hold or represent an interest adverse to the estate” and be...more
On June 4, the Supreme Court decided Lamar, Archer & Cofrin, LLP v. Appling, No. 16-1215, in a unanimous opinion by Justice Sotomayor. The Court affirmed the Eleventh Circuit and resolved a circuit split about the meaning of...more
6/15/2018
/ Adversary Proceedings ,
Appeals ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Business Assets ,
Chapter 7 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Congressional Intent ,
Debtors ,
Dischargeable Debts ,
False Statements ,
Judgment Creditors ,
Lamar Archer & Cofrin LLP v Appling ,
Oral Communications ,
Reaffirmation ,
SCOTUS ,
Tax Returns
Judge Martin Glenn granted recognition to a UK scheme of arrangement with third-party releases that lacked full creditor consent. In re Avanti Communs. Grp., PLC, No. 18-10458, 2018 Bankr. LEXIS 1078 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Apr. 9,...more
6/5/2018
/ Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 15 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Consent ,
Creditors ,
Debtors ,
Enforcement ,
Scheme of Arrangement ,
Third-Party Release Agrements ,
UK
In a recent decision, In re B.C.I Fins. Pty Ltd. (In Liquidation), No. 17-11266, 2018 Bankr. LEXIS 1217 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Apr. 24, 2018), Judge Sean Lane granted a chapter 15 petition after rejecting a challenge to...more
5/18/2018
/ Australia ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Breach of Duty ,
Chapter 15 ,
Choice-of-Law ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Creditors ,
Debtors ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Intercompany Transactions ,
Jurisdiction ,
Liquidation
Section 544 of the Bankruptcy Code permits a bankruptcy trustee to avoid any transfer that would be avoidable by creditors under state fraudulent transfer law. Section 550 of the Bankruptcy Code permits the bankruptcy trustee...more
In BFP v. Resolution Tr. Corp., 511 U.S. 531 (1994), the Supreme Court held that a mortgage foreclosure sale conducted in accordance with state law was shielded from avoidance under the Bankruptcy Code’s fraudulent conveyance...more
The Bankruptcy Code provides for the appointment of a creditors’ committee in chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. See 11 U.S.C. § 1102. There is no parallel provision applicable to chapter 7 cases. When a bankruptcy case is...more
3/30/2018
/ Appeals ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Bylaws ,
Chapter 11 ,
Chapter 7 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Corporate Dissolution ,
Creditors ,
Czyzewski v Jevic Holding Corp ,
Debtors ,
Due Process ,
Settlement ,
Transfer of Rights ,
Trustees
This post reviews some concepts concerning executory contracts. The ground covered will be familiar to insolvency experts and should be insightful for readers who don’t specialize in U.S. bankruptcy law.
The springboard...more
3/21/2018
/ Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Business Ownership ,
Business Transfer Agreements ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Debtors ,
Executory Contracts ,
Insolvency ,
Non-Disparagement Provisions ,
Settlement Agreements
In U.S. Bank Nat'l Ass'n v. Village at Lakeridge, LLC, No. 15-1509, 2018 U.S. LEXIS 1520 (Mar. 5, 2018), the Supreme Court analyzed the appropriate standard of review for appellate courts reviewing a bankruptcy court’s...more
3/15/2018
/ Appellate Review ,
Arms Length Transactions ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 11 ,
Clear Error Standard ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Cramdown ,
De Novo Standard of Review ,
Debtor-Creditor ,
Non-Statutory Insider Status ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reorganizations ,
SCOTUS ,
US Bank National Association v Village at Lakeridge
Section 1141(d)(6)(A) and section 523(a)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code together provide that debts owed by a corporation to a government entity are not dischargeable if such debts were obtained by false representations. Does this...more
The Second Circuit recently issued an important decision on a “related to” jurisdiction case arising out of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. SPV Osus, Ltd. v. UBS AG, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 3088 (2d Cir. Feb. 9, 2018).
SPV...more
In this post, we return to cross-border insolvencies and examine one of the first decisions issued in 2018 by a bankruptcy court in a chapter 15 case: In re Energy Coal S.P.A., No. 15-12048 (LSS), 2018 Bankr. LEXIS 10 (Bankr....more
1/9/2018
/ Bankruptcy Code ,
Chapter 15 ,
Choice-of-Law ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Creditors ,
Cross-Border ,
Debtors ,
Foreign Debt ,
Insolvency ,
Italy ,
Venue
On November 9, responding to a request from the U.S. Supreme Court, the Solicitor General filed a brief at the Court recommending that the petition for writ of certiorari in Lamar, Archer & Cofrin, LLP v. Appling, No....more
Figuring out when a pre-petition waiver of a jury trial will be respected in lawsuits brought in bankruptcy cases can be tricky. In a recent case, In re D.I.T., Inc., 2017 Bankr. LEXIS 3386 (Bankr. S.D. Fla. Oct. 2, 2017), a...more
On May 3, 2017, the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico filed a voluntary petition for relief on behalf of Puerto Rico in federal court there. The filing required the Chief Justice of the United States...more
The Great Recession, which began in December 2007 and officially ended in September 2009, has been especially hard on U.S. retailers, and its impact likely will be felt for many more years. Retailers sustained record-breaking...more