Most bankruptcy courts have altered their practices and procedures in light of COVID-19. Below is a summary of the changes to practices and procedures in the United States Bankruptcy Courts for the Southern District of New...more
Debtors in chapter 11 cases are required to make quarterly payments to the United States Trustee’s Office. These fees support the UST Program that serves in all districts but those in two states. Quarterly fees must be paid...more
When there are large numbers of substantial individual tort claims against a debtor, potentially involving claimants unknowable to the debtor who themselves may not know they have a claim, the bankruptcy process faces special...more
2/25/2020
/ Asbestos ,
Asbestos Trust Claims ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Creditors ,
Due Process ,
Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Mass Tort Litigation ,
Mergers ,
Proof of Claims ,
Section 363 ,
Subsidiaries
An appeal from a bankruptcy court’s final judgment must be filed within 14 days of when an appealable order is entered on the docket. Parties should not delay past the 14 days even if, for instance, the bankruptcy court must...more
When a debtor files for bankruptcy, the Bankruptcy Code provides for an automatic stay of almost all proceedings to recover property from the debtor. See 11 U.S.C. § 362(a). A party in interest can seek an order exempting...more
1/27/2020
/ Appeals ,
Automatic Stay ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Creditors ,
Debtors ,
Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure ,
Motion for Relief from Automatic Stay ,
Reaffirmation ,
Right To Appeal ,
Ritzen Group Inc v Jackson Masonry LLC ,
SCOTUS ,
Time-Barred Claims
The U.S. Bankruptcy Code allows debtors to stay in control of their businesses in chapter 11. But the Code also empowers bankruptcy judges to replace a debtor’s management in certain circumstances with an outside trustee....more
Section 303 of the Bankruptcy Code allows creditors to initiate an involuntary bankruptcy case against a debtor. The petition initiating the case must be filed by creditors holding claims aggregating to at least $10,000, and...more
A recent decision in Delaware discussed the Barton doctrine and the application of the automatic stay in chapter 15 cases. McKillen v. Wallace (In re Ir. Bank Resolution Corp.), No. 18-1797, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 166153 (D....more
The Bankruptcy Code gives a trustee powers to avoid certain pre-bankruptcy transfers of the debtor’s property to other entities. For example, a trustee can avoid transfers made with the intent to impair the ability of...more
10/30/2019
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Bankrtupcy Code Section 550 ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Burden of Proof ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Creditors ,
Debt Collection ,
Debtors ,
Due Process ,
Fraudulent Transfers ,
Google ,
Trustees
Judge Martin Glenn last week issued a decision in two related chapter 15 cases, In re Foreign Econ. Indus. Bank Ltd. “Vneshprombank” Ltd., No. 16-13534, and In re Larisa Markus, No. 19-10096, 2019 Bankr. LEXIS 3203 (Bankr....more
10/16/2019
/ Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 15 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Cross-Border ,
Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure ,
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ,
Foreign Jurisdictions ,
Foreign Subsidiaries ,
Jurisdiction ,
Motion to Vacate ,
Public Policy
Section 548 of the Bankruptcy Code enables trustees to avoid certain pre-bankruptcy transfers of “an interest of the debtor in property,” where the transfer was intended to defraud creditors or where the transfer was made...more
9/23/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 7 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Fraudulent Transfers ,
Mergers ,
Motion for Reconsideration ,
Popular ,
Trustees ,
UFTA
Consider these facts. A debtor in bankruptcy sued two parties for breach of contract. The debtor assigned its rights and interests in the cause of action to another entity. The defendants moved to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing...more
9/11/2019
/ Appeals ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Breach of Contract ,
Debtors ,
Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure ,
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ,
Filing Requirements ,
Jurisdiction ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Personal Jurisdiction ,
Remand ,
Subject Matter Jurisdiction ,
Vacated
Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code, added in 2005, provides a route for debtors to obtain US recognition of their insolvency proceedings in other countries. A foreign proceeding can be recognized under chapter 15 as either a...more
We previously discussed Bankruptcy Judge Martin Glenn’s analysis of the Wagoner Rule in the Feltman v. Kossoff & Kossoff LLP (In re TS Empl., Inc.) case. The bankruptcy trustee (the “Trustee”) had asserted a fraud claim...more
Here’s an update on recent political, social, and economic developments in Venezuela. From our perspective as a blog focused on insolvency and restructuring topics, the upshot of what’s been taking place in Venezuela is that...more
7/25/2019
/ Bankruptcy Code ,
Bonds ,
Chapter 15 ,
Creditors ,
Debt ,
Debt Restructuring ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Imports ,
Oil & Gas ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Venezuela
New York Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lean recently denied a Rule 2004 request because the movant sought documents for use in an unrelated litigation. In re Cambridge Analytica LLC, No. 18-11500, 2019 Bankr. LEXIS 1824 (Bankr....more
Delaware Bankruptcy Judge Brendan Shannon granted mechanic’s lien claimants $1.6 million for making a substantial contribution in a case by “demonstrably and materially facilitating the process of reorganization.” In re M & G...more
Successful bankruptcy cases typically end with a court order releasing a debtor from liability for most pre-bankruptcy debts. This order, generally known as a “discharge order,” prohibits the debtor’s creditors from trying to...more
6/17/2019
/ Appeals ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP) ,
Bankruptcy Code § 524(a) ,
Bankruptcy Discharge Order ,
Chapter 7 ,
Civil Contempt Orders ,
Concurrent Litigation ,
Creditors ,
Dischargeable Debts ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Money Judgment ,
Reasonable Belief Test ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Standard of Review ,
Statutory Violations ,
Taggart v Lorenzen ,
Vacated
Last year, we discussed a decision by Judge Sean Lane of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York concerning section 109(a) of the Bankruptcy Code. In a recent cross-border case, In re PT...more
5/31/2019
/ Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 15 ,
Choice-of-Law ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Creditors ,
Cross-Border ,
Debt Restructuring ,
Debtors ,
Eligibility ,
Filing Requirements ,
Forum Selection ,
Noteholders
Creditors’ recoveries often hinge on claw-back lawsuits that trustees bring under bankruptcy law and non-bankruptcy law. Trustees can file claims based on non-bankruptcy law because Bankruptcy Code section 544(b) allows them...more
5/16/2019
/ Appeals ,
Avoidance ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Chapter 7 ,
Clawbacks ,
Debtor-Creditor ,
Debtors-in-Possession ,
FDCPA ,
Fraudulent Transfers ,
SBA ,
Trustees ,
UFTA
Two weeks ago, we discussed asset sales under Bankruptcy Code section 363. As that post noted, section 363 requires court approval for asset sales outside the ordinary course of business, with courts ensuring that sales...more
5/6/2019
/ 363 Sales ,
Appeals ,
Auction ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Breach of Contract ,
Chapter 11 ,
Chapter 7 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Creditors ,
Debtors ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Private Sales ,
Sale of Assets ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Trustees
The subject matter jurisdiction of bankruptcy courts causes confusion and can be hard to understand. In a recent decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit clarified the meaning of the phrase...more
We now address assets sales under Bankruptcy Code section 363. The statute allows debtors to use, sell, or lease their property in the ordinary course of business without court permission. But a debtor’s use, sale, or lease...more
4/17/2019
/ 363 Sales ,
Approval Requirements ,
Auction ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Commercial Leases ,
Debtors ,
Private Sales ,
Public Bidding ,
Sale of Assets
When a debtor files for bankruptcy, almost all proceedings to recover property from the debtor are automatically stayed by force of law. See 11 U.S.C. § 362(a). This provision, known as the automatic stay, is a central...more
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