Many prior posts have addressed the “alter ego” doctrine, under which a business entity’s owner can be held personally liable for the entity’s debts. This is also known as “piercing the corporate veil.”...more
When a debtor LLC receives a discharge order from a bankruptcy court, a creditor is prevented from enforcing any preexisting debts against the discharged LLC as a personal liability. This is known as the “discharge...more
Alter ego liability is again the flavor of the day...
As previously covered, the alter ego doctrine allows a court to disregard a corporate entity (including LLCs) and hold the individual owners liable for claims against...more
8/23/2023
/ Alter Ego ,
Appeals ,
Attorney Malpractice ,
Bad Faith ,
Business Ownership ,
Corporate Entities ,
Employment Litigation ,
Insolvency ,
Labor Commissioners ,
Liability ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Motion to Amend ,
Proof of Ownership ,
Retaliation ,
Unpaid Wages
Alter ego liability is a frequent topic covered in The LLC Jungle — see here for a list of all prior “alter ego” related posts.
The alter ego doctrine allows a court to disregard a corporate entity (including LLCs) and...more
5/23/2023
/ Alter Ego ,
Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Awards ,
Breach of Contract ,
Business Ownership ,
California ,
Corporate Entities ,
Liability ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Loans ,
Marketing ,
Reversal
...Normally, a court will treat a business entity and its liabilities as separate and distinct from its owners. The alter ego doctrine allows the corporate veil to be pierced, and results in holding the owners liable for the...more
2/27/2023
/ Alter Ego ,
Appeals ,
Business Entities ,
Contamination ,
Corporate Veil ,
Government Entities ,
Infrastructure ,
Land Developers ,
Landfills ,
Liability ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Partnerships ,
Piercing the Corporate Veil ,
Remediation ,
Site Remediation
A charging order is a device used by a judgment creditor to collect on a judgment against an LLC member. The charging order imposes a lien on the judgment debtor’s economic (or “transferable”) interest in the LLC — the order...more
Normally, a business entity is considered a legal person separate and apart from its individual owners. But when the entity is used by an owner to perpetrate a fraud, circumvent a statute, or accomplish some other wrongful...more
One of the essential purposes of forming an entity and conducting business through that entity is to limit the owners’ personal liability. California law generally views the entity and its owners as separate and legally...more
The “alter ego” doctrine allows a creditor of a business entity to “pierce the corporate veil” and enforce the debt against the company’s individual owners. The standards for proving alter ego liability are high, and the...more
“Piercing the corporate veil” — also referred to as “alter ego” liability — is a familiar concept under California law. Ordinarily, a corporation or other entity (such as an LLC) is considered a legal entity separate and...more
8/13/2019
/ Alter Ego ,
Appeals ,
Business Assets ,
Business Ownership ,
Cal Code of Civil Procedure ,
Corporate Veil ,
Corporations Code ,
Debt Collection ,
Debtors ,
Judgment Creditors ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Personal Liability ,
Piercing the Corporate Veil ,
Reversal
The “Seven Critical Mistakes LLCs Make” Series -
This series of posts covers some of the most serious mistakes that LLCs regularly make. Here are...short summaries of each:
Choosing the Wrong Business Partners —...more
10/8/2018
/ Alter Ego ,
Apparent Authority ,
Business Divorce ,
Business Formation ,
Business Partners ,
Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing ,
Due Diligence ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Founding Members ,
Guaranty Claims ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Managing Members ,
Membership Agreements ,
Membership Interest ,
Operating Agreements ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Secured Debt ,
Trade Secrets