Chapter 11 plans that propose to extinguish existing equity interests because the estate does not have any value remaining after the payment of creditor claims are common. The Bankruptcy Code's "absolute priority rule"...more
For many years, people associated with the bankruptcy system in the United States recognized the process didn’t work well for small business owners. Corporate reorganizations through the Chapter 11 process were cumbersome and...more
The Delaware Bankruptcy Court, in In re Nuverra Environmental Solutions, Case No. 17-10949 (Bankr. Del. July 24, 2017), confirmed a chapter 11 plan of reorganization despite separate classification and disparate gifted...more
For the past several years, creditors in the Ninth Circuit were confounded by an interpretation of the bankruptcy code that permitted individual chapter 11 debtors to retain a significant portion of their assets without...more
Two recent court decisions may result in a broadening of the range of options available to an equity sponsor in respect of an insolvent portfolio company. The first decision may provide increased flexibility in structuring...more
Can an equity investor who directs an insider to contribute "new value" to a debtor under a plan of reorganization, so as to retain his interest in the company, avoid an express market test for that new equity? The answer to...more