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
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
In re Ramz Real Estate Co., LLC, 510 B.R. 712 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2013) – An undersecured mortgagee objected to a debtor’s proposed plan of reorganization on several grounds, including that (1) the plan was not approved by...more
Unless creditors accept a debtor's plan of reorganization, bankruptcy law requires the plan to provide for the payment in full of creditors before owners of the debtor receive anything on account of their equity interest....more
In a recent decision, In re Castleton Plaza, LP, 2013 WL 537269 *1 (Feb. 14, 2013), the Seventh Circuit held that the absolute priority rule – which requires that creditors be paid in full before equity holders receive...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