The “Catch-22” of Preference Law
The ordinary course of business, new value, and contemporaneous exchange for new value defenses are the most frequently used defenses in a preference action. However, there are additional, less common defenses that a...more
A debtor's non-exempt assets (and even the debtor's entire business) are commonly sold during the course of a bankruptcy case by the trustee or a chapter 11 debtor-in-possession ("DIP") as a means of augmenting the bankruptcy...more
In a March 2024 decision, the U.S. Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the First Circuit (the “Panel”) followed existing case law prohibiting debtors in businesses related to cannabis from availing themselves of federal bankruptcy...more
Businesses in financial distress have multiple options to consider when attempting to reorganize or liquidate. A state court receivership or Chapter 7 Bankruptcy are likely options for liquidation when there are significant...more
The Fifth Circuit recently ruled that a debtor can sell a preferential transfer action under Bankruptcy Code section 363 to a purchaser that is not a representative of the bankruptcy estate. Briar Cap. Working Fund Cap.,...more
As bankruptcy attorneys who often defend clients in preference avoidance actions, we were pleased with the 547(b) amendments, effective as of February 20, 2020, requiring a trustee to conduct some level of due diligence into...more
There is longstanding controversy concerning the validity of third-party release provisions in non-asbestos trust chapter 11 plans that limit the potential exposure of various nondebtor parties involved in the process of...more
The Bankruptcy Code and its predecessor statutes have long permitted bankruptcy trustees (or their equivalents) to claw back preferences, which involve transfers made on preexisting debts within 90 days (or 1 year, if made to...more
Section 363(m) of the Bankruptcy Code provides that the reversal or modification of an order approving a sale or lease of assets in bankruptcy does not affect the validity of the sale or lease to a good-faith purchaser or...more
This entry is part of Nelson Mullins’s ongoing “Bankruptcy Basics” blog series that is intended to address foundational aspects of bankruptcy for new and non-bankruptcy practitioners and professionals. This entry will discuss...more
There is seemingly, in the opinion of a great number of bankruptcy courts, a conflict between the United States Bankruptcy Code requirements that a debtor reorganize or liquidate “in good faith,” the federal Controlled...more
This presentation is prepared for in-house counsel and other attorneys practicing outside of the bankruptcy space and will address the following questions that often arise when dealing with a party that later goes into...more
Faulkner v. Broadway Festivals, Inc. The recent bankruptcy case for Northern District of Texas, Faulkner v. Broadway Festivals, Inc., Adv. Proc. 20-05031 (Bankr. N.D. – Tex., January 11, 2022), addresses preferential...more
Background - During a winding up, the statutory duty of a liquidator is to gather in the estate of the company, which includes recovering any amounts owing to the company. Creditors then submit proofs of debt and receive...more
Bankruptcy preference claims are viewed by businesses as an unfair legal tool that debtors and trustees use to take money back, even though the pre-bankruptcy payments from the debtor were for legitimate business debts. By...more
With the COVID-19 pandemic stretching on into another year, businesses continue to experience adverse effects. Bankruptcy filings, especially among retailers, were higher than average in 2020, and it is likely that more...more
It seems to be a common misunderstanding, even among lawyers who are not bankruptcy lawyers, that litigation in federal bankruptcy court consists largely or even exclusively of disputes about the avoidance of transactions as...more
Anticipating a surge of bankruptcy filings resulting from COVID-19, it is important for businesses to understand the basic elements of a bankruptcy preference and the defenses available to defeat them. This article provides a...more
Nothing is more frustrating to a trade creditor saddled with a large unpaid balance owed by a debtor in bankruptcy than being subject to the risk of having to remit back to the debtor’s estate “preference” payments received...more
On August 23, 2019, the President of the United States of America signed three new bankruptcy amendments into law. The first bill, H.R. 3311, ratifies The Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019, creating a new option for...more
The Eleventh Circuit in Kaye v. Blue Bell Creameries, Inc. (In re BFW Liquidation, LLC) recently joined the majority of those Circuits Courts having ruled on the issue that subsequent new value does not need to remain unpaid...more
In Kaye v. Blue Bell Creameries, Inc. (In re BFW Liquidation, LLC), 899 F.3d 1178 (11th Cir. 2018), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit broadened the scope of section 547(c)(4) of the Bankruptcy Code’s...more
• In its recent decision in William S. Kaye, Trustee of the BFW Liquidating Trust v. Blue Bell Creameries, Inc. (In re BFW Liquidation, LLC), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held that liability for a...more
Trying to explain the primary purpose of Section 547 of the Bankruptcy Code to a client that just received a demand letter or complaint to avoid and recover preferential transfers can be a tough sell. Although the Section’s...more
Preference Claims: Elements: A preference is a transfer of property of a bankruptcy debtor that (1) was to or for the benefit of a creditor; (2) was on account of an antecedent debt; (3) was made while the debtor was...more