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Bill on Bankruptcy: Junk Debt Interest Rates at 30-Year Low
The ability to assume, assume and assign, or reject executory contracts and unexpired leases is a power central to ability of a bankruptcy trustee or chapter 11 debtor-in-possession ("DIP") to maximize the value of the estate...more
In the high-stakes world of bankruptcy asset acquisitions, Bankruptcy Code Section 363 provides a powerful mechanism for purchasing assets “free and clear” of most claims, liens, and encumbrances. Success in these...more
Bankruptcy debtors have special rights in contracts or leases where both parties have outstanding obligations, known in legal terms as “executory contracts” or “unexpired leases”. If you are doing business with a company that...more
A Michigan bankruptcy court held that a debtor-franchisee seeking to reject a franchise agreement for an auto repair center could not reject either a stand-alone confidentiality agreement with the franchisor or the...more
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
Sales under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code have become commonplace in bankruptcy cases as a mechanism to liquidate a debtor's assets and maximize value for creditors. Selling the debtor's assets to a third party offers...more
A bankruptcy sale is an opportunity to potentially acquire assets at distressed pricing. A bankruptcy sale also presents prospective bidders with a level playing field to conduct due diligence, submit a bid, and compete...more
The Bankruptcy Code invalidates "ipso facto" clauses in executory contracts or unexpired leases that purport to modify or terminate the contract or lease (or the debtor's rights or obligations under the contract or lease)...more
A recent bankruptcy court decision determined that a debtor cannot reject an unexercised option for the purchase of its real estate, raising a potentially significant bar to any debtor extricating itself from an under-market...more
During a U.S. bankruptcy case, can a debtor pay something less than the full contract rate provided for in a contract entered into prior to the bankruptcy while still requiring the counterparty to fully perform its...more
Three years have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States and its effects are still being felt today. Even though lockdown measures have largely disappeared and many workers have returned to the office,...more
The Second Circuit recently held that a non-party to an assumed executory contract is not entitled to a cure payment (although it may be so entitled if is a third-party beneficiary of the contract). The result would have...more
The recent decision of the Ninth Circuit in In re Hawkeye Entertainment, LLC contains a few important takeaways with respect to the treatment of executory contracts and unexpired leases under section 365 of the Bankruptcy...more
The intersection between Medicare and state Medicaid regulatory schemes on the one hand and bankruptcy proceedings on the other continues to be an interesting, often highly contested, source of bankruptcy litigation. In...more
To encourage parties to transact with debtors in bankruptcy, the Bankruptcy Code in corporate bankruptcies provides highest priority to “administrative expenses,” which include “the actual, necessary costs and expenses of...more
This entry is part of Nelson Mullins’s ongoing “Bankruptcy Basics” blog series that is intended to address foundational aspects of bankruptcy for non-bankruptcy practitioners and professionals. This entry will discuss how...more
As we pass the midpoint of 2022 and the world expresses a collective sigh of relief that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be behind us, a perfect storm of extraordinary factors is creating conditions for financial...more
One year ago, we wrote that, unlike in 2019, when the large business bankruptcy landscape was generally shaped by economic, market, and leverage factors, the COVID-19 pandemic dominated the narrative in 2020....more
Whether a contract is "executory" such that it can be assumed, rejected, or assigned in bankruptcy is a question infrequently addressed by the circuit courts of appeals. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit...more
Section 365 of the Bankruptcy Code creates a framework through which a debtor can elect to either assume or reject an executory contract. Because the Bankruptcy Code does not define "executory", courts utilize various tests...more
A decision by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals serves as a stark reminder that the sale (assignment) of a contract in bankruptcy does not always require full payment of the non-debtor counterparty’s claim. Debtors must...more
Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases are most frequently filed by businesses. However, certain high-earning individuals whose debts are above the statutory debt limits to qualify for Chapter 13 can also file for Chapter 11 relief. In...more
Over the past five years, bankruptcy courts have analyzed whether oil and gas producers’ contracts with midstream oil, gas, and produced water companies may be rejected if they create covenants running with the land. Through...more
During periods of widespread economic disruption such as the present, operating businesses must be able to identify and respond to threats to the financial health of their contracting counterparts in order to protect key...more
When entering into a joint venture or other ongoing contractual relationship in which intellectual property (“IP”) is central to the value proposition, parties should hope for the best and plan for the worst. Bankruptcy for...more