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
The first full year of the post-COVID-pandemic era was characterized in the United States by continued economic recovery, persistently high consumer interest rates—despite three cuts in the benchmark federal funds rate in...more
When a debtor files for bankruptcy, creditors often fear their claims will be wiped away. However, under Section 523 of the Bankruptcy Code, certain debts are categorized as non-dischargeable, meaning the debtor cannot...more
Established in 2015 as a trusted neutral forum to meet increasing demand for effective transnational dispute resolution, the Singapore International Commercial Court (the “SICC”) is a division of the General Division of the...more
Even after a bankruptcy court has confirmed a chapter 11 plan, changed circumstances prior to the plan's implementation and "substantial consummation" might make alterations to the plan necessary. If a proposed change is...more
Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9006(b) provides that, generally, “when an act is required to be done at or within a specified period by these rules or by a notice given thereunder or by order of court, the court for...more
On December 1, 2022, several important amendments to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (Rules) became permanent and will govern the procedures employed in cases filed under Subchapter V of Title 11 of the US Code...more
On February 19, 2020, the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA) took effect after being signed into law in mid-2019. Among other things, the SBRA created a new subchapter (Subchapter V) to chapter 11 of title 11 of...more
In a recent opinion from the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California, Judge Christopher Klein sanctioned a decedent’s estate’s representative and its lawyer for frivolously and repeatedly...more
To promote the finality and binding effect of confirmed chapter 11 plans, the Bankruptcy Code categorically prohibits any modification of a confirmed plan after it has been "substantially consummated." Stakeholders, however,...more
Section 11 of Official Bankruptcy Form 105, Involuntary Petition Against an Individual, provides: Allegation- Each petitioner is eligible to file this petition under 11 U.S.C. § 303(b). The debtor may be the...more
There is more than one way that a creditor of a bankrupt entity (or debtor) can directly prosecute its claims in bankruptcy. If the creditor is involved in prepetition litigation with the debtor, it could request relief from...more
At stake in a recent decision by the First Circuit was this: when a bankruptcy matter is before a federal district court based on non-core, “related to” jurisdiction, should the court apply the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy...more
Each year amendments are made to the rules that govern how bankruptcy cases are managed — the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure. The amendments address issues identified by an Advisory Committee made up of federal judges,...more
Here’s an interesting read: LaTasha Tennial v. REI Nation, LLC, No. 20-5358, — F.3d —-, 2020 WL 6304352 (6th Cir. Oct. 28, 2020). After a lengthy analysis of prior cases, all of which held that Bankruptcy Rule...more
On Friday August 7th, the NAACP filed a motion to intervene in the chapter 11 bankruptcy cases of Purdue Pharma L.P. and its affiliated debtors (collectively, “Debtors”). The Motion argues that “[i]ntervention is warranted...more
When a debtor files for bankruptcy, the Bankruptcy Code provides for an automatic stay of almost all proceedings to recover property from the debtor. See 11 U.S.C. § 362(a). A party in interest can seek an order exempting...more
Judge Martin Glenn last week issued a decision in two related chapter 15 cases, In re Foreign Econ. Indus. Bank Ltd. “Vneshprombank” Ltd., No. 16-13534, and In re Larisa Markus, No. 19-10096, 2019 Bankr. LEXIS 3203 (Bankr....more
The Bankruptcy Code creates a rebuttable presumption that a proof of claim is prima facie evidence of the claim's validity and amount. Courts disagree, however, over whether that presumption also applies in a proceeding to...more
Rule 23 gains a toehold in certain bankruptcy proceedings. Generally impermissible until 1987, class action proofs of claim have increasingly been used by class creditors to their advantage. ...more
In the wake of scandal-driven bankruptcies filed by nearly 20 U.S. Roman Catholic dioceses and religious orders, scrutiny has been increasingly brought to bear on the benefits and burdens that federal bankruptcy laws offer to...more
Garrison Keillor once said, “Sometimes I look reality straight in the eye and deny it.”[1] Being that the case arose in Minnesota, perhaps Circuit Judge Michael Melloy channeled Keillor, one of that state’s great humorists,...more
The Delaware Bankruptcy Court recently held, in Stanley Jacobs Prod., Ltd. v. 9472541 Can. Inc. (In re Thane Int'l, Inc.), No. 17-50476 (KG), 2018 Bankr. LEXIS 464 (Bankr. D. Del. Feb. 21, 2018), that a debtor must file a...more
On December 1, 2016, something extraordinary happened. No, it was not president-elect Trump visiting another Carrier air conditioning factory in Indianapolis. It was an event that made no headlines and caused no stir. The...more
Last month, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York proposed amendments to its local rules. Although the amendments are not sweeping, they include some very important updates and tweaks to...more