An appeals court has issued an insightful decision on the availability of damages when an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed in bad faith. See Stursberg v. Morrison Sund PLLC, No. 23-1186, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 20286...more
An assignment for the benefit of creditors (ABC) is a process by which a financially distressed company (referred to as the assignor) transfers its assets to a third-party fiduciary (referred to as the assignee). The assignee...more
In most bankruptcies, the company decides to file for relief. In involuntary bankruptcies, creditors force the company into bankruptcy. Involuntary petitions are an extreme remedy, and therefore the requirements and standards...more
One of the requirements for an involuntary filing is that the creditors seeking relief (referred to as “petitioning creditors”) must each have a claim that is not subject to a “bona fide dispute as to liability or amount.”...more
Section 303(i) of the Bankruptcy Code authorizes the court to award the debtor sanctions on account of an improper filing of an involuntary petition against it. But can a non-debtor third-party obtain such a relief? Yes, says...more
For both debtors and creditors, the numbers are important in a bankruptcy proceeding. The Judicial Conference of the United States has announced that certain dollar amounts and dollar limitations in the U.S. Bankruptcy Code...more
Trying to collect money from someone who cannot or will not pay you is frustrating. That old chestnut about throwing good money after bad comes to mind. Placing an individual or firm (your “debtor”) into bankruptcy is a...more
Under the "single-satisfaction rule," although a bankruptcy trustee or a chapter 11 debtor-in-possession ("DIP") may seek to avoid and recover avoidable transfers of a debtor's property from more than one transferee, the...more
Section 303 of the Bankruptcy Code allows creditors to initiate an involuntary bankruptcy case against a debtor. The petition initiating the case must be filed by creditors holding claims aggregating to at least $10,000, and...more
In 1930, Clarence Bennett’s wealthy uncle died. He left behind shares in Berry Holding Company ("BHC") that were subdivided into three groups. Bennett was the beneficiary of dividends paid out of one of these groups and, for...more
On April 24, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (the “First Circuit”) issued an opinion in the case of Popular Auto, Inc. v. Reyes-Colon (In re Reyes-Colon), Nos. 17-1971-72, 2019 WL 1785039 (1st Cir. Apr....more
On November 8, 2018, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the “Bankruptcy Court”) issued a decision dismissing an involuntary chapter 11 case filed against Taberna Preferred Funding IV,...more
The Bottom Line - The Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York recently held in Taberna Preferred Funding IV, Ltd. v. Opportunities II Ltd. (In re Taberna Preferred Funding IV, Ltd.), No. 17-11628 (MKV),...more
If you have ever been a creditor concerned about a debtor not paying debts as they become due or paying other creditors while ignoring your demands, then forcing the debtor into an involuntarily bankruptcy may be an option....more
We generally advise clients to think carefully before commencing an involuntary bankruptcy petition against an alleged debtor. One of the primary reasons for our caution is section 303(i) of the Bankruptcy Code, which...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
Creditors often think that an involuntary bankruptcy petition is a great bargaining chip when faced with a recalcitrant debtor. However, the actual filing of an involuntary bankruptcy petition (when that petition is filed in...more
The Bottom Line: The Eighth Circuit affirmed the District Court of Minnesota and the Bankruptcy Court in holding that section 303(a) of the Bankruptcy Code prohibits the substantive consolidation of non-debtor non-profit...more
The Nevada District Court recently held, in Mont. Dept. of Revenue v. Blixseth, No. 13-cv-01324-JAD, 2017 WL 6417632 (D. Nev. 15, 2017), that a creditor must have a fully undisputed claim to be a “qualified creditor” that may...more
Section 303(b)(1) of the Bankruptcy Code generally requires three petitioning creditors to join an involuntary petition, each of which must hold claims against the debtor that are not contingent as to liability and are not...more
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York recently addressed whether secured noteholders against a CDO can waive their entitlement to a portion of the collateral securing all notes issued under an...more
Cross-border debtors gain another tool to use against dissident creditors seeking to disrupt foreign restructuring proceedings. Introduction - In In re Ocean Rig UDW Inc., et al., Case No. 17-10736, a creditor...more
Involuntary bankruptcy is an underused but potentially powerful tool in the Bankruptcy playbook. Although the process to initiate an involuntary case is relatively straightforward (and has been largely unchanged for...more