On April 19, 2023, Justice Ketangi Brown Jackson, writing for a unanimous Court in MOAC Mall Holdings LLC v. Transform Holdco LLC et.al., 598 U.S. ___ 143 S. Ct. 927 (2023), held that Bankruptcy Code section 363(m) is not...more
In August 1992, the largest indoor shopping mall in the continental United States opened to great fanfare in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dubbed the Mall of America (MOA), this sprawling retail center enjoyed 330 stores,...more
Section 363(m) of the Bankruptcy Code is one of the most important and well-known statutes to bankruptcy practitioners. This section of the Bankruptcy Code protects a good faith asset purchaser who purchases assets from a...more
In an opinion dated Feb. 27, 2020, Judge Colleen McMahon of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York reversed the decision of the bankruptcy court that had granted Sears the right to assign its...more
A recent decision from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (the District Court) in the bankruptcy cases of Sears Holdings Corp. may loom large in a day and age when shopping mall operators...more
In general, a trustee or debtor in possession may assign a lease if it cures any monetary defaults and provides adequate assurance of future performance by the proposed assignee. If the lease is for space in a shopping...more
Many leases for commercial property contain an express covenant of “quiet enjoyment,” which typically provides that the property owner may not interfere with the tenant’s use and occupancy of the property so long as the...more
The last several years have been treacherous for the retail sector. Changing shopping patterns and shifting demographics have led some commentators to declare that the (retail) apocalypse is upon us. ...more
Sears Roebuck and Co. (Sears) entered a 40-year lease with Century III Mall, PA., LLC (“Century III Mall”), whereby Sears agreed to maintain an anchor store at the Century III Mall. ...more
Farrell Fritz Attorney Patrick Collins was quoted in this Long Island Business News Article. The parade of retailers filing for bankruptcy marches on as consumer shopping habits continue to evolve and e-commerce keeps...more
Sears (Sears Holdings Corporation) filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 in the Southern District of New York on Monday. ...more
On June 22, Sears Canada Inc. ("Sears Canada") and certain affiliates1 (collectively, the "Sears Canada Group") sought and obtained insolvency protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) from the Ontario...more
It’s no secret that Kmart is facing another liquidity crisis. Just over ten years after Sears rescued the discount retailer from bankruptcy in 2006, the pioneer of the “blue light special” is destined for another, and...more
Several major retailers and restaurant chains have recently engaged in a variety of transactions to spin off their real estate and lease it back. Retailers and restaurants are suddenly doing them, or considering them, at an...more