Consensual Third-Party Releases
Third-party releases may no longer provide a shield to owners and directors of a reorganized company. Still, a New York bankruptcy court recently paved the way for another constructive solution for the individual owner of a...more
David Conaway reports on a recent Chapter 11 plan of reorganization submitted by Purdue Pharma (Oxycontin) to resolve a mass tort claim. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is having difficulty swallowing the...more
In March 2022, we discussed the decision by the Southern District of New York (the “District Court”) overturning the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York’s (the “Bankruptcy Court”) confirmation of...more
The Sixth Circuit’s recent decision in Digital Media Solutions v. South Univ. of Ohio, 59 F.4th 772 (6th Cir. 2023) provides a cautionary tale about the limitations of federal equity receiverships as a restructuring tool. It...more
Third-party release provisions are a common feature of almost every chapter 11 plan in large bankruptcy cases. Despite this, there has long been a split among bankruptcy courts and Circuit Courts of Appeal on the scope and...more
The ability of a chapter 11 going-concern debtor to be discharged from its prepetition liabilities is common place and not controversial. 11 U.S.C. § 1141(d). However, the ability of a debtor to release third-party...more
Key bankruptcy issues, including the propriety of third-party releases and the so-called "Texas Two-Step," as well as determination of proper case venue, have recently drawn the attention of mainstream media, the public at...more
Two recent decisions by U.S. District Courts have rejected attempts to include nonconsensual third party releases in chapter 11 reorganization plans. These rulings suggest third party releases may be facing increasing push...more
When the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, the foundation on which the current Bankruptcy Code is constructed, was enacted, bankruptcy cases customarily involved a debtor addressing claims only against it. Consistent with that...more
The Ninth Circuit, in Blixseth v. Credit Suisse, 961 F.3d 1074, 1078 (9th Cir. 2020), issued a significant decision on the issue of whether nonconsensual third-party releases are ever permitted in Chapter 11 plans....more
Despite political and economic uncertainties, markets and deal activity were resilient in 2019, and strong fundamentals remain in place heading into 2020. Companies continue to face a challenging litigation and enforcement...more
A survey of recent rulings by judges from the bankruptcy courts for the Southern District of New York and the District of Delaware suggests that judges in these districts have very different views about the nature and extent...more
A series of decisions over the past year — on issues such as make-whole premiums, intercreditor agreements, backstops for rights offerings and nonconsensual third-party releases — will likely have a significant impact in 2020...more
Whether because of, or in spite of, the proliferating case law it is hard to say, but the issues in, underlying and surrounding third-party releases in Chapter 11 plans just continue to arise with incessant regularity, albeit...more
Officers and directors work hard to shepherd their company through bankruptcy. But, even after all that hard work, creditors can still turn around and sue them individually for alleged acts prior to the bankruptcy....more
Judge Martin Glenn granted recognition to a UK scheme of arrangement with third-party releases that lacked full creditor consent. In re Avanti Communs. Grp., PLC, No. 18-10458, 2018 Bankr. LEXIS 1078 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Apr. 9,...more
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Gross sitting in Delaware recently approved J.G. Wentworth’s (the “Debtor’s”) Chapter 11 plan after overruling an objection from the U.S. Trustee regarding third-party releases. The Debtor’s...more
In In re Millennium Lab Holdings II, LLC, 2017 BL 354864 (Bankr. D. Del. Oct. 3, 2017), the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware ruled that it had the constitutional authority to grant nonconsensual third-party...more
A recent decision of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York provides important guidance on the limits of nonconsensual third-party releases in the Second Circuit. SunEdison, Inc. sought...more
In a recent decision by the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, the court adopted a flexible approach to consensual third party releases in a plan of reorganization. In In re Indianapolis Downs, LLC, 2013 Bankr....more