Last year, we discussed a decision by Judge Sean Lane of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York concerning section 109(a) of the Bankruptcy Code. In a recent cross-border case, In re PT...more
5/31/2019
/ Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 15 ,
Choice-of-Law ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Creditors ,
Cross-Border ,
Debt Restructuring ,
Debtors ,
Eligibility ,
Filing Requirements ,
Forum Selection ,
Noteholders
Two weeks ago, we discussed asset sales under Bankruptcy Code section 363. As that post noted, section 363 requires court approval for asset sales outside the ordinary course of business, with courts ensuring that sales...more
5/6/2019
/ 363 Sales ,
Appeals ,
Auction ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Breach of Contract ,
Chapter 11 ,
Chapter 7 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Creditors ,
Debtors ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Private Sales ,
Sale of Assets ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Trustees
We now address assets sales under Bankruptcy Code section 363. The statute allows debtors to use, sell, or lease their property in the ordinary course of business without court permission. But a debtor’s use, sale, or lease...more
4/17/2019
/ 363 Sales ,
Approval Requirements ,
Auction ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Commercial Leases ,
Debtors ,
Private Sales ,
Public Bidding ,
Sale of Assets
It’s time for a primer on the Wagoner rule and the in pari delicto defense, two concepts that arise when a debtor’s fraud leads to bankruptcy. Trustees who replace a debtor’s management often sue those involved in the...more
Fraudulent transfer law allows creditors and bankruptcy trustees, under certain circumstances, to sue transferees to recover funds received where a debtor’s transfers to the transferees actually or constructively defrauded...more
Started as a mail-order retailer, evolved to brick-and-mortar stores in urban areas and expanded to a big-box retailer through merger, Sears is now facing the most turbulent time in its history. On October 15, 2018, Sears...more
10/24/2018
/ Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Debt Financing ,
Debt Restructuring ,
Debtors ,
Debtors-in-Possession ,
Lenders ,
Liquidity ,
Retailers ,
Sears
The Third Circuit denied a $275 million break-up fee to a bidder that was unsuccessful in its attempt to buy the crown-jewel assets in the high-profile EFH bankruptcy case. In re Energy Future Holdings Corp., No 18-1109, 2018...more
Bankruptcy plans often include provisions releasing debtors and their officers and directors from certain potential liability. In Zardinovsky v. Arctic Glacier Income Fund, No. 17-2522 (3d Cir. Aug. 20, 2018), the United...more
The Bankruptcy Court in Delaware recently denied a request for an administrative expense claim to an entity that tried but failed to buy a debtor’s key assets. The decision arises out of the first of three attempts by...more
8/9/2018
/ Administrative Expenses ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Competitive Bidding ,
Contribution Claims ,
Creditors ,
Debtors ,
Merger Agreements ,
Purchasers
An accounting firm in the United States must produce workpapers to a chapter 15 foreign representative even if the law where the foreign main proceeding is pending would not permit such production. CohnReznick LLP v. Foreign...more
On June 4, the Supreme Court decided Lamar, Archer & Cofrin, LLP v. Appling, No. 16-1215, in a unanimous opinion by Justice Sotomayor. The Court affirmed the Eleventh Circuit and resolved a circuit split about the meaning of...more
6/15/2018
/ Adversary Proceedings ,
Appeals ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Business Assets ,
Chapter 7 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Congressional Intent ,
Debtors ,
Dischargeable Debts ,
False Statements ,
Judgment Creditors ,
Lamar Archer & Cofrin LLP v Appling ,
Oral Communications ,
Reaffirmation ,
SCOTUS ,
Tax Returns
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
6/5/2018
/ Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 15 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Consent ,
Creditors ,
Debtors ,
Enforcement ,
Scheme of Arrangement ,
Third-Party Release Agrements ,
UK
In a recent decision, In re B.C.I Fins. Pty Ltd. (In Liquidation), No. 17-11266, 2018 Bankr. LEXIS 1217 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Apr. 24, 2018), Judge Sean Lane granted a chapter 15 petition after rejecting a challenge to...more
5/18/2018
/ Australia ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Breach of Duty ,
Chapter 15 ,
Choice-of-Law ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Creditors ,
Debtors ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Intercompany Transactions ,
Jurisdiction ,
Liquidation
Section 544 of the Bankruptcy Code permits a bankruptcy trustee to avoid any transfer that would be avoidable by creditors under state fraudulent transfer law. Section 550 of the Bankruptcy Code permits the bankruptcy trustee...more
The Bankruptcy Code provides for the appointment of a creditors’ committee in chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. See 11 U.S.C. § 1102. There is no parallel provision applicable to chapter 7 cases. When a bankruptcy case is...more
3/30/2018
/ Appeals ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Bylaws ,
Chapter 11 ,
Chapter 7 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Corporate Dissolution ,
Creditors ,
Czyzewski v Jevic Holding Corp ,
Debtors ,
Due Process ,
Settlement ,
Transfer of Rights ,
Trustees
This post reviews some concepts concerning executory contracts. The ground covered will be familiar to insolvency experts and should be insightful for readers who don’t specialize in U.S. bankruptcy law.
The springboard...more
3/21/2018
/ Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Business Ownership ,
Business Transfer Agreements ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Debtors ,
Executory Contracts ,
Insolvency ,
Non-Disparagement Provisions ,
Settlement Agreements
In U.S. Bank Nat'l Ass'n v. Village at Lakeridge, LLC, No. 15-1509, 2018 U.S. LEXIS 1520 (Mar. 5, 2018), the Supreme Court analyzed the appropriate standard of review for appellate courts reviewing a bankruptcy court’s...more
3/15/2018
/ Appellate Review ,
Arms Length Transactions ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
Chapter 11 ,
Clear Error Standard ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Cramdown ,
De Novo Standard of Review ,
Debtor-Creditor ,
Non-Statutory Insider Status ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reorganizations ,
SCOTUS ,
US Bank National Association v Village at Lakeridge
The Second Circuit recently issued an important decision on a “related to” jurisdiction case arising out of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. SPV Osus, Ltd. v. UBS AG, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 3088 (2d Cir. Feb. 9, 2018).
SPV...more
In this post, we return to cross-border insolvencies and examine one of the first decisions issued in 2018 by a bankruptcy court in a chapter 15 case: In re Energy Coal S.P.A., No. 15-12048 (LSS), 2018 Bankr. LEXIS 10 (Bankr....more
1/9/2018
/ Bankruptcy Code ,
Chapter 15 ,
Choice-of-Law ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Creditors ,
Cross-Border ,
Debtors ,
Foreign Debt ,
Insolvency ,
Italy ,
Venue
This post examines an interesting intersection between bankruptcy and tax laws: if a corporation terminates its Subchapter S status pre-bankruptcy, can a bankruptcy trustee bring fraudulent transfer claims against the...more
12/14/2017
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
C-Corporation ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Creditors ,
Debtors ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraudulent Transfers ,
Involuntary Liquidation ,
S-Corporation ,
Shareholders ,
Split of Authority ,
Tax Refunds
The Great Recession, which began in December 2007 and officially ended in September 2009, has been especially hard on U.S. retailers, and its impact likely will be felt for many more years. Retailers sustained record-breaking...more
Equitable mootness is a judge-made remedy that is misnamed. Judges apply it to seek an equitable result, but mootness in the constitutional sense is absent.
Article III, section 2 of the U.S. Constitution bars federal...more
In the Second U.S. Circuit, the so-called Wagoner rule deprives a trustee of standing to sue third parties, such as lawyers and investment bankers, if the bankrupt corporation participated with them in defrauding creditors. A...more