Recent Tenth Circuit Decision in John Q Hammons Fall Following SCOTUS’ Decision in Siegel v. Fitzgerald Could Result in Significant Refunds for Certain Chapter 11 Debtors
The Constitutionality of Increased Trustee Fees In Bankruptcy
When a company files for bankruptcy, it can be an unsettling time for the company's employees who may worry about job and financial security, including unpaid wages and employee benefits. While these concerns are legitimate,...more
Section 363(f)(5) of the Bankruptcy Code allows a bankruptcy trustee to sell estate property free and clear of any competing interest in the property (such as a lien or other security interest) if the interest holder "could...more
When bankruptcy courts and state courts vie for authority in complex financial disputes, the outcome can reshape recoveries for creditors, investors, and businesses. This tension was front and center in Silverman v....more
The United States Supreme Court has held that the sovereign immunity waiver in Section 106(a) of the Bankruptcy Code does not extend to state law claims “nested” within a Section 544(b) claim for relief, depriving bankruptcy...more
Bankruptcy trustees and chapter 11 debtors-in-possession ("DIPs") frequently seek to avoid fraudulent transfers and obligations under section 544(b) of the Bankruptcy Code and state fraudulent transfer or other applicable...more
The Supreme Court recently issued an opinion, resolving a circuit split, narrowing the sovereign immunity exception by limiting a trustee’s ability to pursue avoidance actions against the government when such action invokes...more
Section 106(a) Doesn’t Waive Sovereign Immunity for State-Law-Based Section 544(b) Claims - The U.S. Supreme Court has significantly curtailed bankruptcy trustees’ powers in United States v. Miller, 145 S. Ct. 839 (2025). In...more
On March 26, 2025, the United States Supreme Court decided United States v. Miller, No. 23-824, resolving a circuit split and holding that in an action brought under § 544(b) of the bankruptcy code, § 106(a)’s sovereign...more
Chapter 11 plans contain various releases – some in favor of the debtor and some in favor of certain nondebtor third parties. While creditors are bound by a Chapter 11 discharge, they have options for dealing with a plan's...more
Bankruptcy debtors have special rights in contracts or leases where both parties have outstanding obligations, known in legal terms as “executory contracts” or “unexpired leases”. If you are doing business with a company that...more
In one of the most publicized terms for the U.S. Supreme Court, one June decision has not received the attention it deserves: Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Gypsum Company Inc. Truck upends decades of Chapter 11...more
It has been approximately two months since the highly anticipated Supreme Court decision in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma L.P., and it is already making a significant impact in bankruptcies around the country. In September...more
The U.S. Supreme Court handed down three bankruptcy rulings to finish the current Term. The decisions address the validity of nonconsensual third-party releases in chapter 11 plans, the standing of insurance companies to...more
To encourage vendors and other creditors to continue doing business with financially distressed entities, the Bankruptcy Code includes various defenses to litigation brought by a bankruptcy trustee or chapter 11...more
Section 546(e) of the Bankruptcy Code's "safe harbor" preventing avoidance in bankruptcy of certain securities, commodity, or forward-contract payments has long been a magnet for controversy. Several noteworthy court rulings...more
As previously discussed and anticipated in prior blog posts, the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Siegel v. Fitzgerald, 596 U.S. 464, 142 S.Ct. 1770, 213 L.Ed.2d 39 (2022), which struck down as unconstitutional the...more
When considering how to make a substantial gift to a charitable corporation, one should not rule out making it indirectly via assignment to an independent trustee. First, an independent trusteeship facilitates proper asset...more
A recent decision by the North Carolina Business Court highlights the risks of interfering with property that is part of a receivership estate. The North Carolina Commercial Receivership Act celebrated its three-year...more
A recent ruling from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit provides additional comfort for lenders receiving full repayment in connection with leveraged acquisitions. The U.S. Bankruptcy Code gives...more
On 31 October 2023, Federal Law Decree No. (51) concerning Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy (the New Law) was published in the UAE Federal Gazette. The New Law comes into force on 1 May 2024 and will repeal the 2016 Law...more
California’s cannabis industry continues to struggle in this seemingly unending shake out period. Namely, hundreds of licensed cannabis companies are getting stiffed on A/R with an overwhelming inability to collect as those...more
In Mann v. LSQ Funding Group, L.C., 71 F.4th 640 (7th Cir. 2023), reh'g denied, 2023 WL 4684702 (7th Cir. July 21, 2023), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the entry of summary judgment by a Wisconsin...more
The United States Trustee Program is responsible for the efficient administration of bankruptcy cases throughout most of the country. Since 1986, the Trustee Program has covered all states except North Carolina and Alabama,...more
Section 544(b)(1) of the Bankruptcy Code enables a trustee to step into the shoes of a creditor and avoid a transfer “of an interest of the debtor in property” that an unsecured creditor could avoid under applicable state...more
We have blogged a few times about the Supreme Court’s decision in Siegel v. Fitzgerald and its implications. In Siegel, the Supreme Court invalidated the disparity in debtor-paid fees prevailing in most of 2018 between the 88...more