News & Analysis as of

Commercial Bankruptcy Contract Terms

Troutman Pepper Locke

What Happens to Employment Agreements and Noncompete Agreements in Bankruptcy? - Creditor’s Rights Toolkit

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An employer’s bankruptcy filing can significantly impact an employee’s agreements with the debtor. While a reorganizing debtor may agree to continue honoring its obligations under employment agreements, the Bankruptcy Code...more

Patton Sullivan Brodehl LLP

Bankruptcy Property Deal Devolves Into Mess of Contract and Fiduciary Duty Claims

The bankruptcy process is often straightforward: the debtor’s debts are discharged, creditors take a haircut of varying degrees, and life moves on.  But some bankruptcy proceedings give birth to complicated agreements that...more

Jones Day

Avianca: Second Court Adopts "Billing Date" Approach to Timely Performance of Unexpired Commercial Personal Property Leases in...

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In 1984 and 1994, Congress amended the Bankruptcy Code to add protections for commercial real property and equipment lessors. Those provisions—sections 365(d)(3) and section 365(d)(5), respectively—generally require a...more

Latham & Watkins LLP

Can Lenders Stay in the Driver’s Seat? The Enforceability of Make-Whole Premiums in Bankruptcy

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Borrowers and lenders must both be aware of the risks relating to uncertainty regarding make-whole premiums in bankruptcy. The enforceability of “make-whole” premiums in bankruptcy has become a hotly contested issue in...more

Goulston & Storrs PC

Rethinking Liability Management in Club Deals and Direct Lending: Lessons from the Fifth Circuit’s Serta Ruling and Beyond

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On December 31, 2024, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (the “Court”) struck down the controversial 2020 “uptier transaction” executed by Serta Simmons Bedding (“Serta”). The Serta case and several other state court and...more

Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP

Preference pitfalls for Merchant Cash Advances—Lessons from the Southern District of New York

Merchant cash advance (MCA) funding provides a quick, “non loan” alternative for small businesses desiring to access additional capital, and its use has become prevalent in the last decade. Given the speed at which MCA...more

Lathrop GPM

Bankruptcy Court Refuses to Enforce Pre-Petition Waiver of the Automatic Stay

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A recent decision by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Illinois underscores that creditors must exercise caution in relying on pre-petition waivers of the automatic stay in collection actions. ...more

Mayer Brown

Serta and Mitel: The Latest Major Court Decisions on Uptier Transactions

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Summary: On December 31, 2024, two major appellate court decisions addressed the legality of uptier financing transactions—one involving Serta Simmons Bedding (“Serta”) and the other Mitel Networks Corporation (“Mitel”). Both...more

Jones Day

Chapter 11 Filing Without Consent of Independent Director Dismissed as Unauthorized

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Courts disagree over whether provisions in a borrower's organizational documents or loan agreements designed to restrict or prevent the borrower from filing for bankruptcy are enforceable as a matter of federal public policy...more

Jones Day

Delaware Bankruptcy Court: Applying Credit Pressure on Financially Distressed Debtor Scuttles Ordinary Course Payment Preference...

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The power of a bankruptcy trustee or chapter 11 debtor-in-possession ("DIP") to avoid pre-bankruptcy preferential transfers is an important tool designed to promote the bankruptcy policy of equality of distribution and to...more

WilmerHale

Serta’s (Un)Surprising Take on Equitable Mootness

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In its New Year’s Eve decision in Serta Simmons Bedding, the Fifth Circuit underscored the importance of drafting debt documents with clarity and precision and cautioned against borrowers’ reliance on ambiguous language to...more

Clark Hill PLC

How Bankruptcy Courts Interpret Intercreditor Agreements: The Uncertainty of Judicial Perspective

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Intercreditor Agreements typically are contractual arrangements among lenders of similar or differing priorities to a single borrower secured by the assets of the borrower, often including real estate assets. These multiple...more

Rivkin Radler LLP

2nd Circuit Refuses to Enforce Insurance Policy’s Arbitration Provision

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A Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals decision refused an attempt to expand the scope of an insurance policy’s arbitration provision, creating the need for extra caution when interpreting policies. In Ehrenberg v. Allied...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

The Impact of In re 301 W N. Ave., LLC on the Enforcement of Bankruptcy-Remote Protections

Executive Summary - The recent decision In re 301 W N. Ave., LLC, 666 B.R. 583 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 2025) represents a significant development at the intersection of corporate governance, commercial real estate, and...more

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Make-Whole Premiums in Bankruptcy: Clarity in Drafting, Certainty in Recovery

In the world of commercial lending, certain contract provisions often go unnoticed—until the moment they matter most. Make-whole premiums are one such example. Typically tucked deep in loan agreements, these provisions are...more

Jones Day

Uptiers in 2025: Impact of the Serta and Mitel Decisions on Liability Management Exercises

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Late last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York issued important rulings regarding the validity of uptier “liability management...more

Proskauer Rose LLP

Enforceability of Golden Directors with Bankruptcy Consent Right

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The appointment of an independent director is a powerful tool for private credit lenders. The appointment is designed to introduce a voice of neutrality and fairness into the board’s decision-making process with the hope and...more

Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP

Recent ruling provides guidance on 363 asset sales

On February 12, 2025, the US District Court for the District of Delaware issued a significant ruling in the case of HE, Inc. v. Avadim Holdings Inc. and Relion Holdings LLC. This decision arose from the Chapter 11 bankruptcy...more

Stark & Stark

4 Lease Auction Tips for Landlords

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During a retail bankruptcy, commercial landlords often face challenges when their tenants try to maximize the value of the bankrupt estate by holding lease auctions. Despite lease provisions that may restrict or prohibit a...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

What Every Multinational Company Should Know About … Managing Import Risks Under the New Trump Administration (Part IV):...

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In an increasingly volatile global economy, suppliers and buyers face unforeseen challenges that may impact their ability to perform under commercial contracts. Longstanding assumptions about the level of tariffs, even under...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Latest Uptier Decisions in Serta and Mitel Remind Contract Language Matters

The caselaw on “uptiers” as liability management exercises (LMEs) grew by two opinions on the last day of 2024. In Serta, the Fifth Circuit reversed the bankruptcy court’s blessing of the pre-bankruptcy uptier and...more

Holland & Knight LLP

A Tale of 2 Rulings: Serta, Mitel Cases Remind Why Contract Language Matters in Debt Documents

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A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has unanimously held that the debt exchange undertaken by Serta Simmons Bedding did not qualify as an "open market purchase" under the terms of Serta's...more

Walkers

Jersey Company Law Series: Migration / Continuation – Moving companies to and from Jersey

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Effects of a company migration into - Jersey Steps to migrate a company out of Jersey...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Retail Reboot: Common Mistakes to Avoid When Evicting Tenants

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When managing commercial real estate, landlords must navigate a complex array of legal, financial and operational challenges to protect their investments and ensure smooth tenant relationships. However, a series of common...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Are the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Provisions in My Contract Enforceable? - Creditor’s Rights Toolkit

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Parties often include bankruptcy and insolvency provisions in their agreements to protect themselves should the contract counterparty file for bankruptcy or take other insolvency-related steps. While many of these provisions...more

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