Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%
Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.
True Lease or Secured Financing?
In the Chapter 11 context, it is common for interested parties to challenge the characterization of a Chapter 11 debtor's obligations under an agreement styled as a lease. See In re APB Online, Inc., 259 B.R. 812, 815 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2001). A Bankruptcy Court's determination as to whether a transaction is a “true” lease or a secured financing can have far-reaching consequences on the administration of a debtor's Chapter 11 case and the respective rights of each party to the agreement. As the recent decision by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Duke Energy Royal, LLC v. Pillowtex Corp. (In re Pillowtex, Inc.), 349 F.3d 711 (3d Cir. 2003) illustrates, when faced with the question of whether a transaction constitutes a “true” lease or a secured financing, bankruptcy courts will look beyond the form to the substance of the parties' agreement.
In Pillowtex, the Third Circuit recharacterized as a secured financing transaction a transaction intended by both parties to be an equipment lease. The decision highlights the risk to equipment lessors in the Chapter 11 context if they do not 1) retain (as a matter of form) an economically meaningful “residual value” in the leased property, and 2) expect (as a matter of substance) to be economically motivated at the end of the lease term to take possession of the property in order to recover the residual value of such leased property.
This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only
ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCESS TO THE SINGLE SOURCE OF OBJECTIVE LEGAL ANALYSIS, PRACTICAL INSIGHTS, AND NEWS IN ENTERTAINMENT LAW.
- Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
- Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
- Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts
Already a have an account? Sign In Now Log In Now
For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
Judge Rules Shaquille O'Neal Will Face Securities Lawsuit for Promotion, Sale of NFTs
A federal district court in Miami, FL, has ruled that former National Basketball Association star Shaquille O'Neal will have to face a lawsuit over his promotion of unregistered securities in the form of cryptocurrency tokens and that he was a "seller" of these unregistered securities.
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It
Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?
Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand Owners
Blockchain domain names offer decentralized alternatives to traditional DNS-based domain names, promising enhanced security, privacy and censorship resistance. However, these benefits come with significant challenges, particularly for brand owners seeking to protect their trademarks in these new digital spaces.
Coverage Issues Stemming from Dry Cleaner Contamination Suits
In recent years, there has been a growing number of dry cleaners claiming to be "organic," "green," or "eco-friendly." While that may be true with respect to some, many dry cleaners continue to use a cleaning method involving the use of a solvent called perchloroethylene, commonly known as perc. And, there seems to be an increasing number of lawsuits stemming from environmental problems associated with historic dry cleaning operations utilizing this chemical.