Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

The Queen Is Dead, Long Live the Queen?

By Yitzhak Greenberg
November 01, 2016

The automatic stay of 11 U.S.C. § 362 is one of the most important principles of bankruptcy law. It provides crucial breathing space for the debtor to reorganize or liquidate, and avoids the piecemeal dismemberment of the estate's assets. Among other things, it stays “the commencement or continuation … of a judicial, administrative, or other action or proceeding against the debtor that was or could have been commenced before the commencement of the case under this title.” While the scope of the automatic stay's protection is broad, it is generally limited to a debtor.

However, in rare instances, courts have extended stay protection to non-debtors through 11 USC § 105. This is considered extraordinary relief reserved for unusual circumstances, and may be analogized to the inherent power of federal courts under their general equity powers. The high burden to grant this extraordinary equitable relief includes: 1) “danger of imminent, irreparable harm”; 2) “reasonable likelihood of a successful reorganization”; 3) “balancing the relative harm as between the debtor and the creditor”; and 4) “balancing of the public interest in successful bankruptcy reorganizations with competing societal interests.” In re SDNY 19 Mad Park, LLC, 2014 WL 4473873, at *3 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2014).

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • 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

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

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?

Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

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.

The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.

Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent Trolls Image

With trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.