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“… [P]ayments owed to a shareholder by a bankrupt debtor, which are not quite dividends but which certainly look a lot like dividends, should be treated like the equity interests of a shareholder and subordinated to claims by creditors of the debtor,” held the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Sept. 3, 2019. In re Linn Energy, LLC, 2019 WL 4149481 (5th Cir. Sept. 3, 2019). According to the court, subordination of a purported creditor’s claims “was appropriate” when “deemed dividends gave the [creditor] benefits normally reserved for equity investors.” Affirming the lower courts, the Fifth Circuit found the creditor-shareholder’s claim to be for “damages” involving “securities,” “aris[ing] from” a “purchase or sale,” and having a “nexus with those securities.” Because the estate had “limited assets,” the “subordination order effectively gutted the [creditor-shareholder’s] chances to receive any money.” Id. at 2.
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Seventh Circuit Applies Safe Harbor to Private Securities Transaction
By Michael L. Cook
“… [T]he term ‘securities contract’ as used in [Bankruptcy Code] §546(e) unambiguously includes contracts involving privately held securities,” The Seventh Circuit held in Petr v. BMO Harris Bank, N.A.
By Lawrence J. Kotler and Elisa Hyder
In Lafferty v. Off-Spec Solutions, the U.S. Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Ninth Circuit held that the discharge exceptions under Section 523(a) do not apply to corporate debtors under Subchapter V of Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code.
Merchant Cash Advances Could Be More Trouble Than They’re Worth
By Joseph Pack and Jessey Krehl
As small-business owners have continued to struggle in an uncertain economy, a growing number have begun the dangerous practice of relying on merchant cash advances — essentially seeking financial shelter in a lion’s den.
Biotech Industry Bankruptcy Case Update: ‘Zymergen’ and ‘Humanigen’
By Edward E. Neiger, Marianna Udem and Joo Hee Park
This Bankruptcy Case Update focuses on the recent biotech industry bankruptcy cases of Zymergen and Humanigen.