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The Bankruptcy StrategistFeaturesBankruptcyLitigation

Evolution of Pre-Bankruptcy Planning Raises Questions of Good Faith

By Andrew C. Kassner and Joseph N. Argentina Jr.
August 01, 2023

Ever since the enactment of the Bankruptcy Code decades ago, bankruptcy courts have had to address the threshold question of whether the debtor should be allowed to utilize the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code. In the early years, this issue of whether the bankruptcy case was filed in "good faith" usually involved a solvent or insolvent debtor that was embroiled in a two-party dispute and filed the case as a litigation tactic to stop the litigation. Later cases often involved a solvent debtor with many parties in litigation, and courts reviewed whether the debtor had a legitimate bankruptcy purpose or was under financial distress other than the present ability to pay bills as they matured or balance statement insolvency.

In recent years, as extensive pre-bankruptcy planning has evolved, bankruptcy filings frequently involve affiliates of larger companies, engineered with a structuring of liabilities in mind. This is especially relevant in the area of mass tort litigation. The question of whether these targeted filings are for a legitimate bankruptcy purpose or should be dismissed has been the subject of significant high-profile litigation.

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