A bankruptcy court properly held that derivative claims based on "piercing the corporate veil theory of liability [were] released under" a confirmed reorganization plan, but that direct "claims for negligent undertaking" were not released and "could be asserted" in state court against the debtors' equity sponsors.
A big issue in real estate and retail bankruptcies, among others, involves the disposition of commercial real estate leases, given the potential magnitude of landlord damage claims under state law resulting from a tenant's default under a long-term lease.
The equity owner asserted that the confirmation order previously entered by the court should be revoked based on the equity owner's claim that value was lost due to improper sale and marketing efforts by the debtors and its professionals both pre- and post-bankruptcy and, as such, they should have been "in the money" and entitled to a distribution under the confirmed plan.
One of the major catalysts of the "Crypto Winter" that began in 2022 was the collapse of Terraform Labs's native token LUNA in May 2022. Now two years and a dozen crypto-related bankruptcies later, Terraform Labs has filed for Chapter 11 protection.
With the establishment of a specialized Bankruptcy Court and a dedicated Bankruptcy Unit, the introduction of preventive settlements, more flexible restructuring proceedings, and the expansion of potential liability, among other things, the new legislation is set to reshape the approach of law firms.
New federal legislation proposes sweeping changes to how bankruptcy courts handle child sexual abuse claims in Chapter 11 proceedings, with supporters claiming the process has become a way for debtors to silence victims and avoid liability.
"… [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.
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.
This Bankruptcy Case Update focuses on the recent biotech industry bankruptcy cases of Zymergen and Humanigen.
With broad hopes for countercyclical consistency and a nearly 120% uptick in Chapter 11 filings in February specifically, law firms seem ready to use restructuring work as a significant plank in a profitable 2024.
