When a corporation determines to file for Chapter 11 protection, questions concerning the status of existing labor and employment agreements and viability of employee claims immediately arise. Indeed, there are litanies of potential pitfalls for companies that file for bankruptcy without strictly following the requirements of federal or state employment laws.
Serving Two Masters
This article examines two recent cases, and suggests practices that lenders to BREs can use to reduce the risk of a debtor bankruptcy without compromising the policies underlying bankruptcy and corporate laws.
Substantive non-consolidation opinion letters have long been a regular "check-the-box" item in large commercial real estate transactions. While substantive consolidation jurisprudence has not changed materially over the past decade, these opinion letters should not be treated lightly by borrowers or their counsel.
On Oct. 20, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in Momentive Performance Materials, Inc. v. BOKF, NA (In re MPM Silicones, L.L.C. "MPM")…
Lessons Learned From In Re FPMI Solutions Inc.
When a corporation determines to file for Chapter 11 protection, questions concerning the status of existing labor and employment agreements and viability of employee claims immediately arise. Indeed, there are litanies of potential pitfalls for companies that file for bankruptcy without strictly following the requirements of federal or state employment laws.
A New Option for Resource-Strapped Bankruptcy Estates
Despite third-party litigation funding's explosive growth, corporate restructuring/insolvency practitioners in the U.S. are not yet frequent participants in such arrangements. Yet litigation funding could be especially beneficial to provide a new source of capital for otherwise asset-starved estates.
For over a decade now, the Bankruptcy Code has granted a priority of payment with regard to creditor claims for goods received by the debtor in the 20 days before bankruptcy. A creditor merely needs to demonstrate that the debtor "received" the goods within the prescribed pre-bankruptcy interval, and its claim attains priority as an administrative expense. Ah, but therein lies the rub.
Third Circuit Sidesteps Ruling
The Third Circuit recently dismissed an appeal from "the sale of legal claims" as "statutorily moot" under Bankruptcy Code § 363(m) because the appellants "had not obtained a stay" of the effectiveness of the sale order pending appeal. Here's why this ruling is so important.
Many bankruptcy practitioners are at least somewhat familiar with the highly publicized proceedings involving Life Partners Holdings Inc. (LPHI), a company that sold fractional ownership interests in life insurance policies — referred to as life settlements. This case was as complex as any could imagine and, as the Trustee appointed to manage this bankruptcy, the author had a front-row seat.
