Features

U.S. Supreme Court Decides Copyright Damages-Lookback Issue But Not Discovery-of-Infringement Rule
In a 6-3 majority decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has resolved a copyright question that generated conflicting results in the U.S. Courts of Appeal for years. But as a forceful dissent pointed out, the court left open a more fundamental issue that could render the entire question moot.
Features

Determining the Indubitable Equivalent of A Bankruptcy Claim
One aspect of the dispute in interpreting clauses in an agreement from a financial point of view, and one with significant consequences, centered around the term indubitable equivalent value for a Class 5 creditor in the context of a debtor's fifth amended Chapter 11 plan and objection to confirmation filed by creditor. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division opined on that issue.
Columns & Departments
Development
Constitutionality of Boarding House Definition Town's Use of Escrow Funds Upheld Planning Board Failed to Consider Public Safety Issue Denial of Special Permit Upheld Due to Traffic Concerns Questions of Fact About Whether Agreement Included Acquisition of Air Rights Zoning Amendment Not Arbitrary Even If It Would Authorize Uses Prohibited By Restrictive Covenants
Columns & Departments
Fresh Filings
Notable recent court filings in entertainment law.
Features

$8.6M Settlement In Florida Serves As Cautionary Tale for Commercial Real Estate
"What's going to happen with affordable housing is that people are going to be living under the radar, trying to get under the leases and do not live there, and apartment owners need to be aware of that because they could be liable for that."
Features

What Happens When Nondischargeable Student Loan Is Later Determined to Be Dischargeable?
The U.S. Bankruptcy appellate panel for the Ninth Circuit addressed a matter of first impression: what happens when a debt that may be considered nondischargeable is later determined to be dischargeable, and more importantly, whether efforts to collect such a debt be exempt from penalties for violating the discharge injunction?
Features

Delaware Bankruptcy Judge Orders Fee Examiners for 'Larger Chapter 11 Cases'
A rise in bankruptcies involving fraud and mass tort litigation is causing more bankruptcy lawyers to face scrutiny over their billing practices.
Features

Delaware District Court Could Guide Supreme Court Purdue Pharma Decision
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.
Features

Court Caps Landlord's Bankruptcy Claim Against Lease Guarantor
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.
Features

When Is A Pretext By A Municipality A Bar To Land Use Approvals?
Recently, there have been several instances in which municipalities have been challenged by property owners claiming that the municipal boards have utilized delaying tactics and other actions as a pretext to prevent development of their properties.
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- Abandoned and Unused Cables: A Hidden Liability Under the 2002 National Electric CodeIn an effort to minimize the release of toxic gasses from cables in the event of fire, the 2002 version of the National Electric Code ("NEC"), promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association, sets forth new guidelines requiring that abandoned cables must be removed from buildings unless they are located in metal raceways or tagged "For Future Use." While the NEC is not, in itself, binding law, most jurisdictions in the United States adopt the NEC by reference in their state or local building and fire codes. Thus, noncompliance with the recent NEC guidelines will likely mean that a building is in violation of a building or fire code. If so, the building owner may also be in breach of agreements with tenants and lenders and may be jeopardizing its fire insurance coverage. Even in jurisdictions where the 2002 NEC has not been adopted, it may be argued that the guidelines represent the standard of reasonable care and could result in tort liability for the landlord if toxic gasses from abandoned cables are emitted in a fire. With these potential liabilities in mind, this article discusses: 1) how to address the abandoned wires and cables currently located within the risers, ceilings and other areas of properties, and 2) additional considerations in the placement and removal of telecommunications cables going forward.Read More ›
- Guidance on Distributions As 'Disbursements' and U.S. Trustee FeesIn a recent case from the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, In re Paragon Offshore PLC, the bankruptcy court provided guidance on whether a post-plan effective date litigation trust's distributions constituted disbursements subject to the U.S. Trustee fee "tax."Read More ›