DIP Financing and Liens On Avoidance Actions
October 01, 2023
The Eighth Circuit's decision in Simply Essentials has practical significance for Chapter 11 debtor in possession (DIP) lenders. U.S. Trustees and unsecured creditors regularly object to the granting of liens on avoidance actions, but this and other appellate rulings should now eliminate the purported legal obstacle.
Bankruptcy Court Rules Contract to Produce Documentary Was Not a Personal Services Contract
October 01, 2023
Bankruptcy courts continue to adjudicate disputes regarding Section 365 of the Bankruptcy Code, which addresses the disposition of executory contracts between the debtor and third parties. And we continue to report on developments in this area. Often the issue involves whether the contract is an executory contract that is subject to being assumed and assigned.
Bankruptcy Risk and Fraud In Cryptocurrency
September 01, 2023
Among the risks of cryptocurrency exchanges are bankruptcy risk and fraud, including: the inalienability of account claims, holding an unsecured claim versus an entitlement to the return of coin, and bankruptcy preference risk.
Bankruptcy Court Says Bankruptcy Case Is 'Filed' When Uploaded, Not Stamped
September 01, 2023
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York summed up the importance of the determination as to when a bankruptcy case is actually filed of record, thereby triggering the imposition of the automatic stay and found that the "upload" time of a bankruptcy filing — and not the time physically "stamped" on a bankruptcy petition — determines when a case is commenced. In doing so, the Bankruptcy Court offered direction and guidelines that debtors and creditors will be well advised to observe in future cases.
Fourth Circuit Ruling Underscores Judicial Divide On Use of 'Texas Two-Step'
September 01, 2023
A sharply divided U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruling shielding a nondebtor in bankruptcy proceedings from asbestos lawsuits underscores the wider and growing divide among judges across the country on the bounds of Chapter 11 protection and corporations' use of the "Texas two-step" to address mass tort litigation.
Evolution of Pre-Bankruptcy Planning Raises Questions of Good Faith
August 01, 2023
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. 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.
