Large Cap
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December 05, 2024
'Texas Two-Step,' Exec Bonus Bankruptcy Bills Reintroduced
Lawmakers in the U.S. Senate this week renewed efforts to pass two bankruptcy bills that would bolster rights for employees and crack down on the controversial use of so-called Texas two-step bankruptcies.
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December 05, 2024
3rd Circ. Affirms ConocoPhillips Ruling On $8.5B Debt
The Third Circuit on Thursday affirmed a ruling paving the way for ConocoPhillips' participation in an auction for control of the U.S. oil giant Citgo to enforce an $8.5 billion debt against Venezuela.
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December 05, 2024
FTX Clawback Deal With Ex-Alameda Co-CEO Gets Court Nod
A Delaware bankruptcy judge has approved a deal to settle clawback claims by FTX against former Alameda Research Ltd. executive John Samuel Trabucco, who agreed to hand over two San Francisco apartments purchased in 2021 for $8.7 million and a 53-foot yacht bought in 2022 for $2.5 million.
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December 05, 2024
Insurance Giant Allianz Warns Of Rising Insolvencies In 2025
Company bosses and their insurers could face increased claims next year from a predicted rise in corporate insolvencies and class actions, Allianz warned Thursday.
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December 04, 2024
Pa. Gets More Time To Find Funds For Steward Hospital
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has until Monday, Dec. 9, to secure additional funding to cover a hospital's operating losses as it seeks to negotiate a sale from bankrupt hospital operator Steward Healthcare to Meadville Medical Center, a neighboring community hospital.
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December 04, 2024
Guo Trustee Balks At Boies Schiller's Clawback Transfer Bid
The Chapter 11 trustee overseeing Chinese exile Miles Guo's bankruptcy in Connecticut says Boies Schiller Flexner LLP should not be allowed to move a nearly $654,000 clawback action from bankruptcy court to district court, suggesting a bankruptcy judge is better poised to consider his asset recovery theories.
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December 04, 2024
5th Circ. Probes $8M Payout For Allegedly Undelivered Services
An investment company on Wednesday found itself before the Fifth Circuit having to justify paying $7.7 million for allegedly undelivered services from an affiliate, as it appeals a $2.6 million bill it got hit with for prematurely ending a contract.
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December 04, 2024
Alex Jones Atty Needs 30-Day Suspension, Ethics Boss Says
The lead Connecticut attorney in Infowars host Alex Jones' Sandy Hook defamation trial should be suspended for 30 days for directing a subordinate to transmit the victims' personal medical records to other Jones attorneys, the state's legal ethics watchdog said Wednesday.
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December 04, 2024
Avon Cleared To Sell To Parent Co. For $125M In Ch. 11
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Wednesday said he would approve a settlement between Avon Products Inc. and Brazilian parent company Natura that clears the way for the beleaguered cosmetics giant to sell itself to Natura for $125 million.
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December 04, 2024
InterCement Files For Bankruptcy Relief In Brazil
Brazilian cement supplier InterCement has filed a petition for judicial reorganization in that country's bankruptcy court after more than a year of restructuring efforts and a July Chapter 15 filing in New York.
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December 04, 2024
3rd Circ. Preview: BetMGM Addiction Case Tops Dec. Lineup
The Third Circuit is set to determine if BetMGM online casino should face a lawsuit claiming it violated New Jersey consumer protection and gambling laws for allegedly enticing a man with a gambling problem to play its games.
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December 04, 2024
NY Diocese Gets OK For Ch. 11 Plan With Optional Releases
A New York bankruptcy judge approved a Long Island-based Roman Catholic diocese's Chapter 11 plan on Wednesday after hearing it had resolved objections from the U.S. Trustee's Office with a two-tier claims release system for sexual abuse claimants.
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December 03, 2024
Judge Denies News Orgs. Bid To Unseal FTX Customer Names
A Delaware federal judge on Tuesday said he wouldn't reverse an order allowing defunct crypto platform FTX Trading Ltd. to keep customer names out of public bankruptcy filings, rejecting an appeal from major news outlets to unseal the information and writing that sealing the information preserved FTX's assets and protected creditors from cybercrime.
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December 03, 2024
SVB Parent's Claims Tiff Headed Back To Bankruptcy Court
A New York federal judge has sent the question of whether Morgan Stanley can assert late claims in the Chapter 11 case of the former parent of Silicon Valley Bank back to the bankruptcy court, saying the court must first decide if it could have collected on the claims in the first place.
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December 03, 2024
Byju's Unit Trustee Calls Ch. 11 Stay Violation 'Egregious'
The Chapter 11 trustee of three units affiliated with Indian education technology giant Byju's told a Delaware bankruptcy judge on Tuesday that "egregious" and continuing violations of an automatic stay triggered by the affiliates' bankruptcy filings should be met with punitive damage sanctions.
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December 03, 2024
New Judges Include One Who Aided Puerto Rico Bondholders
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed two federal judges for Pennsylvania and one for the District of Columbia, who came under scrutiny during her confirmation hearing for her work at Jones Day.
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December 03, 2024
Alex Jones Atty Seeks Leniency Over Sandy Hook 'Mistake'
The lead attorney in Infowars host Alex Jones' $1.44 billion Connecticut defamation trial admits he "made a mistake" when he approved sending several Sandy Hook Elementary School victims' confidential records to other Jones attorneys, saying Tuesday he should receive either no discipline or a reprimand in a pared-down case.
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December 03, 2024
Celsius Founder Cops To Fraud That Sunk $25B Crypto Lender
Celsius Network founder Alex Mashinsky told a Manhattan federal judge Tuesday that he lied when he told the public that the fallen $25 billion crypto lender's tokens were a safe investment, pleading guilty to fraud charges ahead of a January criminal trial.
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December 02, 2024
Girardi Won't Get New Fraud Trial Despite Memory Claims
A California federal judge on Monday denied Tom Girardi's bid for a new trial after a jury found he misappropriated $15 million worth of client settlement funds, standing by a prior assessment that the disbarred attorney was "exaggerating" symptoms of mild cognitive impairment.
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December 02, 2024
Metropolitan Commercial Bank Aided Voyager Fraud, Suit Says
Voyager Digital's former bank, Metropolitan Commercial Bank, has been hit with a 53-count complaint in New York federal court alleging it was complicit in bad behavior by the now-defunct crypto lender and should be on the hook for repaying platform users.
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December 02, 2024
FDIC Must Face Some Of SVB Ex-Parent's Claims In $1.9B Suit
A California federal judge has pared down a lawsuit looking to force financial regulators that stepped in after the high-profile collapse of Silicon Valley Bank to return some $1.9 billion in frozen deposits to the bank's former operator as part of a multipronged effort to recover the funds.
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December 02, 2024
Deal Struck In Discount Chain Plan, No Sanctions In J&J Case
Holders of notes issued by 99 Cents Only will take a $297 million haircut, Beasley Allen dodged discovery sanctions in Johnson & Johnson's latest spinoff bankruptcy and a Mexican industrial equipment leasing group sought U.S. recognition for its reorganization. This is the week in bankruptcy.
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December 02, 2024
Airline GOL Linhas' Ch. 11 Deal Cuts Debt To Brazil By $750M
Low-cost Brazilian airline GOL Linhas has reached a settlement that will cut the amount of taxes and fees it owes to government agencies in Brazil by about $750 million, as it seeks to restructure in Chapter 11.
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December 02, 2024
Yellow Fights Teamsters' Call For 10th Circ. To Nix Claims
The Tenth Circuit should not pay mind to arguments from the Teamsters about upholding a lower court's dismissal of Yellow Corp.'s $137 million suit against the union, the company is arguing, doubling down on its claims that it was not required to exhaust the grievance process under a contract.
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December 02, 2024
Justices On Fence In Tax Clawback Case For Defunct Utah Co.
U.S. Supreme Court justices seemed divided during oral arguments Monday over whether the Tenth Circuit was correct to allow the bankruptcy trustee of a defunct Utah company to use state law to claw back $145,000 in federal taxes after the two-year deadline, a ruling that has created a 3-1 circuit split.
Not Just COVID, Rapid Expansion Drove CareMax's Ch. 11
Pressures from rising operational costs, the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic, and inflation have all contributed to CareMax Inc.'s recent filing for Chapter 11, but it also found itself in a challenging healthcare environment that made it difficult for the company specializing in senior care to keep up with its rapid expansion.
Behind Prison Health Co. Wellpath's Ch. 11
Wellpath Holdings Inc., one of the largest companies that provide healthcare services to incarcerated individuals in the U.S., recently hit Chapter 11 in Texas with more than $1 billion in debt, saying it was dragged down by rising costs, lawsuits brought by its patients and a heavy debt load despite raking in $2 billion in revenue in 2023.
Catching Up With New Bankruptcy Case Action
In a more muted holiday week for bankruptcy filings, the courts still saw several cases come in, including the U.S. arm for iconic vodka brand Stoli and the Cayman Island subsidiaries of struggling budget airline Spirit.
Expert Analysis
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Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.
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Equitable Mootness Insights From Greenlit Ch. 11 Plan Appeal
A Texas federal court recently allowed a challenge to ConvergeOne's Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan to proceed because it wouldn't disrupt the IT company's confirmed plan or harm creditors, reinforcing the importance of judicial restraint in applying equitable mootness where limited relief is possible, say attorneys at Parkins & Rubio.
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Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review
For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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The Challenges Of Abandoned Retirement Plans In Ch. 7
The Department of Labor's rule for unwinding retirement accounts when plan sponsors file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy was intended to alleviate trustees' administration issues, but practical challenges, like unresolved fee and identification matters, could hinder its implementation, say David Goodrich at Golden Goodrich and Nancy Simons at Stretto.
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Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer
Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.
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When Investigating An Adversary, Be Wary Of Forged Records
Warnings against the use of investigators who tout their ability to find an adversary’s private documents generally emphasize the risk of illegal activity and attorney discipline, but a string of recent cases shows an additional danger — investigators might be fabricating records altogether, says Brian Asher at Asher Research.
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3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less
Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.
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The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule
Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.
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So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?
Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.
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A Strategic Checklist For Bankruptcy Motion Objections
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Hewing to a set of best practices for objecting to a motion in bankruptcy cases can help creditors’ counsel stay on track as they juggle deadlines and jurisdictions, determine whether filing will help or harm the client, and negotiate with the debtor.
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The 3rd-Party Bankruptcy Release Landscape After Purdue
In its Purdue Pharma ruling prohibiting nonconsensual third-party releases, the U.S. Supreme Court did not comment on criteria to render a third-party release consensual, opening a debate in the bankruptcy courts on the permissibility of opt-out versus opt-in releases, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being
As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.
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Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.