Large Cap
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October 01, 2024
Foley & Lardner Accused Of Malpractice In GWG Transactions
Foley & Lardner LLP did not heed the fiduciary duty it owed to GWG Holdings when it facilitated loans and other transactions unfair to the life insurance-backed bond seller and, instead, enriched a group of "corrupt" shareholders, according to a lengthy adversary lawsuit filed in Texas bankruptcy court.
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October 01, 2024
FTX CEO Avoids Depo Before Ch. 11 Confirmation Hearing
FTX CEO John J. Ray III does not have to sit for a deposition requested by Virgin Islands-based LayerZero Labs Ltd. to answer questions about why it was not included in a Chapter 11 settlement with the debtor, a Delaware bankruptcy judge said Tuesday, as FTX pursues confirmation of its bankruptcy plan.
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October 01, 2024
Bitcoin DIP Loans Spark Intrigue For Bankruptcy Lawyers
The Chapter 11 case of bitcoin miner Rhodium included a rarely seen option to take out a debtor-in-possession loan denominated in digital currency, a development that has left lawyers divided over whether the novel approach could provide much-needed flexibility or an unacceptable level of risk for future bankrupt borrowers.
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October 01, 2024
Judge Sends SVB Ch. 11 Appeal To 2nd Circ. In FDIC Row
A New York federal judge ruled that the former parent of Silicon Valley Bank can appeal directly to the Second Circuit, bypassing a district court as SVB challenges a bankruptcy judge's ruling that federal regulators have standing to object to its Chapter 11 plan.
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October 01, 2024
Tupperware's Crash Unseals Lenders' Foreclosure Dreams
Iconic food storage product maker Tupperware Brands Corp. filed for Chapter 11 in mid-September with critically low liquidity, and now new lenders are eager to get the assets at a significant discount after their prepetition foreclosure attempt failed.
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October 01, 2024
Steward Can't Be Forced To Reassign Contract In Ch. 11
While a government contractor was within its rights to end a subcontracting agreement with embattled hospital group Steward Health, the Bankruptcy Code's provisions for assignment of contracts mean the debtor can't be compelled to reassign the agreement while in Chapter 11, a Texas bankruptcy judge said Tuesday.
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October 01, 2024
McElroy Deutsch Must Face 'Malicious' Claim From Fired Exec
A former business development director from McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP has been given the go-ahead from a New Jersey state judge to bring a malicious-prosecution claim against the firm in litigation over her and her husband's alleged multimillion-dollar embezzlement from the firm.
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October 01, 2024
Judge Backs Ban On Protests Targeting Guo Ch. 11 Trustee
A Connecticut federal judge has affirmed a ban on certain protests aimed at the Chapter 11 trustee overseeing the bankruptcy estate of Chinese dissident Miles Guo, also known as Ho Wan Kwok, after the trustee faced death threats because of his investigation and a failed $250 million settlement.
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October 01, 2024
Florida Firm Markowitz Ringel Brings On Bankruptcy Partner
Markowitz Ringel Trusty & Hartog has bolstered its restructuring and insolvency practice group with a partner in Fort Lauderdale who came aboard from Miami-based Tabas & Silver PA.
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September 30, 2024
Guo Ch. 11 Trustee Seeks To Sell Conn. Mansion For $6.9M
The Chapter 11 trustee overseeing the estate of Chinese exile Miles Guo, also known as Ho Wan Kwok, asked a bankruptcy judge's permission Monday to sell a Connecticut mansion tied to the convicted fraudster for $6.9 million to benefit the estate, according to paperwork filed Monday.
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September 30, 2024
FCC Approves Audacy's Soros Deal, Triggering GOP Anger
The Federal Communications Commission has given the green light to the purchase of an ownership interest in bankrupt radio station owner Audacy Inc. by a fund manager with ties to George Soros.
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September 30, 2024
J&J Fights For Ch. 11 Venue, NY Diocese Settles For $323M
Johnson & Johnson and the Justice Department are set to face off in a dispute over whether the consumer products giant was justified in putting a talc unit into bankruptcy in Texas this month, after the U.S. Trustee's Office accused J&J of "forum-shopping" its third Chapter 11 filing.
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September 30, 2024
J&J Ch. 11 Parties Must Meet Ahead Of Venue Hearing
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Monday ordered lawyers fighting over a bid to get Johnson & Johnson's latest Chapter 11 moved to New Jersey to meet and confer before a hearing on the potential venue transfer that is scheduled for next week.
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September 30, 2024
LaVie Care Can Seek Creditor Votes On Updated Ch. 11 Plan
Bankrupt skilled nursing facility operator LaVie Care Centers received conditional approval for its Chapter 11 plan disclosures Monday in Georgia court, allowing the debtor to seek creditor votes on an updated plan that resulted from mediation.
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September 30, 2024
Bed Bath & Beyond Investors Lose Bid For Class Cert.
A D.C. federal judge has refused to certify a class of Bed Bath & Beyond investors in a suit alleging they were misled by company executives, saying that while the investors met many certification requirements, certification cannot be granted because the market for the company's stock was not efficient during the proposed class period.
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September 30, 2024
Steward Health CEO Sues Senate Panel After Contempt Vote
The outgoing CEO of embattled Steward Health Care on Monday sued members of Congress who voted earlier this month to hold him in contempt for defying their subpoena to testify at a hearing into the downfall of the bankrupt hospital chain he heads.
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September 30, 2024
Cineworld Wins Court Approval For UK Restructuring Plan
Cineworld was granted approval for a U.K. restructuring plan on Monday as a judge concluded it was a better option than allowing the struggling cinema chain to fall into administration.
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September 27, 2024
J&J Has An Uphill Battle To Keep Newest Ch. 11 In Texas
Consumer products giant Johnson & Johnson is facing significant pushback for filing its third bankruptcy in yet another new venue as it seeks to address tens of thousands of talc liability claims, with experts saying it may be a hard sell to keep the case in Texas when the facts haven't changed since two earlier gambits filed in other states were dismissed.
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September 27, 2024
Puerto Rico Utility Creditors Seek OK For Bond Claims Suit
Representatives of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority's unsecured creditors are asking a New York federal judge to allow them to contest what they say is the wrongful lumping of $8.4 billion in bondholder claims with their own claims against the utility.
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September 27, 2024
Del. Judge To Mediate Incora Ch. 11 Plan Disputes
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Brendan L. Shannon of Delaware said Friday he would oversee the mediation of a dispute in Texas bankruptcy court that involves aircraft parts supplier Incora and two rival groups of creditors, as the parties seek a settlement clearing Incora to exit bankruptcy.
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September 27, 2024
Rate Cuts Offer Balm For Companies Teetering On Bankruptcy
The Federal Reserve's jumbo interest rate cut last week has lifted hopes that cheaper debt and a potential soft landing will let companies on the brink of bankruptcy avoid insolvency, a welcome reprieve for distressed borrowers at a moment when Chapter 11 filings are at the highest levels in years.
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September 26, 2024
Judge Says Avon Should Hold Off On Deal With Parent Co.
A Delaware bankruptcy judge told cosmetics giant Avon Products Inc. on Thursday that it needs to give creditors more time to investigate its dealings with its Brazilian parent company before he can approve a proposed settlement of claims against the parent.
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September 26, 2024
NY Diocese Reaches $323M Settlement With Abuse Survivors
Long Island's bankrupt Roman Catholic diocese has agreed to a nearly $323 million deal with hundreds of survivors of sexual abuse, a historic settlement that will bring to a close after four years the church's Chapter 11 case, according to a statement issued Thursday.
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September 26, 2024
WR Grace Asbestos Ch. 11 Spanned Legal Generation
Chemical manufacturer W.R. Grace is seeking to put an end to its 2001 asbestos-driven bankruptcy case in a legal landscape that may mean courts will never see an asbestos bankruptcy of this length and complexity again.
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September 26, 2024
Del. Bankruptcy Judge Says Purdue Limits Opt-Out Releases
A Delaware bankruptcy judge says the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Purdue Pharma LP barring nonconsensual third-party releases does not allow a kind of oft-used opt-out waiver for voters who don't return ballots.
Expert Analysis
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3rd Circ. Ruling Shows Benefits Of IP Licenses In Bankruptcy
The Third Circuit’s recent ruling in Mallinckrodt’s Chapter 11 filing, which held that Mallinckrodt could sever its obligations to pay Sanofi royalties on sales of an autoimmune disease drug, highlights the advantages of structuring transactions as nonexclusive licenses for developers of intellectual property, say Gregory Hesse and Kaleb Bailey at Hunton.
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Congress Must Increase Small Biz Ch. 11 Debt Cap
Congress must act to reinstate Subchapter V, which recently sunsetted when the debt threshold to qualify reverted from $7.5 million to just over $3 million, meaning thousands of small businesses will no longer be able to use the means of reorganization, says Daniel Gielchinsky at DGIM Law.
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How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market
Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.
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Justices' Ch. 11 Ruling Is A Big Moment For Debtors' Insurers
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Truck Insurance v. Kaiser Gypsum ruling upends decades of Chapter 11 bankruptcy jurisprudence that relegated a debtor’s insurer to the sidelines, giving insurers a new footing to try and avoid significant liability, say Stuart Gordon and Benjamin Wisher at Rivkin Radler.
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SVB Ch. 11 Shows Importance Of Filing Proof Of Claim Early
After a New York bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in SVB’s Chapter 11 case denied late claims filing requests related to post-bar date events, parties with potential claims against a debtor may need to seriously consider filing protective proofs of claim, says Kyle Arendsen at Squire Patton.
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High Court Made Profound Mistake In Tossing Purdue Deal
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to throw out Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 plan jeopardizes a multistate agreement that would provide approximately $7 billion in much-needed relief to help fight the opioid epidemic, with states now likely doomed to spend years chasing individual defendants across the globe, says Swain Wood at Morningstar.
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What FTX Case Taught Us About Digital Asset Recoverability
FTX's Chapter 11 plan has drawn lots of attention, but the focus should be on the anticipated outcome for investors, which counters several myths about digital currencies, innovation and recoverability, says Kyla Curley at StoneTurn.
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A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates
Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.
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Synapse Bankruptcy Has Ripple Effects For Fintech Industry
Synapse Financial Technologies’ recent bankruptcy filing marks a significant moment in the fintech industry's evolution, highlighting that stringent compliance and risk management in fintech partnerships are essential to mitigate risk and protect consumers, say Joann Needleman and Ryan Blumberg at Clark Hill.
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Discount Window Reform Needed To Curb Modern Bank Runs
We learned during the spring 2023 failures that bank runs can happen extraordinarily fast in light of modern technology, especially when banks have a greater concentration of large deposits, demonstrating that the antiquated but effective discount window needs to be overhauled before the next crisis, says Cris Cicala at Stinson.
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2 Options For Sackler Family After High Court Purdue Ruling
After the U.S. Supreme Court recently blocked Purdue Pharma's plan to shield the family that owns the company from bankruptcy lawsuits, the Sacklers face the choice to either continue litigation, or return to the bargaining table for a settlement that doesn't eliminate creditor claims, says Gregory Germain at Syracuse University.
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Revisiting Scalia's 'What's It To You?' After Kaiser Ruling
While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser allows insurers to be considered "parties in interest" in Chapter 11 cases, they still need to show they would face an injury in fact, answering the late Justice Antonin Scalia's "what's it to you?" question, say Brent Weisenberg and Jeff Prol at Lowenstein Sandler.
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Florida Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2
The second quarter of 2024 brought two notable bills that will affect Florida's banking and finance community across many issues, including virtual currency abandonment, cancellation of financial services on the basis of political opinions, and the exemption amount of motor vehicles, say Joshua Prever and Andrew Balthazor at Holland & Knight.