The hard work has been done – the plan has been negotiated and confirmed, the confirmation order has been entered, and holders of allowed claims (and maybe even interest holders) await their distribution under the plan. A plan, however, may require that creditors or equity holders take certain acts prior to participation in the plan distribution, or forfeit their right to participate.

We resume our ongoing coverage of the Report of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 as it relates to exiting the chapter 11 case. A prior post highlighted key proposals about plan voting, and today’s post discusses key proposals about plan settlements, exculpation and release provisions, and exit orders.

This latest installment of our ongoing coverage of the Report of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 discusses the Commission’s proposals regarding plan content, voting, confirmation issues, and exit orders (Report sections VI.E, F, and G). The recommendations are geared toward creating greater efficiencies in the plan process by reducing what the Commissioners view as opportunities for litigation and gamesmanship, and clarifying the permissibility of certain plan provisions and orders that have divided courts.

Providing proper notice to existing and potential creditors is an important consideration for debtors’ counsel. A seminal Supreme Court decision established that due process for “unknown” claimants is generally satisfied by publication notice, so long as it is reasonably calculated to reach such creditors under the circumstances.

An involuntary petition under chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code filed against a Mississippi casino developer was dismissed for bad faith, even though the petitioning creditors met the statutory requirements for filing the involuntary case. In In re Diamondhead Casino Corporation, the U.S.

Funds passing through a correspondent bank account in New York can create personal jurisdiction over the funds’ recipient, ruled the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.  In Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Arcapita Bank B.S.C. v.

Claims estimation can be an important tool for a chapter 11 debtor, particularly to pave the way for proposing a chapter 11 plan.  How a bankruptcy court estimates wrongful death and personal injury tort claims (which have a jury trial right) is an interesting issue that was recently discussed by the Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California in In re North American Health Care, Inc.

Yesterday’s post discussed the recent appellate ruling in Sentinel’s bankruptcy, Grede v. Bank of New York Mellon Corp.

In the latest ruling in the long-running dispute in Sentinel Management’s bankruptcy case, the Seventh Circuit recently held that a bank employee’s suspicions about the source of the bank’s collateral should have put the bank on inquiry notice, thus precluding the bank from asserting a “good faith” defense to a fraudulent transfer claim that a liquidating trustee brought against the bank.

We know that our readers are busy during this time of year with vacation travel, holiday parties, and deals closing before year end.  And we know that it’s easy to fall behind on your essential bankruptcy reading.  Our gift to you this holiday season is this look back at our last six weeks of Weil Bankruptcy Blog posts, wrapped up into three neat little packages (or posts, that is).  So grab your glass of eggnog, and put your feet up, as we recap what you may have missed. 

Insiders:  A Perennial Favorite