Can a secured creditor decide not to participate in a bankruptcy proceeding and thereby avoid any impact the bankruptcy may have on its lien? According to a recent decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in S. White Transp., Inc. v. Acceptance Loan Co., 2013 WL 3983343 (5th Cir. Aug. 5, 2013), the answer appears to be that at least in the Fifth Circuit, the secured creditor can avoid the impact a bankruptcy plan has on its lien by simply declining to participate in the bankruptcy proceeding.

Imagine a scenario in which you have a long standing relationship with an important customer and you learn that this customer is running into financial difficulties. In the current economic cycle, this is probably not a hypothetical, but, rather, an everyday reality. During the course of the relationship, this important customer has from time to time fallen behind in paying invoices and has even reached or exceeded the credit limits your company has imposed on this customer.