On September 19, 2022, a panel of three appellate judges for the 3rd Circuit heard oral argument in a closely-watched case, In re LTL Management LLC, Case No. 22-2003.
Bankruptcy law has its own set of rules. When a company files for Chapter 11 reorganization under the Bankruptcy Code, the filing triggers an automatic stay that prohibits any attempts by creditors to exercise control over any property of the bankruptcy estate; the bankruptcy court then has jurisdiction over all property of the estate, which includes all property “wherever located and by whomever held.” See 11 U.S.C. §541(a); 28 U.S.C. §1334(e)(1).
As the venture capital sector slows down, valuations and deal sizes are pulling back from the recent record highs. Seemingly, “investor friendly” deal terms are once again making an appearance in term sheets.
On June 7, 2022, Congress passed (in a 392-21 vote) the “Bankruptcy Threshold Adjustment and technical Corrections Act,” which raises the debt limit back to $7.5 million for businesses electing treatment under the Small Business Reorganization Act (“SBRA”), codified under Subchapter V of Chapter 11.
On August 3, 2021, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to examine student loan bankruptcy reform. Committee members and witnesses highlighted the unfair treatment of student loan debt under the bankruptcy code and the rigid standard borrowers must meet to discharge student loans.
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and John Cornyn introduced TheFresh Start Through Bankruptcy Act to address the growing bipartisan consensus that struggling borrowers need student loan bankruptcy reform.
As Mitt Romney famously noted, "Corporations are people, my friend." But not when it comes to Fifth Amendment privileges, as a US Bankruptcy Court in New York recently made clear. Clients of the now defunct law firm Kossoff PLLC filed involuntary bankruptcy petitions against the firm and the firm's appointed representative, its founder and former managing member, resisted producing records to the trustee claiming the production of the documents could incriminate the representative in a pending criminal investigation.
President Biden signed the COVID-19 Bankruptcy Relief Extension Act on Saturday, March 27, 2021 to extend critical bankruptcy relief provisions under the CARES Act that were set to expire on the same day. The bipartisan bill was introduced in late February 2021 and was passed by Congress just one day before the President signed it into law.
On February 25, 2021, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Chuck Grassley introduced the COVID-19 Bankruptcy Relief Extension Act to extend certain bankruptcy relief provisions enacted as part of the March 2020 CARES Act and December 2020 omnibus appropriations bill.
The week of Christmas, Congressional leaders released the text of the new $900 billion COVID-19 relief package. After a week of push-back, President Trump signed the bill on Sunday evening. In addition to the $600 per adult stimulus payment, additional PPP funding, rental assistance, and school/college aid, the bill also provides additional updates on certain bankruptcy provisions. Those changes, which are spelled out in Division FF of the bill “Title X-Bankruptcy Relief,” include the following:
As we approach the end of 2020, there is an important bankruptcy law set to expire early next year. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) and the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA) provide useful options for small business debtors (i.e. those whose debts are less than $7.5 million) considering Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. To reap the benefits of these Acts, small business debtors may need to act quickly, as some of the key benefits of the CARES Act are scheduled to sunset on March 27, 2021.