In a decision dated January 11, 2012, a New York court applied the “separate entity rule” to dismiss a judgment creditor’s special proceeding against a garnishee bank, confirming that the rule remains alive and well in New York. Under the separate entity rule, bank branches are treated as separate legal entities for the purposes of attachment and garnishment. Where the rule applies, a judgment creditor seeking to restrain a judgment debtor’s bank account must serve the post-judgment restraining notice upon the bank branch where the account is maintained.
This decision is the latest development in the bitterly disputed enforcement case of a $932 million Swiss arbitration award confirmed by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in favor of a Dutch judgment creditor, Sonera Holding B.V. (“Sonera”), against a Turkish judgment debtor, Cukurova Holding A. (“Cukurova”).
Few words in real estate transactions inspire as much fear as "time is of the essence." If a closing date or other deadline is time-is-of-the-essence (TOTE), neither party can postpone the closing or extend the deadline without the other party's consent. So if a buyer is unable to timely close (often because they are unable to obtain financing) and the seller is unwilling to postpone the closing, the buyer may forfeit its security deposit and lose a valuable business opportunity. The consequences for failing to meet a TOTE closing are harsh and seemingly unavoidable.
Originally published in the New York Law Journal
Voters in eight states, including California and Florida, recently approved ballot initiatives to legalize the recreational and medical use of marijuana. Presently, 28 states permit the use of marijuana to different extents.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Code gives debtors access to powerful rights and remedies that are not available under non-bankruptcy law. As a balance to these extraordinary powers however, a debtor may lose some or all control over its own affairs under certain circumstances. One of the rights that the debtor “puts into play” when it files bankruptcy is the attorney-client privilege (the Privilege).
Creditors are often compelled to commence expensive and time consuming litigation to first prosecute their claims and then locate and seize a debtor's assets. During this lengthy and costly process, the debtor's assets are dissipated and the creditor may realize only a fraction of its claim. The Bankruptcy Code1 allows a trustee to liquidate a debtor's assets in a cost-effective, expeditious manner. Because of this, involuntary bankruptcy is a powerful tool that can expedite and maximize payments to affected creditors.
Everyone makes mistakes … even lawyers! Most of the time we don't even know it because the error is either minor or doesn't affect the outcome. In this article, we discuss a small error by an attorney that could cost his client $1.5 billion. That's billion with a "B".
A "Saab" Story with a Happy Ending: An Inside Look at the Saab Bankruptcy Case
Creditors often assume the worst when they hear that a company that owes them money filed "bankruptcy." They fear that their debt will be completely wiped out or that they will only collect pennies on the dollar. And while that is usually the result, a chapter 11 bankruptcy filing can often lead to creditors being paid a substantial portion of their debt.