Every Massachusetts homeowner should be aware of the opportunities that are available for protecting the equity in the family home. A recent bankruptcy case, In re: Nealon, reminds us of one such opportunity – the Massachusetts homestead exemption — and its power to stave off creditors, especially when the homeowner takes the simple steps necessary to maximize the amount entitled to protection.
The Absolute Priority Rule: Zachary v. California Bank & Trust
As you may know by now, many of the Official Forms for use in Bankruptcy Courts were replaced with revised, reformatted and renumbered forms that went into effect on December 1, 2015. The changes were made as part of a forms modernization effort that began in 2008 to improve the official bankruptcy forms and the interface between the forms and the courts’ case opening and electronic case management technology.
A recent decision of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (the “District Court”), affirming a decision of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the “Bankruptcy Court”), further enforces the application of the in pari delicto doctrine in cases decided under New York law and confirms that exceptions to its application remain extremely limited.
Determining how to increase or preserve a debtor’s liquidity is crucial to analyzing its deleveraging options. Companies with significant labor liabilities need to explore whether attaining cost savings through rejection of their collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) is a viable alternative. The decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in
This post originally appeared on In The (Red): The Business Bankruptcy Blog, which I created for CEOs, CFOs, boards of directors, credit professionals, in-house counsel and others to stay informed about important business bankruptcy issues and developments.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has now joined the Courts of Appeals from the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Tenth Circuits, and the Eighth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP) in holding that the absolute priority rule found in 11 U.S.C. § 1129(b)(2) (“the Absolute Priority Rule”) applies to limit individual debtors’ rights to retain prepetition property of their estate where their Chapter 11 plans propose to pay unsecured creditors less than the full amount of their allowed unsecured claims. Zachary v.
A higher education institution which refuses to provide a debtor alumna with a graduation transcript violates the automatic stay provisions of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. § 362(a). So says the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in California Coast University v. Jamie Sue Aleckna, Chapter 13, Case No. 5-12-BK-03367. The Bankruptcy Court, citing a Massachusetts bankruptcy court case, In re Parker, 334 B.R. 529 (Bank. D. MA.
The judgment of Snowden J. in the adjournment of the convening hearing relating to a scheme of arrangement (the “Scheme”) proposed by Indah Kiat International Finance Company B.V. (“Indah Kiat”) emphasises some important points that must be borne in mind by debtors, investors and advisers when preparing for a scheme, such as the importance of allowing sufficient time for preparation of all relevant supporting evidence and documentation, and allowing for a realistic notice period for creditors.
As the global price of oil has continued to decrease, the oil and gas industry has experienced some significant collateral damage. In 2015, several big industry players, including Quicksilver Resources, American Eagle Energy, Sabine Oil & Gas, Hercules Offshore, Milagro and Saratoga Resources filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Magnum Hunter Resources, Corp., one of Ohio’s long-time oil and gas players, just recently filed for bankruptcy in December of 2015.