On April 28, 2022, HONX, Inc. of Houston, TX filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (Case No. 22-90035). Hess Corp owns 100% of the debtor’s equity. The petition includes a written consent by the independent directors of Honx providing for entry into a funding agreement among the debtor and Hess Corp.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently held that the “no fair ground of doubt” standard established by the Supreme Court of the United States in Taggart v. Lorenzen, a case involving alleged violation of a Chapter 7 discharge order, governed civil contempt proceedings for violation of a confirmed reorganization plan under Chapter 11.

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Hon. Gerald E. Rosen (Ret.) serves as mediator, arbitrator and neutral evaluator in high-level business cases for the JAMS office in Detroit.

¹ The Third Circuit also affirmed a judgment that awarded the senior creditor damages for the misapplication of such collateral proceeds in violation of the intercreditor agreement’s turnover provision.

A bankruptcy court gave "unnecessary and likely incorrect" reasoning to support its "excessively broad proposition that sales free and clear under [Bankruptcy Code ("Code")] Section 363 override, and essentially render nugatory, the critical lessee protections against a debtor-lessor under [Code] 365(h)," said the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Feb. 16, 2022. In re Royal Bistro, LLC, 2022 WL 499938, *1-*2 (5th Cir. Feb. 16, 2022).

Here’s an important rule for mediators:

• When the parties try to present you with a binary equation—“either this or that”—reject it; instead
• Get the parties involved in the process with you—try to help think your way out of the binary box they are trying to put you in.

–From Judge Gerald E. Rosen [fn. 1] in a May 2021 interview on mediation in the City of Detroit bankruptcy [fn. 2].

And here’s an illustration of how Judge Rosen faced a binary equation of huge proportions in the City of Detroit bankruptcy—from that interview.

The Bankruptcy Protector

Envision a scenario in which you purchased a right of first refusal for a parcel of real estate. That right, as bargained for, would let you purchase the parcel if it was put up for sale by matching any competing bidder’s offer. As a diligent prospective purchaser, you would naturally record that right of first refusal in the appropriate land records. So far so good.

On April 24, 2022, EYP Group Holdings, Inc. of Albany, NY filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Case No. 22-10367), along with several affiliates.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Russia has taken another step closer to defaulting on its sovereign debts after an industry watchdog overseeing the credit-default swaps market ruled Wednesday that Russia failed to meet its obligations to foreign bondholders when it paid them in rubles earlier this month.

On April 24, 2022, Hamon Holdings Corporation of Somerville, N.J. filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Case No. 22-10375). The company is subsidiary of Belgian company Hamon & Cie.