The Bankruptcy Protector
Imagine this: you sell a product to a company on credit at 8% interest until you are paid, and the company files for bankruptcy before repayment. Or maybe you are a hard money lender that made an unsecured loan at 18% to a company to bridge through hard times, and the company files for bankruptcy. Or maybe you are a secured creditor with a 5% loan on real estate, and after the borrower files for bankruptcy, you discover there is a defect in your mortgage and your lien can be stripped.
The Fifth Circuit recently dismissed an appeal of a confirmation order as equitably moot. The decision was based on three key factors: the appellant hadn’t obtained a stay pending appeal, the plan had been substantially consummated, and practical relief couldn’t be fashioned if the plan was unwound.Talarico v. Ultra Petro. Corp. (In re Ultra Petro. Corp.), Case No. 21-20049, 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 8941 (5th Cir. Apr. 1, 2022).
What role might dispute funding play in a complex cross-border dispute involving multiple jurisdictions in Latin America?
On April 12, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a blog post titled “Busting myths about bankruptcy and private student loans.” In the blog post, the CFPB argues that certain private education loans can be discharged in bankruptcy. Specifically, the CFPB argues that the following private student loans can be discharged without a showing of undue hardship and an adversary proceeding:
Question: What gets an attorney’s fee application allowed—or rejected—in bankruptcy?
Short answer: The services, (i) must be “necessary,” and (ii) must require legal expertise.
Two Recent Opinions
Two recent opinions address this question:
In this edition of Restructuring Watch, we reflect on the first court decision on the moratorium procedure, some recent schemes and restructuring plans, the lifting of the remaining pandemic-related restrictions for commercial landlords alongside the introduction of the Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Act 2022 and an extension of the UK directors’ disqualification regime.
Corbin & King: First Judicial Consideration of the CIGA moratorium
Introduction
The Bankruptcy Protector
On April 11, 2022, Sungard AS New Holdings, LLC and several affiliates have filed a petition for Chapter 11 relief in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (Case No. 22-90018). The company reports $500 million to $1 billion in both assets and liabilities.
“Subchapter V is supposed to be a fast process toward plan confirmation, but I don’t see that happening!”
–Comment of a Bankruptcy Judge (as I recall the comment)
It’s true: (i) Subchapter V is supposed to go quickly, but (ii) it often doesn’t.
Here’s why it doesn’t: debtor attorneys often fail to push their cases forward.
Illustration
A bankruptcy court opinion, in a Subchapter V case, illustrates the problem.