As a company turns in the widening gyre of financial distress, its directors and officers are often confronted with situations that require them to make difficult decisions. Should things fall apart, those decisions may give rise to claims that directors or officers breached their fiduciary duties to the company. A 

Those of us old enough to remember the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (or NAFTA) recall its promise of free movement of goods, services, persons, and capital between Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and greater economic prosperity in each of these countries.

The ability of a foreign debtor to avail itself of the protections of the Bankruptcy Code, such as the automatic stay, with respect to its property located within the United States is one of the most fundamental and valuable tools available to foreign debtors with domestically located property. When a foreign debtor obtains “recognition” of its principal insolvency proceeding by U.S.

During the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath, it became commonplace for a distressed bank to be taken over(night) by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and then sold, that same day, to another bank (or bank holding company) that agreed to take on the depository liability associated with the failed bank in exchange for its assets (and customer base). Some banks, however, survived the tidal wave of takeovers.

In 1932, J. Howard Marshall and William O.

As a result of the sheer number of legal and factual issues involved in many chapter 11 cases, bankruptcy judges can sometimes find themselves as captives of the parties; they may not appreciate the significance of an issue or a provision buried in a longer document unless it is properly presented. Thus, it is imperative that counsel flag the key issues for the court.

Who are we kidding? The topic of statutory insiders has been a blog favorite, year after year.

Earlier this week, the Third Circuit affirmed a federal bankruptcy court’s dismissal of a mesothelioma claim against a bankrupt oil company that arose as an adversary proceeding fifteen years after the bankruptcy plan was confirmed and discharged all outstanding claims.  The Circuit held that because the parties conceded the claim arose at the time of the victim’s asbestos exposure, which pre-dated the defendant’s bankruptcy, a

“In bankruptcy, as in life, timing can be everything” – the Fifth Circuit.

“A boy’s best friend is his mother.” – Norman Bates

“Let’s have a family gathering for the remaining family members who still speak to each other” – Someecards, Inc.