Fulltext Search

GAO has issued a report which noted the FDIC and Federal Reserve have developed separate but similar review processes for determining whether a resolution plan, often referred to as a “living will,” is “not credible” or would not facilitate a company’s orderly resolution under the Bankruptcy Code.

The Federal Reserve Board approved a final rule specifying its procedures for emergency lendingunder Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act.  Since the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010, the Board’s authority to engage in emergency lending has been limited to programs and facilities with “broad-based eligibility” that have been established with the approval

A case against a hedge fund, and one of its partners and in-house counsel, related to actions at a portfolio company and alleging breach of fiduciary duties survived a motion to dismiss.  The portfolio company, alleged to be insolvent, was a credit derivative product company that had a subsidiary that wrote credit default swaps.

A New York state court recently denied a motion to dismiss an action brought by a reorganized debtor against the former chair of the official committee of unsecured creditors in the debtor's chapter 11 case.1  The decision is noteworthy for its holding that the reorganized debtor had standing to commence an action against the former committee member even though the claim was not expressly listed as an asset of the estate in the debtor's chapter 11 disclosure statement.

Background

Due to the substantial time and effort involved in negotiating and confirming a Chapter 11 reorganization plan, and the potential for improperly solicited votes to be disqualified, plan proponents generally are well advised to adhere strictly to the plan voting and disclosure requirements of the Bankruptcy Code.  A recent Delaware bankruptcy court decision, In re Indianapolis Downs, LLC,1 indicates that creditors who actively negotiate the terms of a debtor's reorganization can, under certain circumstances, enter into a formal plan support agreement with the debtor

A recent case1 decided by Judge Stuart Bernstein of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York demonstrates that a developer's properly crafted chapter 11 plan of reorganization can effectively "restore" trust funds that it previously had "diverted" under the New York Lien Law.

A decision issued earlier this year by a Florida bankruptcy court1 provides comfort to those who accept payment from a debtor-in-possession in return for goods or services. The court held that to invoke the jurisdiction of a bankruptcy court in a lawsuit to recover an alleged impermissible post-petition transfer by a debtor, the plaintiff must establish that the debtor's estate was diminished as a result of the transfer to the defendant.

Congratulations!  You just successfully negotiated a prepackaged chapter 11 plan of reorganization for a multi-billion dollar enterprise which leaves general unsecured creditors unimpaired and has been unanimously approved by the debtors' creditors.  It's smooth sailing from here, right?

A recent opinion from the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of New York shows that even the best laid strategies can return to haunt the insiders of a debtor.  In Wallach v.