Fulltext Search
SDNY Bankruptcy Court holds that the bankruptcy safe harbors do not preclude state-law fraudulent transfer actions brought by creditors

A bankruptcy judge in the Southern District of New York recently held that section 546(e) of the Bankruptcy Code does not prevent a debtor’s creditors from bringing state-law fraudulent conveyance actions that challenge a leveraged buyout of the debtor. Weisfelner v. Fund 1 (In re Lyondell Chem. Co.), No. 10-4609 (REG), --- B.R. ----, 2014 WL 118036 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Jan. 14, 2014).

USA, New York, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Alston & Bird LLP, Debtor, Leveraged buyout, Title 11 of the US Code, United States bankruptcy court, US District Court for the Southern District of New York
In re Louisiana Riverboat Gaming P’ship

In In re Louisiana Riverboat Gaming P’ship (Global Gaming Legends, LLC v. Legends Gaming of Louisana-1, LLC) (“Global Gaming”), the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana stayed discovery in an adversary proceeding pending decision on a party’s motion to withdraw the reference to the district court, finding too much risk that the bankruptcy court would later be found to be without authority to handle pre-trial discovery for the “Stern-governed” core claims at issue. Adv. Proc. No. 13AP-1007 (Bankr. W.D. La. Jan. 10, 2014).

USA, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Alston & Bird LLP, Debtor, Breach of contract, Discovery, Ninth Circuit, United States bankruptcy court
SDNY bankruptcy court upholds swap provision that modifies the method to calculate amounts owing upon the counterparty’s bankruptcy

TheLehman Brothers bankruptcy court has determined that the contractually specified methodology for conducting the liquidation of a swap agreement is protected by the safe harbor provisions of the bankruptcy, even if the selected methodology would be more favorable to the non-defaulting counterparty than the liquidation methodology that would apply absent the bankruptcy.See Michigan State Housing Dev. Auth. v. Lehman Bros. Deriv. Prods. Inc. (In re Lehman Bros. Holdings Inc.), No. 08-13555, ---B.R.

USA, New York, Derivatives, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Alston & Bird LLP, Bankruptcy, Swap (finance), Liquidation, International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Lehman Brothers, United States bankruptcy court, US District Court for the Southern District of New York
Delaware bankruptcy court holds that mutuality requirement for postpetition setoff is not modified by contract or the safe harbor provision

In an adversary proceeding filed in the American Home Mortgage Holdings, Inc. bankruptcy case, the Delaware bankruptcy court affirmed that triangular setoffs are not allowed under the Bankruptcy Code and cannot be modified by contract or under the Bankruptcy Code’s safe harbor provision. In re American Home Mortgage Holdings, Inc., et al., Adv. Proc. No. 11-51851 (Bankr. D. Del. Nov. 8, 2013). Two contracts were at issue – a swap agreement between a bank and American Home Mortgage Investment Corp.

USA, Delaware, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Alston & Bird LLP, Safe harbor (law), United States bankruptcy court
Seventh Circuit adopts Second Circuit’s broad safe harbor definitions

The Seventh Circuit has explicitly adopted the Second Circuit’s broad interpretation of the terms “transfer” and “settlement payment” in the Bankruptcy Code’s safe harbor provisions. See Peterson v. Somers Dublin Ltd., No. 12-2463, --- F.3d ----, 2013 WL 4767495 (7th Cir. Sept.

USA, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Alston & Bird LLP, Federal Reporter, Enron, Second Circuit, Seventh Circuit
Ninth Circuit holds bankruptcy courts may recharacterize debt as equity

The Ninth Circuit has joined the majority of Circuit Courts in holding that bankruptcy courts have the authority to recharacterize alleged debts as equity. See Official Comm. of Unsecured Creds. v. Hancock Park Capital II, L.P. (In re Fitness Holdings Int’l, Inc.), No. 11-56677, --- F.3d ----, 2013 WL 1800000 (9th Cir. April 30, 2013). In doing so, the appellate court has explicitly reversed the contrary precedent of In re Pacific Express, Inc., 69 B.R. 112, 115 (B.A.P. 9th Cir. 1986).

USA, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Alston & Bird LLP, Debt, Ninth Circuit, United States bankruptcy court
In re Big M, Inc.

In re Big M, Inc., No. 13-10233 (DHS), 2013 WL 1681489 (Bankr. D.N.J. April 17, 2013). In Big M, the Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey (the “Bankruptcy Court”) held that the debtor’s privilege did not pass to the creditors’ committee, even though the creditors’ committee obtained authority to investigate certain of the debtor’s causes of action, because the committee was acting as a fiduciary to creditors as opposed to the debtor’s estate.

USA, New Jersey, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Alston & Bird LLP, Debtor, Fiduciary