On August 15, 2011, Evergreen Solar ("Evergreen"), filed chapter 11 petitions for Bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. According to the Declaration of Evergreen's CEO, Michael El-Hillow (the "Declaration" or "Decl."), filed in support of its bankruptcy petitions, Evergreen incorporated in Delaware in 1994 and manufactures "multi-cystalline silicon wafers." The company uses its silicon wafers in the production of photovoltaic solar cells, which in turn are installed in solar panels under the Evergreen trade name. Decl. at 3.
On August 7, 2009, Meridian Automotive Systems ("Meridian") filed a voluntary petition for relief under chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. Soon after Meridian filed its petition for bankruptcy, the Office of the United States Trustee appointed George L.
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Introduction
Last month, Jeoffrey Burtch, the Chapter 7 Trustee (the "Trustee") in the Opus East bankruptcy filed approximately 90 preference actions against various defendants. As stated in his complaints, the Trustee "seeks to avoid and recover ... all preferential transfers of property made for or on account of an antecedent debt made to or for the benefit of the Defendant by the Debtor during the ninety-day period prior to the filing of the Debtor's bankruptcy petition under 11 U.S.C. sec.
Introduction
On June 28, 2011, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held that secured creditors have a statutory right to credit bid1 their debt at an asset sale conducted under a "cramdown" plan. In re River Road Hotel Partners, LLC, ___ F.3d. ___, 2011 WL 2547615 (7th Cir. June 28, 2011).2 The Seventh Circuit's decision creates a split with recent decisions in the Third and Fifth Circuits regarding a lender's ability to credit bid its secured debt. See In re Philadelphia Newspapers, 599 F.3d 298 (3d Cir. 2010); In re Pacific Lumber, Co., 584 F.3d 229 (5th Cir.
Introduction
Last month, the Chapter 7 trustee (the "Trustee") in the Viashow bankruptcy filed avoidance actions against several creditors of the bankruptcy estate. One avoidance action in particular seeks to recover damages allegedly sustained by Viashow due to breaches of fiduciary duties by its officers and directors (the "D&O Action"). In addition to Viashow's officers and directors, the D&O Action seeks damages against defendants who allegedly "aided and abetted" the officers and directors in their breach.