In a memorandum decision dated May 4, 2015, Judge Vincent L. Briccetti of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York affirmed the September 2014 decision of Judge Robert D. Drain of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, confirming the joint plans of reorganization (the “Plan”) in the Chapter 11 cases of MPM Silicones LLC and its affiliates (“Momentive”). Appeals were taken on three separate parts of Judge Drain’s confirmation decision, each of which ultimately was affirmed by the district court:
Overview
On Monday, December 1, 2014, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Financial Institution Bankruptcy Act of 2014 (“FIBA” or “the Act”). The Act, which garnered bipartisan support as well as the approval of financial regulators, seeks to facilitate the recapitalization of financial institutions by reforming the bankruptcy process, while maintaining financial stability in U.S. markets. The Act now must be approved by the Senate and then signed into law by the President.
Dealing a major blow to the trustee’s efforts to recover fraudulent transfers on behalf of the bankruptcy estate of the company run by Bernard Madoff, Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York held in SIPC v. Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC1 that the Bankruptcy Code cannot be used to recover fraudulent transfers of funds that occur entirely outside the United States.