Litigation

Lender not obliged to advise borrower about onerous term

In Finch and another v Lloyds TSB Bank Plc and others,  the High Court considered whether a lender had a duty to advise a borrower about a clause in its loan agreement making it liable for the bank's hedging break costs if the borrower chose to repay a fixed rate loan early.

While many people only see the glamorous, large Chapter 11 cases filed in the Delaware Bankruptcy Court, the Court still handles individual bankruptcies – treating them with just as much respect as any other case. On July 8, 2016, the chief bankruptcy judge, Brendan L. Shannon, issued an opinion valuing the mobile home of Ms. Anita Barnard.

On July 1, 2016, Gold Alchemy LLC filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. According to the petition, the debtor’s estimated assets are $10 to 50 million, and estimated liabilities are $50 to 100 million.

Alchemy is a distribution company formerly known as Millennium Entertainment. According to Deadline Hollywood:

The results are in!

As I mentioned in my May 25th blog post, Curtis James Jackson III, better known as rapper 50 Cent (“Jackson”) was scheduled for his bankruptcy confirmation hearing yesterday (July 6th).

On June 29, 2016, Judge Sleet of the Delaware District Court entered an order denying a motion for stay of the Debtors’ plan confirmation pending appeal. A copy of the related Opinion is attached here.

On July 1, 2016, SynCardia Systems, Inc. (“Debtor” or “SynCardia”) filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

According to the Declaration of Stephen Marotta, the Debtor’s Chief Restructuring Officer, SynCardia is a medical technology company that develops artificial heart implants. In the months leading to the Debtor’s filing, SynCardia attempted but then withdrew an IPO attempt due to adverse market conditions. Since then it has become insolvent.

June 2016 BREXIT A changing legal landscape? 1 INTRODUCTION Yesterday, the UK public voted for the UK to leave the European Union ( EU). This briefing discusses, in outline, the potential timetable for Brexit, the possible shape that Brexit might take and the potential impact Brexit might have on certain areas of law relevant to your business.

On June 22, 2016, Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein of the Delaware Bankruptcy Court ruled on a motion to for class certification in the PacSun bankruptcy, Case No. 16-10882. In 2011, two plaintiffs filed actions under the California Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”), alleging violations of California wage and hour laws. One of the Plaintiffs was granted class certification in February, 2016. After PacSun filed for bankruptcy, these plaintiffs moved for authority to file bankruptcy proofs of claim as representatives of the PAGA class for the class.

On June 16, 2016, the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors (the “Committee”) of Kid Brands Inc., et al. (the “Debtors”), filed approximately 64 complaints seeking the avoidance and recovery of allegedly preferential and fraudulent transfers under Sections 547, 548 and 550 of the Bankruptcy Code. The Committee also seeks to disallow claims of such preference defendants under Sections 502(d) and (j) of the Bankruptcy Code.

In my May 26th post, I raised several questions that unsecured creditors in any Chapter 11 case should know the answers to and take action where appropriate.