Fulltext Search

Synopsis

In the latest decision of the British Columbia Supreme Court (the “Court”) regarding the bankruptcy of Ted LeRoy Trucking Ltd. (“TLT”), the Court found that unpaid remittances owed by TLT to third party benefit providers constituted “wages” within the meaning of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (“BIA). This entitled the benefit providers to super priority secured status in the bankruptcy of TLT.

The Facts

In April 2011, the Ontario Court of Appeal rendered a unanimous judgment in Re Indalex Limited which ordered that the amount the debtor was required to contribute towards its pension plan wind up deficiency be paid in higher priority to repayments to its DIP lender. This judgment was a surprise to the legal community. Leave to appeal has since been granted by the Supreme Court of Canada. In November 2011, groups of White Birch employees and retirees (referred to below as employees) filed motions seeking the application of the legal findings of Indalex to White Birch.

IN RE: USA BABY, INC. (March 28, 2012)

Scott Wallis owned 5% of USA Baby, Inc., a children's furniture franchisor. After its creditors forced it into reorganization, the bankruptcy trustee moved to convert the case to a liquidation. The bankruptcy judge agreed. Wallis moved twice for reconsideration. He alleged first that the trustee and franchisees committed fraud. He later argued that reorganization was possible if the franchisees paid fees that were due. The court denied his requests. Judge Lefkow (N.D. Ill.) affirmed. Wallis appeals.

The Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday in RadLAX Gateway Hotel over whether the Bankruptcy Code permits a debtor in a chapter 11 case to sell encumbered assets without providing its secured lenders an opportunity to credit bid their debt. 

Opposing lawyers for Jefferson County, the debtor in the largest Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy case ever filed, and the holders of its sewer warrants squared off last week in the ongoing fight over control of the County’s sewer system and the right to its revenues. (Expert witness

We have been following the saga of the case brought by Irving Picard, the trustee overseeing the Bernard Madoff bankruptcy liquidation proceeding, against the owners of the NY Mets, Saul Katz and Fred Wilpon.