On October 10, 2012, Vertis Holdings, Inc. ("Vertis"), and various related entities, filed chapter 11 petitions for bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.  This is Vertis' third time in bankruptcy in recent years.  As stated in the company's Declaration in Support of Chapter 11 Petitions (the "Decl."), Vertis filed a prepackaged bankruptcy in Delaware in July of 2008.  Vertis filed its first bankruptcy in order to merge with American Color Graphics and restructure some of the company's debt.   Decl.

On September 28, 2012, Southern Air Holdings ("Southern Air" or "Debtor"), along with various related entities, filed chapter 11 petitions in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.  As stated in its Declarations in Support of Chapter 11 Petitions and First Day Relief (the "Declaration" or "Decl."), Southern Air describes itself as a "long-haul, wide-body air cargo" provider for governments and commercial users.  Decl.

This week, Edward Gavin, the liquidating trustee (the "Trustee") for the Ultimate Escapes bankruptcy, filed preference complaints against several defendants.  Under the complaints, the Trustee alleges that the defendants received preferential transfers that are avoidable under 11 U.S.C. section 547 of the Bankruptcy Code.  For those unfamiliar with this bankruptcy proceeding, Ultimate Escapes ("Ultimate" or the "Debtor") filed petitions for bankruptcy in the Delaware Bankruptcy Court on September 20, 2010. 

Earlier this week, George L.

California’s AB 506 process was intended to help a municipality in restructuring its debt obligations and avoid bankruptcy. However, the lessons of the bankruptcies of the City of Stockton, the Town of Mammoth Lakes and the City of San Bernardino support the reality that a meaningful restructure requires material involvement by the major stakeholders. California’s recent wave of municipal bankruptcies tend to show that the AB 506 process has not changed this reality, but rather made a difficult process longer and more arduous.

Often, corporate boards do not consider how to handle a company bankruptcy until the moment insolvency is looming.

On September 11, 2012, Digital Domain Media Group and various related entities (collectively, "Digital Domain") filed chapter 11 petitions for bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.  Digital Domain filed several "first day" pleadings with the Bankruptcy Court, one of which is the Declaration of Digital Domain's Chief Restructuring Officer in Support of First Day Motions (the "Declaration").  As set forth in the Declaration, Digital Domain provi

On August 29, 2012, Contec Holdings, Ltd ("Contec") and various related entities filed chapter 11 petitions for bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.  Simultaneous with filing its bankruptcy petitions, Contec also filed with the Bankruptcy Court a declaration of the company's Chief Restructuring Officer in support of its first day motions (the "Declaration").  Contec was started in 1978 and provides repair services for cable and broadband operators.  The company services equipment such as cable set-tops, modems and satellite receivers.

There are generally three types of claims in a bankruptcy proceeding: unsecured claims, secured claims and administrative expense claims. Section 503 of the Bankruptcy Code governs the allowance of administrative expense claims. Section 503 provides that "after notice and a hearing, there shall be allowed administrative expenses…, including the actual and necessary costs and expenses of preserving the estate." 11 U.S.C. § 503(b)(1)(A).

Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 3003(c)(3) provides that "the [bankruptcy] court shall fix and for cause shown may extend the time within which proofs of claim or interest may be filed."  For various reasons, creditors sometimes miss the claims "bar date" and need to seek permission from the court to file a late filed claim or deem the late-filed claim allowed.  In order to succeed, the creditor must convince the court that the late claim was the result of excusable neglect.  In re Garden Ridge Corp., 348 B.R. 642, 645 (Bankr. D. Del.