Increasingly, struggling businesses are opting to use Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a vehicle to sell substantially all of their assets. This is because Chapter 11 debtors can sell assets under uniquely buyer-friendly conditions. The last several years have revealed a clear trend in favor of quick liquidation by sale motion. As businesses continue to falter and fail due to the continuing financial crisis, it is likely that liquidations by Chapter 11 sale motion will continue to gain popularity.

Section 503(b)(9) of the Bankruptcy Code, which was added to the Code pursuant to the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Ace of 2005 ("BAPCPA"), creates an administrative claim in favor of pre-petition suppliers of goods under certain circumstances. From the time of its enactment, courts and practitioners have sought clarity regarding the correct interpretation of key elements of this section of the Code. This article examines the concept of the date of "receipt" of goods for purposes of §503(b)(9).

The chronology in many successful Chapter 11 cases is for the debtor to confirm its plan of reorganization, and then turn its attention to recovering preferential transfers of money or property made in the 90 days (or 1 year for insiders of the debtor) before the bankruptcy filing. This article explores the duty to provide information in the plan about possible preference actions, and the level of disclosure necessary to preserve them.

Can the owners of a company retain their equity interests in a Chapter 11 reorganization plan? The answer to this question is often critical in determining whether a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding is a desirable option for the company's owners. If the company is unable to pay its creditors in full, then the absolute priority rule prohibits owners from retaining their interests under a reorganization plan unless the owners contribute new value to the business that is both substantial and essential to the company's reorganization efforts.

A recent Pennsylvania case, Graystone Bank v. Grove Estates, LP, upheld the enforceability of a confessed judgment provision even in light of alleged inconsistencies. In most cases, a confessed judgment is a debtor’s statement signed prior to a default that a stipulated amount is owed to a creditor and permits bypassing certain legal proceedings.

Atari, Inc., the creator of the primordial video game “Pong”, filed for Chapter 11 yesterday in the U.S.

The battle in California municipal bankruptcies between bond investors and Calpers, the California public employee pension system, began in the Stockton Chapter 9 bankruptcy case and continues unabated in the

Detroit has seen signs of revival in its urban core following the near-death experiences of GM and Chrysler. Unfortunately, its municipal finances remain beaten down by the city’s long and precipitous decline over the past several decades. Labor and legacy costs, incurred when the auto industry thrived and the popul

DRI- The Voice of the Defense Bar

The ability of secured creditors to credit bid in sales conducted under bankruptcy plans of reorganization is an important right that protects them against low bids from rival purchasers. A secured creditor is typically permitted to offset, or bid, its secured allowed claim against the purchase price in a sale of collateral conducted under section 363(b) of the United States Bankruptcy Code.

Large law firm failures typically produce lengthy and litigious bankruptcy cases. A frustrated lawyer in one such case succinctly described the essential problem: “the assets walk, talk and, worst of all, have their own counsel.” To the inherent tensions and creditor demands of any large chapter 11 case are added  the raw pain, similar to divorce, that many partners feel at the downfall of an institutio