We sent to you earlier this week an Alert on "Chrysler Bankruptcy Filing and Preliminary Impact on Suppliers." As we promised, below is an update based upon our review of the case and observations at the hearings.

Essential Supplier Motion

The Court approved treatment of essential suppliers on a temporary basis. Here is a summary of the Interim Order:

Chrysler's bankruptcy filing, which occurred on April 30, has generated considerable activity already. Baker Hostetler has been monitoring closely the Chrysler activity for our supplier clients. We attended the hearing on the first day filings, which were generally ministerial in nature. The court approved joint administration, maintenance of cash management/business forms, enforcement of automatic stay, payment of wages, and honoring of all warranties.

The Sixth Circuit recently held that section 2-702(3) of the Uniform Commercial Code (the "UCC"), which permits good faith purchasers to defeat a valid right to reclaim, does not allow a secured creditor to defeat that right.[1] The Sixth Circuit found that the security interest held by a DIP lender could not be used to defeat the right of a reclaiming creditor under the UCC or pre-BAPCPA section 546(c) of the Bankruptcy Code. This decision may impact the way bankruptcy courts consider reclamation claims under revised section 546(c) of the Bankruptcy Code.

In the very early hours on September 20, 2008, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the "Bankruptcy Court") entered an order (the "Sale Order") approving the sale of substantially all of the assets of Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. ("Lehman"), LB 745 LLC and Lehman Brothers, Inc. (collectively, the "Lehman Sellers") to Barclays Capital, Inc. free and clear of all liens claims, encumbrances and other interests.

As has been widely reported, on September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. ("Lehman") filed for protection under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the "Bankruptcy Court"). Except for LB 745 LLC which is the Lehman entity that was formed to own Lehman's headquarters in New York, the other subsidiaries (the "Lehman Subsidiaries") of Lehman have not filed for bankruptcy protection as of the time of publication of this Alert.

Buyers of, and lenders upon, distressed California real property can sleep a little better following a recent U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision: In the Matter of Craig L. Tippett, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 18914 (September 4, 2008). In Tippett, the Court upheld the California bona fide purchaser statute against a federal preemption claim and declined to find a violation of the Bankruptcy Code’s automatic stay provision in order to affirm an unauthorized real property sale by the Chapter 7 debtor.

Customers dealing with troubled automotive suppliers often decide to resource production to other suppliers rather than facilitate a true restructuring of the troubled supplier's business. Such resourcing, however, generally cannot be done overnight. Tier 1 suppliers or original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs") often take months to resource production. Because of the "just in time" production process, Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs often cannot afford to be without component parts or tooling for the period of time that it may take to resource.

The auto parts supply industry has been beset by financial problems for several decades. Original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs") typically have the right to immediately seize their tooling, which the supplier holds in order to make parts. This allows OEMs to quickly move the tooling to another supplier and avoid an assembly line shutdown if the supplier fails. The right to immediately reclaim tooling, however, may be restricted if the supplier files for bankruptcy.

In previous Alerts, we have addressed the complexities of claims in bankruptcy. Likewise, trading in claims and securities can present challenges. Difficulties have arisen in large Chapter 11 reorganizations as constituencies engaged in the Chapter 11 process, who are major players in the case, seek to trade in securities relating to that case. This Alert explores the impact that some trading activities may have on potential recoveries in the bankruptcy and the help (and impact) of the Internal Revenue Code.

In 2006, the Colorado Legislature passed HB 06-1387, which produced significant changes to Colorado’s foreclosure laws. Although the majority of the changes were to take effect July 1, 2007, the 2007 Legislature passed HB 07-1157, which made additional changes and pushed back the effective date for many of the 2006 modifications to January 1, 2008. This alert summarizes the most significant changes that will affect both lenders and borrowers and provides a revised timeline for the foreclosure process after January 1, 2008.

SUMMARY OF CHANGES