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A Tale of Fraud and Overzealousness: How the Judicial Shrinkage of “Initial Transferee” Saved an Innocent Immigrant From a Corrupt Car Dealer and a Troublesome Trustee

What happens when a shady businessman transfers $1 million from one floundering car dealership to another via the bank account of an innocent immigrant? Will the first dealership’s future chapter 7 trustee be allowed to recover from the naïve newcomer as the “initial transferee” of a fraudulent transfer as per the strict letter of the law? Or will our brave courts of equity exercise their powers to prevent a most grave injustice?

USA, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP
Third Circuit Adopts Standard for Appointment of Future Claimants Representatives

The court's decision in In re Imerys Talc America, Inc. clarifies the appointment standard for future claimants representatives in the Third Circuit under Section 524(g) of the US Bankruptcy Code.

In a precedential decision, the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld the appointment of James L. Patton, Jr. as the legal representative for future talc claimants (FCR) by the bankruptcy court in the Imerys Talc America chapter 11 cases.1

USA, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Latham & Watkins LLP, U.S. Court of Appeals
Recent Developments at the Intersection of Bankruptcy and Environmental Law

Retired U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert E. Gerber once observed that “issues as to the interplay between environmental law and bankruptcy are among the thorniest on the litigation map.” Difficulties navigating this interplay largely stem from the inherent conflict between the goals of bankruptcy and environmental laws, with the former aimed at providing debtors with a fresh start, while the latter cast a broad net to hold parties (even some innocent parties) responsible for past harm to the environment.

USA, Environment & Climate Change, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, Supply chain, Mediation, US Environmental Protection Agency, US Congress, Supreme Court of the United States
A Foreign Entity May be Subject to U.S. Bankruptcy Court Jurisdiction Simply by Utilizing a U.S. Bank Account in a Transaction with Another Foreign Entity

A foreign (non-U.S.) company can be dragged unwillingly into a U.S. bankruptcy case if the bankruptcy court has “personal jurisdiction” over the company.

USA, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, Bankruptcy, United States bankruptcy court
A Foreign Entity May be Subject to U.S. Bankruptcy Court Jurisdiction Simply by Utilizing a U.S. Bank Account in a Transaction with Another Foreign Entity

A foreign (non-U.S.) company can be dragged unwillingly into a U.S. bankruptcy case if the bankruptcy court has “personal jurisdiction” over the company.

USA, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, United States bankruptcy court
Hong Kong Court Breathes New Life Into Rule in Gibbs

Judicial comments cast doubt on the ability to compromise US law-governed debt effectively based on Chapter 15 recognition alone.

Global, Hong Kong, Company & Commercial, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Latham & Watkins LLP
Supreme Court Resolves Split on U.S. Trustee Fees

Introduction

USA, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, US Congress, Supreme Court of the United States
Statute of Limitations, Res Judicata, and Collateral Estoppel—Oh My! Asserting Affirmative Defenses in Delaware Bankruptcy Court

The issue of whether directors, officers, and/or shareholders breached their fiduciary duties to a company prior to bankruptcy is commonly litigated in chapter 11 cases, as creditors look to additional sources for recovery, such as D&O insurance or “deep-pocket” shareholders, including private equity firms. The recent decision in In re AMC Investors, LLC, 637 B.R. 43 (Bankr. D. Del. 2022) provides a helpful reminder of the importance of timing in bringing such claims and the use by defendants of affirmative defenses to defeat those claims.

USA, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, Private equity
Courts Begin to Wrestle with the Impact of City of Chicago, Illinois v. Fulton on a Debtor’s Ability to Recover Estate Property

Courts Begin to Wrestle with the Impact of on a Debtor’s Ability to Recover Estate Property

USA, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, Supreme Court of the United States
National Security & Investment Act: Cold Comfort for Officeholders

Insolvency officeholders may need clearance upon appointment to entity in an affected sector.

United Kingdom, Corporate Finance/M&A, Insolvency & Restructuring, Latham & Watkins LLP, Foreign direct investment, Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States