In an opinion issued today, the Supreme Court held that debtors do not have the right to immediately appeal a bankruptcy court’s decision denying confirmation of a proposed reorganization plan. This decision resolves a circuit split, and confirms the balance of power between debtors and creditors in the plan confirmation process. As the Supreme Court explained, “the knowledge that [a debtor] will have no guaranteed appeal from a denial should encourage the debtor to work with creditors and the trustee to develop a confirmable plan as promptly as possible.”
Big Case for UCC Aficionados
Aereo, Inc. will be permitted to auction off its live television streaming technology to the highest bidder in accordance with a December 24 order, signed by a New York bankruptcy court judge, approving a deal between Aereo and the broadcast television networks on the sale process.
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeal’s recent decision in State Bank of Toulon v. Covey (In re Duckworth)Case Nos. 14-1561 and 1650 (7th Cir. November 21, 2014) illustrates how a banker’s seemingly minor mistake in drafting secured loan documents granting a lien to secure a non-existent obligation can lead to avoidance of a lender’s security interest by the borrower’s bankruptcy trustee.
On October 31, 2014, Bankruptcy Judge Kaplan of the District of New Jersey addressed two issues critically important to intellectual property licensees and purchasers: (i) can a trademark licensee use section 365(n) of the Bankruptcy Code to keep licensed marks following a debtor-licensor’s rejection of a license agreement?; and (ii) can a “free and clear” sale of intellectual property eliminate any rights retained by a licensee? In re Crumbs Bake Shop, Inc., et al., 2014 WL 5508177 (Bankr. D.N.J. Oct. 31, 2014).
On September 9, 2014, the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York held that certain senior lenders were not entitled to the benefit of their indentures’ make-whole premiums, because they had voluntarily accelerated their notes. As we have reminded our readers several times, careful drafting of what may seem like basic boilerplate provisions is important. Seemingly benign stand-alone provisions may have unintended consequences when linked together in a single agreement.
In earlier posts, we discussed rulings by two bankruptcy courts, one in Delaware and one in Virginia, in which the potential chilling e
Lenders typically have extensive requirements for what inventory will be deemed “eligible” and included in a borrower’s borrowing base for purposes of determining how much the lender is required to lend. One of those typical requirements is that the inventory be owned by the borrower and located at a borrower location in the United States of America, where it will be subject to the Uniform Commercial Code and amenable to an Article 9 security interest.
Bankruptcy Remote? Maybe Not
The recent unanimous decision of the United States Supreme Court (the “Court”) in Clark v. Rameker, 573 U.S. _____ (2014) held that inherited IRAs do not constitute “retirement funds” within the meaning of section 522(b)(3)(C) of the United States Bankruptcy Code. Consequently, inherited IRAs are not exempt from creditor claims in bankruptcy proceedings. The Court’s holding highlights the importance of sound financial and estate planning to protect inherited retirement plan assets from claims of a beneficiary’s creditors.
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