In In re CII Parent, Inc.,¹ the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware affirmed a secured lender’s prepetition exercise of its proxy rights and its subsequent removal and replacement of the directors/managers of the debtor’s non-bankrupt subsidiaries, effectively cutting off the debtor’s ability to pursue effective relief in the bankruptcy case.

It may be fair to say that non-US entities involved in a chapter 15 case, the mechanism through which US courts recognize foreign insolvency proceedings, do not anticipate having to litigate claims raised in the chapter 15 case outside of the bankruptcy court. This may be due in large part to 28 U.S.C. § 1334(c)(1), an abstention statute applicable in chapter 15 bankruptcy proceedings.

A modification of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan on the eve of the hearing on confirmation of that plan requires re-solicitation of votes and re-voting if the modification materially and adversely affects a class of claims or interests, i.e., equity holders, according to the Eleventh Circuit’s opinion in In re America-CV Station Group, Inc., 56 F.4th 1302 (11th Cir. Jan. 5, 2023).

In a bankruptcy trustee’s adversary action to recover money paid to a collection agency within 90 days prior to the filing of the debtor’s bankruptcy petition, and pursuant to a previous garnishment order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently reversed the ruling of a trial court denying the trustee’s application.

Over the past year, the ebb and flow of bankruptcy filings has been an interesting one. Through 11 months, the number of bankruptcy filings has decreased from 2021, which was already at its lowest level since the 1980s.

The total number of bankruptcy filings through November stands at 346,760. Based on a recent monthly uptick in both consumer and commercial filings, we should expect the year to end with approximately 385,000, a 4% decrease from the 401,291 filings in 2021.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently affirmed a bankruptcy court’s judgment in favor of a debtor who sought to avoid a judgment lien under California’s homestead exemption law.

In so ruling, the Ninth Circuit held that, when a judgment lien impairs a debtor’s state-law homestead exemption, the Bankruptcy Code requires courts to determine the exemption to which the debtor would have been entitled in the absence of the lien.

On November 11, 2022, FTX, the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency exchange, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States. Reports suggest that the exchange might have a shortfall of as much as US$8 billion. The collapse has sent shockwaves through the cryptocurrency market, undermined investor confidence and led to renewed calls for authorities to accelerate the implementation of fit-for-purpose regulations.

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

In response to a certified question from a bankruptcy court, the Arizona Supreme Court held that a recorded judgment lien attaches to homestead property where the judgment debtor has equity in excess of the $150,000 exemption under Arizona law.

In addition, given the uncertainty of the law that prompted the certified question, the Court denied the bank’s request for attorney’s fees.

Brazos Electric Cooperative received the go-ahead from Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Jones to seek creditor approval for its bankruptcy plan that provides for Brazos to pay $1.4 billion to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) for costs stemming from February 2021 winter storms.

The Eleventh Circuit has held that amounts paid post-petition for an administrative expense claim under Section 503(b)(9) of the Bankruptcy Code do not reduce the “new value” otherwise available to the creditor as a defense to a preference claim. Auriga Polymers Inc. v. PMCM2, LLC, 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 19761 (11th Cir. July 18, 2022).