There’s a new U.S. Circuit Court opinion on a person’s right to a jury trial, when sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission before one of its administrative judges.

And guess what:

The Business Corporations Act (Alberta) (ABCA) received an overhaul this week. Bill 84, Business Corporations Amendment Act, 2021 came into force on May 31, 2022. That Bill introduced several changes to the ABCA. These amendments are intended to modernize Alberta's corporate legislation to attract investment and make Alberta the leading province for corporations in Canada.

This overview is intended as an introductory summary to the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA), Canada’s principal statute for the reorganization of a large insolvency corporation. The CCAA applies in every province and territory of Canada, and even purports to have worldwide jurisdiction.

This is reality:

• Small businesses reorganize, all the time, under Subchapter V;
• Farmers reorganize, all the time, under Chapter 12; and
• Large businesses reorganize, all the time, under regular Chapter 11.

That’s because all of those three types of debtors have bankruptcy reorganization processes designed specifically for them.

Middle Market Debtors

What the heck does this mean:

“(1) Debtor.—The term ‘debtor’— . . . (B) does not include— . . . (Iii) any debtor that is an affiliate of an issuer, as defined in section 3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c)”

—from Subchapter V’s eligibility statute, § 1182 (emphasis added).

Since the inception of Subchapter V, I’ve been trying to figure that meaning out.

Here’s the progression of thinking:

How are private practice mediators compensated in a bankruptcy case—procedurally?

We have a new court order providing guidance on how such procedures can work.

The new guidance is from Sears Holding Corp. v. Lampert (In re Sears Holdings Corp.), Adv. Pro. No. 19-08250, SDNY Bankruptcy Court. 

Mediation Order

“Trillions of dollars”: That’s the amount of civil penalty claims a group of 40 States are asserting against Johnson & Johnson for consumer protection law violations. [Fn. 1]

Such civil penalty claims:

Johnson & Johnson (“J&J”) sold baby powder for decades.

Today, J&J is facing tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging that its baby powder causes cancer. And the number of new cancer claimants is increasing daily—with many thousands yet to be identified over decades to come.

So, J&J turns to bankruptcy to address this litigation threat, to protect future claimants, and to protect the going concern value of its global operations. [Fn. 1]

En 2021, plusieurs décisions judiciaires d’importance pour les prêteurs commerciaux, les entreprises et les professionnels de l’insolvabilité ont été rendues d’un bout à l’autre du Canada.

Johnson & Johnson and its affiliates (“J&J”) have been selling baby powder for decades.

Along the way, studies began showing that talc in J&J’s baby powder can cause ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. So, since 2016, over 38,000 lawsuits have been filed against J&J contending its baby powder talc causes cancer.

In July of 2018, the talc litigation against J&J built-up serious steam when a jury awarded 22 women a $4.69 billion (yes, with a “b”) verdict against J&J—an appellate court reduced the verdict to $2.25 billion.