Why Lawyers Need to Pay More Attention to the Distinctions Between Veil-Piercing and Alter-Ego Theories

Is a rent-stabilized lease in New York a “local public assistance benefit” that is exempt from property of a debtor’s bankruptcy estate, or is it merely “a quirk of the regulatory scheme in the New York housing market[?]”  That was the question recently decided by the Second Circuit in In re Monteverde.  

The Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act of 1930 (“PACA”), as amended, 7 U.S.C. §§ 499(a)et seq. provides federal statutory protection to certain qualifying sellers of perishable agricultural products. Congress amended PACA in 1984 to establish a statutory trust for the benefit of all unpaid suppliers or sellers of perishable agricultural commodities or products.  PACA defines perishable agricultural commodities as “fresh fruit and fresh vegetables of every kind and character,” whether or not frozen or packed in ice, and cherries in brine. 7 USC § 499(b).

Parties to all legal proceedings - including bankruptcy proceedings - are entitled to Constitutionally protected due process rights, including reasonable notice and an opportunity to be heard. In the bankruptcy context, the debtor must give known creditors reasonable notice of certain critical events, including the sale of the debtor’s assets and the deadline to file claims against the debtor.

Providing an important reminder about the intersection of privacy promises and bankruptcy, the Texas Attorney General has filed an order to halt the sale of customer information in RadioShack’s bankruptcy.  

As previously reported, Judge Elias in Los Angeles had indicated an intention to bring to conclusion a long standing discussion with counsel regarding the extent of disclosure regarding asbestos bankruptcy trusts that plaintiffs will be obliged to provide when respon

When an insolvent entity files for bankruptcy, it can be tough to be a creditor. But holding equity — stock in a corporation or a membership interest in an LLC, a limited liability company — can be even worse. Under bankruptcy’s “absolute priority rule,” creditors generally must be paid in full before equity gets anything. That usually means that holders of equity, or claims treated as equity, get nothing.

J. Paul Getty once said, “Formula for success: rise early, work hard, strike oil.” However, with crude oil prices nearly half of what they were a mere six months ago, Getty’s formula may not hold as true as it once did. In the latest EIA STEO Report (April 2015), the DOE projects oil prices for WTI to remain around or below $60 per barrel for the balance of 2015 and grow to $70 per barrel in 2016.

Every year, otherwise successful technology companies lose untold sums of money and valuable intellectual property rights because they do not act when a customer or business partner files for bankruptcy protection. Far less effort is usually required to preserve these rights than what may be involved in a major piece of litigation; but, in almost every case, the company must take active and timely steps to ensure that its interests are protected.

A recent decision by the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York may enhance the ability of bankruptcy trustees and creditors committees to challenge allegedly fraudulent transfers that could qualify for protection under the “safe harbor” of section 546(e) of the Bankruptcy Code.