More than a year and a half has passed since the Bankruptcy Code was significantly revised pursuant to the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) which became effective (with some exceptions) on October 17, 2005. While the full impact of BAPCPA will not be fully realized for years to come, it is already apparent that trade creditors stand to benefit significantly as a result of these amendments.

Expanded Administrative Expense and Reclamation Rights

How to Keep Follow-On Investments from Getting Squeezed

SRZ's reorganization group recently helped a lender avoid a surcharge against its collateral for legal fees. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Arthur N. Votolato of the District of Rhode Island handed the lender the important victory on July 5, 2007, after an earlier trial. In re California Webbing Industries, Inc., 2007 WL 1953018 (Bankr. D. R. I., 7/5/07). In a detailed 22-page opinion, Judge Votolato held that the lender never consented to the use of its collateral to pay the fees of counsel for a Chapter 11 debtor and the creditors' committee in its failed reorganization case.

In two related actions, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware ruled that the proceeds of a D&O policy are not property of the debtor's estate and refused to grant an injunction requested by a trustee to prevent the directors and officers from consummating a settlement that would exhaust the policy limits.

In North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation, Inc. v. Gheewalla, the Delaware Supreme Court, in a case of first impression, addressed the ability of creditors to assert claims for breach of fiduciary duty against directors of a Delaware corporation that is insolvent or operating within the zone of insolvency.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has issued a recent decision that is instructive as to what creditors should not do when a customer is having a hard time paying its bills.

A recent decision from the Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York has rendered the enforcement of reclamation claims that arose 20 days prior to the bankruptcy filing almost impossible in cases in which there is a prepetition lien on inventory.

In In re Dana Corp., 2007 WL 1199221 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Apr. 19, 2007) there was $300 million in reclamation claims asserted, but the debtor estimated that valid reclamation claims totaled only approximately $3 million.

Though the shareholders of a corporation did not sign a corporate sale agreement, they were considered to be the sellers of the corporation, and therefore were entitled to avail themselves of the indemnification provisions under the agreement, ruled the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. See In re NuNet, Inc., 348 B.R. 300 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. 2006).

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has held that a debtor’s interest in its liquor license constitutes property of the estate pursuant to section 541 of the Bankruptcy Code.

The First Circuit further held that the debtor’s rejection of its lease ended the debtor’s contractual right to continued use of its liquor license, and left the landlord with ordinary remedies for breach of contract—such as specific performance to obtain recovery of the license. See In re Ground Round, Inc. (Abboud v. Ground Round), 482 F.3d 15 (1st Cir. 2007).

Lenders take note—a state court has held that in some circumstances a refinancing transaction can extinguish an original guarantee.