Bankruptcy Remote? Maybe Not
A recent pair of opinions from New York and Pennsylvania shows the importance of evaluating all parts of director and officer (D&O) insurance coverage, down to each definition. These cases, one holding for the insured and one for the insurer, demonstrate that a policy’s terms can be absolutely critical if the insured seeks indemnification for defense costs.
On June 20, 2014, the Texas Supreme Court issued its opinion in Ritchie v. Rupe, 2014 Tex. LEXIS 500 (Tex. 2014). In Ritchie, a minority shareholder in a closely held corporation attempted to force the majority shareholders to buy-out the minority shareholder’s interest in the corporation by bringing a claim of shareholder oppression under § 11.404 of the Texas Business Organizations Code (TBOC), the Texas receivership statute.
The Texas Supreme Court, on June 20, 2014, issued its highly anticipated opinion in Ritchie v. Rupe, 2014 Tex. LEXIS 500 (Tex. 2014). Ritchie involved a claim by a minority shareholder in a closely held corporation under the Texas receivership statute, seeking to force the majority shareholders to buy-out the minority shareholder’s interest in the corporation.
Best practices are higher standards than those set by state law fiduciary duties, federal sentencing guidelines and a maze of other laws including:
On May 22, 2014, the Delaware Supreme Court, applying New York law, affirmed the dismissal of an action brought by Plaintiff noteholders against other noteholders under an indenture for approving amendments with which Plaintiffs disagreed.
Law360, New York (May 27, 2014, 4:11 PM ET) -- The Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act has many ramifications for secured lenders who provide financing to borrowers that own goods that fall within its scope, particularly in bankruptcy. Because PACA provides its beneficiaries — unpaid suppliers and sellers of perishable agricultural commodities and products — with superior rights over other creditors through the establishment of a trust, secured lenders must be careful not to rely on the standard language in bankruptcy orders that cleanse assets of liens.
It’s unfortunate, but it happens: you reach a deal with your customer and prepare to perform your side of the agreement, only to discover that your buyer is insolvent or close to it. It is essential that you having a working knowledge your rights in this situation, because time is of the essence.
Readers may remember the dramatic restructuring of the GM and Chrysler dealer networks as part of the bankruptcy proceedings for each auto maker in 2009. The state auto dealer franchise statutes and their protection against dealer terminations were summarily preempted by the bankruptcy proceedings and the pre-condition of dealer network reduction for the necessary loans from the federal government to the debtors in possession. Dealers challenged this action in the Court of Claims, and by an April 7, 2014 decision in A&D Auto Sales, Inc. et al. v.