The US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York has issued a ruling in a chapter 11 case that could have a significant  impact on future restructurings in the oil and gas industry.

On March 8, 2016,  in the case of Sabine Oil and Gas Corp., Judge Shelley Chapman ruled that Sabine could reject certain pipeline and gas gathering agreements with two midstream gathering pipeline companies.

Economists are renowned for their uncanny inclination to see dark clouds on a sunny day. Restructuring professionals tend to fall into the same camp; we’re no Pollyannas when it comes to forming views on business conditions. Perhaps working extensively with challenged companies tends to skew our outlook.

A GUIDE TO RESTRUCTURING ISSUES FOR NOT-FOR-PROFIT COMPANIES AND THEIR DIRECTORS 02 | A GUIDE TO RESTRUCTURING ISSUES FOR NOT-FOR-PROFIT COMPANIES AND THEIR DIRECTORS An increasing number of not-for-profit (NFP) entities, including those in the education and healthcare industries, are facing financial challenges that may require restructuring of existing debt loads.

Restructurings are all about alternatives. It is one thing for a creditor to hold an instrument that entitles it to payment of $X on Y date. But if the debtor does not have the cash to satisfy the obligation when due, some type of restructuring must occur.

How much stress can we expect to see for oil and gas producers and related companies as a result of the current low prices? And what special issues does this industry face when it’s time to restructure or file for bankruptcy?*

Declining oil prices

Bankruptcy Code Section 502(b)(6) establishes a Statutory Cap on the damages a landlord can claim arising from the termination of a lease in bankruptcy case. Courts have split on how to calculate the Statutory Cap, whether and how to apply letters of credit to reduce the Statutory Cap, and whether the Statutory Cap applies to a landlord’s claims against a lessee’s debtor-guarantor.

On March 26, 2024, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York issued an opinion addressing the foregoing issues:

On March 15, 2024, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued a ruling that broadly applied the “safe harbor” provision of section 546(e) of the Bankruptcy Code to insulate from state and federal fraudulent transfer attack certain transactions involving private securities. Petr, Trustee for BWGS, LLC v. BMO Harris Bank, N.A. and Sun Capital Partners VI, L.P., No. 23-1931, 2024 WL 1132170 (7th Cir. 2024). The court addressed two questions of first impression in the Seventh Circuit:

Introduction

On March 11, 2024, Judge Colm F.

Introduction

Two shareholders of KBBO have obtained recognition in the English High Court of their Abu Dhabi bankruptcy process.