Recently, a Colorado bankruptcy court considered for the first time the effects of Bankruptcy Code Section 552 on a lender’s security interest in the proceeds of an FCC broadcast license. The court held that a prepetition security interest would not extend to proceeds received from a post-petition transfer of the debtor’s FCC license because the debtor did not have an attachable, prepetition property interest in the proceeds. Such an interest does not arise until the FCC approves an agreement to sell the license.
On September 30th, the Sixth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of the bankruptcy trustee's lawsuit against Deloitte & Touche, the debtor's former auditor. The trustee alleged that Deloitte negligently failed to uncover and report unsound related-party transactions by the debtor's sole shareholder and CEO, and aided and abetted the CEO's breach of his fiduciary duty to the debtor. Affirming dismissal, the Court held the trustee failed to allege reliance upon Deloitte's audits and the statute of limitations bars the aiding and abetting claim.
On September 14th, a Bankruptcy Court entered partial summary judgment in favor of defendants, brokerages through whom the debtor conducted a fraudulent stock lending scheme. The Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee cannot avoid as fraudulent transfers funds and stock received by defendants directly from the victims of the scheme, margin interest paid to defendants by the debtor, and cash transfers that the debtor directly deposited into the brokerage accounts in the year prior to the bankruptcy filing.
On September 15th, the Sixth Circuit resolved a conflict among the district courts within the circuit. It held that a bank holding the undersecured home mortgage of a Chapter 13 debtor who is in arrears at the time of filing, is entitled to receive under the Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan fees and costs in the arrearage cure. Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. v. Tucker.
On July 2nd, the Sixth Circuit affirmed a bankruptcy court's finding that, under Kentucky law, a bank did not perfect its security interest in an auto loan until that security interest was noted on the title. Because perfection did not occur within 20 days after the debtor received possession of the auto, Section 547(c)(3) of the Bankruptcy Code did not protect the bank's loan from avoidance as a preferential transfer. Branch Banking and Trust Co. v. Brock.
Two recent rulings have provided significant guidance on the determination of whether an entity is eligible to be a debtor under Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code. On April 26, 2010, the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Nevada issued a decision denying a motion to dismiss the Chapter 11 case of Las Vegas Monorail Company (LVMC) filed by Ambac Assurance Corp. In re Las Vegas Monorail Company (Las Vegas Monorail).
On April 12th, the Sixth Circuit held that a Chapter 13 debtor has standing to bring an avoidance action even when the bankruptcy trustee does not. It further held that the defendant mortgage company perfected its lien by equitably converting the lien on plaintiff's manufactured home to one for real property when the state court entered judgment on defendant's lis pendens claim. Since that order was entered during the 90 day preference period, the lien was avoidable.
The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (the Court) recently granted a motion to dismiss a mezzanine borrower’s chapter 11 bankruptcy petition at the outset of the debtor’s case.1 In In re JER/Jameson Mezz Borrower II, LLC, The Court found that the debtor’s petition had been filed in bad faith because, among other things, a junior mezzanine lender had directed the debtor to file the petition with the intent of hindering a senior mezzanine lender’s foreclosure efforts and without any valid reorganization purpose.
Plaintiff, the trustee of the Chapter 7 estate of Security Asset Capital Corporation (SACC), a corporate debtor, brought an action against the debtor’s officers and directors, alleging that they breached their fiduciary duties by failing to commence Chapter 7 liquidation once SACC became insolvent.
The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the Court), has held that section 553(a) of the Bankruptcy Code prohibits a swap counterparty from setting off amounts owed to the debtor against amounts owed by the debtor to affiliates of the counterparty, notwithstanding the safe harbor provision in section 561 of the Bankruptcy Code and language in the ISDA Master Agreement permitting the swap counterparty to effect “triangular” setoffs. In re Lehman Brothers Inc., Case No. 08-01420 (JMP)(SIPA) (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. October 4, 2011).