NHB Assignments, LLC v. General Atlantic, LLC and Braden Kelly (In re PMTS Liquidating Corp., et al.) Case No. 08-11551 (BLS) (Bankr. D. Del. July 1, 2011)  

CASE SNAPSHOT

Introduction

Last week the Delaware Supreme Court ruled on the appeal of CML V, LLC v. Bax, in which the Court of Chancery held last year that a creditor of an insolvent LLC does not have standing to maintain a derivative suit in the name of the LLC against its managers.

In this memorandum opinion, the Court of Chancery held that a retiring member of a limited liability company was entitled to his proportionate share of the liquidation value, rather than the going concern value, of the company.

On June 23, 2011, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that has sent waves through bankruptcy courts across the nation. Stern v. Marshall, 131 S.Ct. 2594 (2011), is the latest opinion in a long running dispute between the estate of Vickie Lynn Marshall, better known as Anna Nicole Smith, and the estate of her late husband’s son, Pierce Marshall.

On August 15, 2011, Evergreen Solar ("Evergreen"), filed chapter 11 petitions for Bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.  According to the Declaration of Evergreen's CEO, Michael El-Hillow (the "Declaration" or "Decl."), filed in support of its bankruptcy petitions, Evergreen incorporated in Delaware in 1994 and manufactures "multi-cystalline silicon wafers."  The company uses its silicon wafers in the production of photovoltaic solar cells, which in turn are installed in solar panels under the Evergreen trade name.  Decl. at 3.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware ruled that an affiliate that held an indirect ownership interest in, and was a lender to, an employer could be liable for severance payments under the Federal WARN Act. In order for liability to apply to the affiliate, the affiliate and employer need to be found to constitute a "single employer" for Federal WARN Act purposes.

Summary

Summary

In a 23 page decision signed July 15, 2011, Judge Walsh of the Delaware Bankruptcy Court denied a motion to allow a plaintiff to file an amended complaint, holding that the amended complaint was too deficient to survive a motion to dismiss and therefore would not be allowed. Judge Walsh’s opinion is available here (the “Opinion”).

Background

Introduction