Summary

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently held that a Creditor Exclusion provision in D&O insurance coverage may result in significant limitations on the coverage provided to the D&Os, when the underlying dispute is with a creditor in its capacity as such.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit recently reaffirmed that a foreclosure action commenced more than six years after the loan was accelerated could still be within the applicable statute of limitations. SeeIn re: Gordon Allen Washington; Gordon Allen Washington v. Bank of New York Mellon, As Tr. for the Certificate-Holders of the CWABS, Inc., Asset-Backed Certificates, Series 2007-5, 2016 WL 5827439 (3d Cir. Sept. 30, 2016). In the case, the borrowed executed a mortgage and promissory note in February 2007.

Arch Coal has announced that it has successfully completed financial restructuring and has emerged from bankruptcy. Shares of the reorganized company began trading last week on the NYSE under the ticker ARCH, according to the Wall Street Journal.

We all remember The Devil and Daniel Webster – the Devil comes to collect a seven year old debt (secured by Jabez Stone’s soul), only to be foiled by the great trial lawyer Daniel Webster – thanks to a skilled litigator, the old debt is forgiven!

Prepetition, Millennium Lab Holdings II, LLC, Millennium Health, LLC, and RxAnte, LLC (the Debtors) reached a settlement with various government entities (the USA Settling Parties) relating to, among other things, claims against the Debtors for violations of the Stark law, Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act (FCA). The Debtors also negotiated a restructuring support agreement with an ad hoc group of lenders (the Ad Hoc Group) holding debt under a 2014 existing credit agreement in the original principal amount of $1.825 billion (the Credit Agreement).

On October 4, 2016, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that chapter 7 debtors who file a statement of intention to surrender real property in bankruptcy cannot later contest a foreclosure action, and bankruptcy courts have broad power and authority to sanction violations. Failla v. CitiBank, N.A., case no. 15-15626 (11th Cir. October 4, 2016).

On 2 September 2016, Hanjin filed a petition under Chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey, seeking recognition of its Korean rehabilitation proceedings as a "foreign main proceeding." Hanjin also sought provisional and final relief to prevent creditors from taking enforcement actions against Hanjin's interests within the jurisdiction of the United States.

A recent Delaware bankruptcy court decision may potentially place at risk an equity sponsor’s ability to retain proceeds from the sale of a portfolio company whose performance later deteriorates, where the selling sponsor acted in bad faith and the portfolio company was or became insolvent at the time of or on account of the sale.

Circuit Break? Delaware Bankruptcy Court Rejects Second Circuit Ruling on State Law Fraudulent Transfers

In Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll’s sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, there is a famous exchange between Humpty Dumpty and Alice regarding the meaning of words. Toward the end of that dialogue, Alice asked Humpty Dumpty what he meant by the word “impenetrability.” Humpty Dumpty’s response was to not only give the word a meaning that would not be found in any dictionary, but to also expand the meaning he gave the word so that it required affirmative action on Alice’s part.