Lumbermens Mutual Group, formerly known as Kemper Insurance Company (or just as Kemper), is comprised of Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company, American Motorists Insurance Company, and American Manufacturers Mutual Insurance Company. These Kemper Entities sold property and casualty insurance policies throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, covering (among other things) liabilities arising from long-tail, toxic tort claims such as asbestos and environmental exposures. They are now in insolvency proceedings and important deadlines for perfecting claims against them are fast approaching.
Rhode Island recently amended its Credit for Reinsurance Act to include two provisions regarding credits for reinsurance relating to the insolvency of the ceding insurer.
On September 24, Southern District of Florida District Court Judge James I. Cohn issued an opinion affirming an order approving the settlement of a debtor’s breach of fiduciary duty, corporate waste, and mismanagement claims against its former directors and officers barring non-debtors’ claims against the former directors and officers entered by Southern District of Florida Bankruptcy Court Judge Raymond B.
Former Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver (and longtime Cleveland Browns nemesis) Lynn Swann may be on the receiving end of a big break. If not, he stands to lose millions of dollars.
As the adage goes, everything old is new again. Just like old fads coming back into style, bankruptcy issues that first arose decades ago seem to present themselves again and again over the years, albeit with a different set of facts. Such is the case with the bankruptcy of Johns-Manville Corporation and its affiliates. Despite Manville’s emergence from bankruptcy in 1988, questions regarding the protections of the channeling injunction issued under Manville’s chapter 11 plan continue to present themselves today. Much to the relief of one of Manville’s insurers, in a
The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York has denied approval of a settlement between Adelphia and its D&O insurers pursuant to which the insurers would have bought back their interests in the relevant policies issued to Adelphia for $32.5 million "with claims of others to policy proceeds...attaching to the proceeds of the sale."
In an April 24, 2007 order, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware granted certain insurers' motion for leave to pursue a coverage action against the debtor, Federal-Mogul Global, Inc., in New York state court regarding the debtor's asbestos liability. In re Federal-Mogul Global, Inc., No. 01-10578 (Bankr. D. Del. Apr. 24, 2007). The insurer had filed a declaratory judgment action in New York state court against the debtor. In response, the debtor filed an identical action in New Jersey state court.
The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey rejected the pre-packaged bankruptcy plan presented by the debtors and asbestos claims representatives. In re Congoleum Corp., No. 03-51524, 2007 WL 328694 (Bankr. D.N.J. Jan. 26, 2007). In addition, the court rejected a plan proposed by a group of insurers. In re Congoleum Corp., No. 03-51524, 2007 WL 328700 (Bankr. D.N.J. Feb. 1, 2007).
The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts has denied injunctive relief requested by two bankruptcy trustees seeking to stay the prosecution and settlement of shareholder actions proceeding against various former officers and directors of a bankrupt corporation. In re Enivid, 2007 WL 806627 (Bankr. D. Mass. Mar. 16, 2007).