A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has voided its previous near explicit declaration that make-whole provisions are always unmatured interest, and therefore subject to disallowance under section 502(b) of the Bankruptcy Code in Ultra Petroleum.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently provided landlords dealing with a rejected lease with further guidance on the size and basis of their claims against a tenant’s bankruptcy estate. Kupfer v. Salma (In re Kupfer), No. 14-16697 (9th Cir. Dec. 29, 2016). The Ninth Circuit held that the statutory cap – 11 U.S.C.

Pursuant to a provision of the Bankruptcy Code familiar to readers of Weil’s Bankruptcy Blog (see our prior post, To Assume or Not to Assume, that Is the Question: What Act Constitutes “Assumption” Under Section 365(d)(4) of the Bankruptcy Code?), the United States District Court for the District of Delaware recently affirmed a bankruptcy c

Smart Summary for Commercial Landlords

Today we’ll begin with a two-part question: When do you suppose you could (i) hold a debtor’s property hostage without running afoul of the automatic stay and (ii) also collect on an administrative expense for postpetition rent for leased space used to store such property?

If you don’t already know the answers to the above questions, perhaps an overview of a recent decision from the Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey will provide some insight.

EMI Group Ltd -v- O&H Q1 Ltd [2016 EWHC 529 (Ch)is the latest case in the saga following the 2011 decision in K/S Victoria St. v House of Fraser, relating to lease assignments and guarantors of “new tenancies” (generally meaning leases entered in to on or after 1 January 1996).

Vanquish Properties (UK) Ltd Partnership v Brook Street (UK) Ltd [2016] EWHC 1508 (Ch)

Vanquish, a developer, was a Limited Partnership under the Limited Partnerships Act 1907 with one General Partner, liable for all obligations of the business, and four Limited Partners.

It was granted an overriding lease by the City Corporation in the name of the Limited Partnership, “acting by” its General Partner. There was no mention of the four Limited Partners.

The decision of the High Court inVanquish Properties (UK) Limited Partnership –v- Brook Street (UK) Limited provides a stark reminder of the strict requirements for serving a valid break notice and the traps into which the unwary can easily fall.

Padwick Properties Limited v Punj Lloyd Limited [2016] EWHC 502 (Ch)

FACTS

This case concerned a property in Stockport let at an annual rent of £784,268, where Padwick was landlord to a company named SCL. The defendant had guaranteed SCL's performance of its obligations.

The minefield of surrenders and assignments