On May 17, the Colorado Court of Appeals held that an attorney fees award imposed under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) is a civil penalty and is not dischargeable under the Bankruptcy Code.
Executive Summary
The District Court of Appeal for the Second District of Florida recently affirmed an order involuntarily dismissing an action to foreclose a second mortgage which secured a home equity line of credit.
In so ruling, the Appellate Court upheld the trial court’s holding that the promissory note for the relevant home equity line of credit was not admissible into evidence because it was nonnegotiable, and thus, not a self-authenticating instrument.
Here’s an aggregation of some of my Twitter posts from May 7-10, 2018, with links to important cases, articles, and news briefs that restructuring professionals will find of interest. Don’t hesitate to reach out and contact me to discuss any posts.
May 7 – 10, 2018
BK RELATED CASES:
Color Spot Holdings, Inc., along with three subsidiaries and affiliates, has filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Lead Case No. 18-11272). Headquartered in Temecula, CA, Color Spot is one of the largest growers and distributors of live plants in the western and southwestern United States.
On May 11, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia affirmed summary judgment for a consumer who alleged a check cashing company and its debt collector violated the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act (WVCCPA) by contacting her multiple times after being notified of her Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing.
Can the recipient of an actual fraudulent transfer effectively “cleanse” the transfer if the funds are returned to the debtor? In a recent opinion, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania answered that question in the affirmative.
Trusts can protect your assets, to a certain extent. Foreign and domestic asset protection trusts can protect them even more, if you structure them correctly. The jail time starts when you wait until you already have creditors banging on the door before you relinquish control or a beneficial interest in one of these trusts. Unfortunately for one person in California this April, courts call that a “fraudulent transfer,” especially if you do not seem to be getting anything of value in return (other than, of course, being able to exclude assets from a bankruptcy).
In Citibank, N.A., London Branch v Oceanwood Opportunities Master Fund and others, the English High Court recently addressed what constitutes “control” for purposes of the disenfranchisement clause ubiquitous in New York law indentures. While the Court determined that “control” is necessarily a fact-based question to be viewed in light of the particular circumstances, the judgment offers several helpful conclusions which will be good news to any lenders having or seeking control positions in note tranches.
Facts of the case