The Fifth Circuit recently weighed in on the hotly contested issue of whether the Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission (FERC) or the bankruptcy court has controlling jurisdiction when it comes to the question of a bankruptcy debtor’s ability to reject contracts regulated by FERC. FERC-regulated contracts include electricity power purchase contracts, as well as transportation services agreements involving oil and gas.
“The Congress shall have Power To . . . establish . . . uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States.”
–U.S. Constitution’s Bankruptcy Clause (Art. 1, Sec. 8, cl. 4).
An Old Losing Streak—Article III
１ 仙台高裁令和2年10月13日決定のご紹介（破産手 続開始申立てが不当な目的によるものとして棄却され た事例）
（１） 当事者・本件抗告
相手方Y（債務者）は平成23年11月頃から勤務医師として働 いており、抗告人Xは令和元年9月26日にYと離婚した元妻で す。Yは、令和2年2月に支払を停止し、令和2年6月2日に本件 の破産手続開始の申立てを行いました。原審（福島地方裁判 所相馬支部）が、令和2年7月27日、Yについて破産手続を開 始する旨の決定（原決定）をしたのに対し、Xは、原決定を不服 として、原決定の取消し及びYの破産手続開始の申立ての棄 却を求めて即時抗告（本件抗告）しました。
Xは、離婚に伴う財産分与として、現住所のマンションの所有 権をYから譲り受けたところ、同マンションには住宅ローンの抵 当権が設定されており、財産分与後もYが債務者として同ロー ンの支払を継続することが離婚協議書により合意されていま した。もっとも、Yが破産すると、マンションに設定された抵当権 が実行され、XはYに対し、上記合意の債務不履行に基づく 損害賠償請求権（破産債権）を有することとなります。
Re Intellicomms Pty Ltd (in liq) [2022] VSC 228
The proceeding was brought by the liquidators of Intellicomms Pty Ltd (the Company) seeking relief in relation to a Sale Agreement dated 2021 between the Company and the defendant, Tecnologie Fluenti Pty Ltd (the Purchaser), involving the sale of certain business assets of the Company to the Purchaser.
On June 6, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Siegel v. Fitzgerald, in which the Court held that the Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 2017, Pub. L. 115-72, Div. B, 131 Stat. 1229 (the “2017 Act”) was unconstitutional.
As we’ve previously reported, on February 19, 2020, Congress enacted the Small Business Reorganization Act (“SBRA”) to, among other things, streamline the chapter 11 bankruptcy process for small businesses. Under the SBRA, a “small business” was one with less than $2,725,625.00 in debt. Few businesses, however, were eligible to take advantage of these new provisions because their debts exceeded the cap.
During business operations, an enterprise may fall into a status of a crisis affecting its solvency. To protect the rights of related individuals/organizations, Vietnamese laws allow them to have the right to request the opening of bankruptcy proceedings.
Through this article, BLawyers Vietnam would like to present to you information on this issue.
I. Who has the right to request the opening of bankruptcy proceedings?
Since the signing of a record of meeting concerning mutual recognition of and assistance to insolvency proceedings between the courts of Mainland China and Hong Kong in May 2021, there have been a number applications for letters of request to be issued by the Hong Kong Court to the Bankruptcy Court of the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court.
The illegality defence (which aims to prevent a party benefiting from its illegal conduct via legal claims) has been the subject of considerable judicial analysis in commonwealth jurisdictions in recent years.
The doctrine of equitable mootness is in the news again. The Supreme Court recently denied a cert. petition in a case where the petitioner wanted the doctrine ruled unconstitutional. KK-PB Financial LLC v. 160 Royal Palm LLC, Case No. 21-1197, 2021 WL 7247541 (petition), 2022 WL 1914118, (denying certiorari).