“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.”
Sherlock Holmes
The preparation and filing of a debtor’s schedules of assets and liabilities is a routine but important aspect of nearly every bankruptcy case. A debtor’s schedules provide critical information to creditors and other parties in interest, the Office of the United States Trustee, and the bankruptcy court.
While rockstars such as Iggy Pop and Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe were infamous for outlandish rider requests while on tour, perhaps nobody is more notorious for their demands of concert promoters than Van Halen.
In a typical application of the veil piercing remedy, an equity holder is held liable for the debts of the corporate entity it owns and controls. The tests courts use for determining when the remedy is available vary, but generally veil piercing may occur only where the equity holder has abused the corporate form, by using its control over an entity to commit a fraud or other injustice.
“You should try the chicken fried steak. It’s like a chicken and a steak got together and made a baby. A delicious, crispy baby.”
– Hoyt Fortenberry, True Blood
The bankruptcy process is often long and arduous for clients, whether debtor or creditor, and their counsel. Bankruptcy courts feel the pain, too. So, when we finally reach the glorious goal of plan confirmation, most revel in the conclusion of the plan process. Though often considered anathema, appeals of plan confirmation orders are sometimes pursued. Recognizing the public policy desire for finality in bankruptcy proceedings, the Eighth Circuit applies the “person-aggrieved” doctrine in determining whether an appellant has standing to appeal a plan confirmation or
Section 363(b) of the Bankruptcy Code affords debtors flexibility to sell assets outside of the ordinary course of business after notice and a hearing. This right is supported by
At the most basic level, bankruptcy is all about property. Going out on a limb here, we’d say that it’s a good idea to have a sense of what is and what is not your property before filing for bankruptcy. Of course, this is easier said than done in some cases and can be subject to dispute, as demonstrated by
In American Federated Title Corp. v. GFI Management Services, Inc., the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York