Judge Burton Lifland, the bankruptcy judge overseeing the liquidation proceedings of Bernard L.

“[W]hat I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career…” – Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), Taken

Readers may recall that, according to at least one bankruptcy court, chapter 9 debtors are not required to obtain bankruptcy court approval of compromises and settlements.

This is a follow up to our recent blog post discussing then pending Michigan legislation known as the “Local Financial Stability and Choice Act” or Public Act 436 (the “Financial Stability Act”), which will replace Public Act 72 and overhaul Michigan’s emergency manager law.  On December 27, 2012, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed the Financial Stability Act into law.

Reports of Twinkie the Kid’s death have been exaggerated.  Despite widespread mainstream media reports of Hostess’ impending liquidation, the court has not yet approved liquidation.  To the contrary, on November 19, 2012, after a brief hearing on Hostess’s emergency motions to begin the wind down of its operations, Hostess and its two main unions agreed to attend a confidential mediation session.  At the mediation, Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain intends to determine if the parties can avoid liquidation.

Recently, the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware denied the request of Washington Mutual and WMI Investment Corp. (collectively the Debtors) for confirmation of the Modified Sixth Amended Joint Plain of Affiliated Debtors. Among a number of issues, the Bankruptcy Court determined that the valuation of a captive reinsurance subsidiary (WM Mortgage Reinsurance Company – currently in run-off), which would serve as the most valuable asset of the proposed reorganized debtor was flawed.

Did you do business with Orleans Homebuilders prior to their bankruptcy filing?  Have you received a demand for return of alleged preferential payments?  In a recent submission to the Delaware Bankruptcy Court, local developer Orleans Homebuilders stated that it intends to file as many as 400 suits to recover preferential transfers.

Sending the Debtors back to the drawing board after almost three years in bankruptcy, in a 139 page opinion, the Bankruptcy Court has for the second time denied confirmation of the Plan of Reorganization for Washington Mutual, Inc. (“WaMu”), which was the owner of the largest savings bank ever to be seized by the FDIC.

Fred Wilpon, Saul Katz, and their families and affiliated enterprises (the “Wilpon/Katz Group”) last week formally requested the dismissal of the adversary proceeding commenced by Irving Picard, the trustee of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC (“BLMIS”). In a two hour hearing before U.S.

Caesars Entertainment Operating Company Inc. and various related entities (“Caesars”) filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases in Chicago in 2015. The jointly administered cases have been highly contentious, involving high dollar disputes among Caesars and several committees appointed in the Chapter 11 cases. An Examiner was appointed to investigate possible claims related to a series of transactions by Caesars prior to the bankruptcy. All of the key parties in the Caesars cases are represented by large national and/or international law firms.