Introduction
In Giant Eagle, Inc. v. Phar-Mor, Inc.,1 the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that a lessor-claimant whose lease was rejected pursuant to section 365(a) of Title 11 of the Bankruptcy Code was entitled to a claim for future-rent damages against the debtor, even though the lessor had entered into a nearly identical substitute lease. The Court concluded that efforts to mitigate damages by the lessor would not be considered in reducing the actual damage claim when those efforts failed to reduce the actual harm suffered by the lessor.
A chapter 7 trustee objected to the claim of a creditor/lessor on the basis that it should be disallowed because the lessor failed to turn over property recoverable using the trustee’s voiding powers, or alternatively, that it constituted a claim for lease termination damages that was subject to a cap.
In connection with a proposed sale of real property, a chapter 11 debtor sought to prohibit the mortgagee from submitting a credit bid. It contended that there was “cause” based on its argument that the mortgagee’s claims were subject to a bona fide dispute.
In re Grubb & Ellis Co., 478 B.R. 622 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2012) –
Real estate agents who worked for Grubb & Ellis Co. prior to its bankruptcy sought allowance of their claims for commissions as an administrative expense. Grubb & Ellis addresses the question of whether a commission due for a sale that closes post-petition where the buyer was procured prepetition is entitled to treatment as an administrative expense.
In re Trackwell, 520 B.R. 788 (Bankr. W.D. Mo. 2014) –
The successful bidder at a bankruptcy auction of a ranch claimed that a cattle chute was included in the sold assets. The debtors disagreed. Resolution of the dispute turned on whether the cattle chute constituted a fixture that was part of the real estate.
In re The Free Lance-Star Publ’g Co. of Fredericksburg, VA, 512 B.R. 798 (Bankr. E.D. Va. 2014) –
After the debtors obtained court approval of bidding procedures to auction substantially all of their assets, a secured creditor sought a court determination that it had valid perfected liens on the assets, and the debtors sought to limit the secured creditor’s right to credit bid in the bankruptcy sales.
In re Creekside Senior Apartments, LP, 477 B.R. 40 (6th Cir. B.A.P. 2012) –
In valuing a bank claim secured by a low-income housing project for purposes of a plan of reorganization, should the remaining federal low‑income housing tax credits allocated to the project be taken into consideration? In Creekside the bankruptcy court said yes, and the bankruptcy appellate panel agreed.
Client Alert
On May 7, 2020, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo enacted Executive Order No. 202.28, which extended and expanded — but in some cases narrowed — the temporary suspension of several New York state laws due to the COVID-19 crisis. The Executive Order impacts many industries and individuals in New York state, including both commercial and residential landlords and tenants.
n re Sterling Bluff Investors, LLC, 515 B.R. 902 (Bankr. S.D. Ga. 2014) –
A mortgagee moved to dismiss a real estate debtor’s chapter 11 case, or in the alternative for relief from the automatic stay. It contended that the debtor filed bankruptcy in bad faith, and that this was a “single asset real estate” case subject to special provisions regarding its entitlement to relief from the stay.