A recent ruling by a federal court in New York has the potential to severely impact the $500 billion a year distressed debt market.
A decision by the Illinois Court of Appeals reinforces the importance of providing pre-disposition notice to preserve a deficiency claim against an obligor. General Motors Acceptance Corp. v. Stoval, No. 1-06-1858, ____ N.W. 2d ____ (Ill. Ct. App. June 29, 2007).
The Delaware Supreme Court has affirmed, without opinion, a ruling by a lower court that ‘deepening insolvency’ is not a cause of action under Delaware law. Trenwick America Litig. Trust v. Billett, 931 A.2d 438 (Del. 2007).
The ruling appears to be the strongest nail yet in the coffin of so-called “deepening insolvency” actions.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has held that a creditor may not allocate payment by a nondebtor to interest first, before applying the balance to principal—and then seek to collect the remainder of the principal from a jointly liable debtor.
That strategy violated the Bankruptcy Code’s prohibition against collecting post-petition interest, the court reasoned in National Energy & Gas Transmission, Inc. v. Liberty Electric Power, LLC, No. 06-1459 (4th Cir. July 10, 2007). The majority’s rationale drew a pointed dissent.
A federal court in California recently has thrown its weight behind a majority rule that holds that letter of credit proceeds should be applied to damages resulting from the rejection of a lease of non-residential real property. In re Connectix Corp., No. 05-556848, 2007 WL 2137802 (Bankr. N.D. Cal. May 10, 2007). The court also addressed the formula the parties should employ to arrive at a damages figure.
The United States Supreme Court held that reckless violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) constitute a willful failure to comply, subjecting violators to liability for actual damages, statutory penalties and potentially punitive damages. Safeco Ins. Co. of America v. Burr, 551 U.S. _____ (June 4, 2007).
The Adelphia Creditors Committee filed an adversary proceeding against approximately 380 defendants, including bank lenders, investment banks and their agents, alleging wrongdoing in the defendants’ dealings with Adelphia’s former management who looted the company. The complaint asserted numerous claims for relief in connection with borrowing facilities under which Adelphia became liable to repay the banks for billions of dollars that went to the insiders.
A federal bankruptcy court in New York has concluded that the market price of a company’s stock is the most reliable valuation to determine whether disputed transfers were avoidable. In re Iridium Operating LLC (Statutory Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Iridium v. Motorola, Inc.), 373 B.R. 283 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y., Aug. 31, 2007).
Editor’s note: Success in the restructuring and insolvency arena requires more than an understanding of the law—it requires the ability to address issues specific to a debtor’s industry and business. Below, two Reed Smith partners with extensive experience representing health care institutions and creditors discuss issues unique to hospitals facing financial distress.
A New York bankruptcy court has determined that original issue discount (OID) on a note is effectively interest—and therefore even though the OID at issue was secured, the amount that accrued after acceleration is not recoverable. The decision has been appealed.