In today's difficult economic climate, a growing number of companies have been forced to consider or even file for bankruptcy. Such filings may result in a stay of legal claims against the company, including those brought by current or former employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). But according to the Ninth Circuit, a company's filing for bankruptcy does not protect its individual executives and managers from potential liability under the FLSA.

On Thursday, August 6, 2009, the United States Senate confirmed Justice Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States. As a former Judge on the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Judge Sotomayor’s jurisprudence includes a number of decisions involving noteworthy bankruptcy cases. This article provides a brief survey of these decisions.

In an area of the law that continues to be active, the federal bankruptcy court in Delaware has once again issued a detailed ruling on the actions of directors and officers leading up to a company's insolvency. Among the notable conclusions are: (1) failure to conduct due diligence before obtaining a loan may support a claim for breach of duty of care; and (2) there is no cause of action for "improvident lending" in Delaware or New Jersey. Official Comm. of Unsecured Creditors of Fedders N. Am., Inc. v. Goldman Sachs Credit Partners L.P. (In re Fedders N. Am., Inc.), 405 B.R.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has held that a creditor trustee could not recover claims under a Director & Officer insurance policy because of the policy's "insured v. insured" exclusion. Biltmore Assocs., LLC v. Twin City Fire Ins. Co., Ad. No. 07-16036, 2009 US App. LEXIS 15322 (9th Cir. July 10, 2009).

In a decision with potentially broad implications, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently determined that payments made to former shareholders of a privately held company in a leveraged buyout transaction are protected as "settlement payments" pursuant to section 546(e) of the Bankruptcy Code.

The following is a list of some recent larger U.S. bankruptcy filings in various industries. To the extent you are a creditor to any of these debtors, or other entities which may have filed for bankruptcy protection, you as a creditor are entitled to certain protections under the Bankruptcy Code.  

AUTOMOTIVE

Accuride Corp., an Evansville, Ind.-based maker of medium- and heavy-duty steel and aluminum wheels may file for bankruptcy under a prearranged agreement with bondholders and senior lenders.  

When the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency placed the $1.9 billion asset-sized ANB Financial, National Association in receivership with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) on May 9, 2008, it was one of the largest bank insolvencies in recent years. In a matter of days, plaintiffs’ attorneys were actively seeking future clients. Attorneys ran newspaper advertisements soliciting former employees, depositors and shareholders of the failed Bentonville, Arkansas bank and its holding company.

In a troubled economy where businesses are struggling to survive, it is no surprise that many organizations find themselves insolvent or nearly insolvent. Directors of insolvent or nearly insolvent organizations are facing the question of to whom they owe their duty of loyalty, and whose best interest must they consider when making decisions. When in the zone of insolvency, directors still owe a duty to stakeholders to act in their best interests.

Yesterday, Daniel K. Tarullo, a governor of the Federal Reserve System, continued his vigorous speaking schedule with a speech at the Institute of International Bankers Conference on Cross-Border Insolvency Issues in New York.

Yesterday afternoon, the House Judiciary Committee held Part II of its series of hearings entitled “Too Big to Fail – the Role for Bankruptcy and Antitrust Law in Financial Regulation Reform.” Yesterday’s hearing focused on proposed financia