Boards of directors across the U.S. are currently wrestling with existential threats arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the logistical and productivity challenges that come with decentralizing entire workforces, entire industries have seen unprecedented decreases in short term demand (or, increasingly, being subject to forced closures as “non-essential businesses”) piled on already-thin margins.

Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that bankrupt trademark licensors cannot unilaterally rescind trademark license rights previously granted, resolving a longstanding split among the circuits and providing much needed certainty to intellectual property (IP) licensors and licensees. In fact, the International Trademark Association had dubbed this "the most significant unresolved legal issue in trademark licensing."

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in its recent decision in Town Center Flats, LLC v. ECP Commercial II LLC (In re Town Center Flats LLC), Case No. 16-1812 (6th Cir. May 2, 2017), reinforces an option that commercial lenders in certain states have as a defensive strategy in anticipation of a single-asset real estate bankruptcy involving a defaulted multi-family or hotel loans. The decision is dependent on state law regarding the effect of an absolute assignment of rents and the exercise of the lender’s rights under such an assignment clause.

To anyone practicing bankruptcy law more than a month, the scenario of a lender secured by a lien against real property, as well as an assignment of rents (“AOR”) is pretty standard fare. Default on the debt occurs, threats (and counter threats) are tossed about, notices of foreclosure are filed (and perhaps receivership proceedings were begun), and the borrower files the inevitable bankruptcy proceeding where all is stayed to be dealt with under the watchful eye of the bankruptcy court.

The Missouri Commercial Receivership Act (MCRA), passed by the Missouri legislature and just signed into law by Governor Nixon, becomes effective Aug. 28, 2016. It expands, clarifies and fleshes out the existing minimal receivership statute. The MCRA (Sections 515.500 through 515.665 of MO Senate Bill No. 578) outlines a new standardized system for receivership administration under the auspices of the Missouri courts.

Construction disputes often boil down to a single issue: “show me the money.” Experienced contractors, owners and financiers understand the risks that come with unfinished projects and unpaid work; best practices have long included tracking first visible work, last day of work, and other issues critical to perfecting and enforcing mechanic’s lien rights. But a bankruptcy or a potential bankruptcy of a project participant introduces a new set of challenges and risks to construction projects.

The Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, voted on Friday, October 8, 2010, to approve a proposed rule clarifying how the agency would treat certain creditor claims under the new orderly liquidation authority established under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

The Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, approved an interim final rule clarifying how the agency will treat certain creditor claims under the new orderly liquidation authority established under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

The Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, approved a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, or NPR, to further clarify application of the orderly liquidation authority, or OLA, contained in Title II of the Dodd-Frank Act. The FDIC believes the NPR builds on the interim rule approved by the FDIC on January 18, 2011, which clarified certain discrete issues under the OLA.

On May 4, 2015, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Bullard v. Blue Hills Bank, holding that an order denying confirmation of the debtor’s proposed chapter 13 plan is not a “final” order that the debtor can immediately appeal. This holding could have a far-reaching impact on individual and corporate debtors in both chapter 11 and chapter 13 by in most instances eliminating their second bite at the apple in seeking confirmation of a plan.