The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals recently considered the question of how much protection is required for a secured creditor to be adequately protected. Banker’s Bank of Kansas, N.A. v. Bluejay Properties, LLC (In re Bluejay Properties, LLC), Bankr. No. 12-22680 (10th Cir. Mar. 12, 2014)(unpublished).
The definition of a family famer under § 101(18)(A) of the Bankruptcy Code is convoluted at best: a family farmer is a farmer whose aggregate noncontingent, liquidated debts arising out of his farming operation make up not less than 50% of his debts; however, the farmer’s debt “for” his principal residence is excluded in making this calculation unless the debt also “arises out of” his farming operation, in which event it is included in making the calculation. In its opinion in First National Bank of Durango v.
Recently, two courts of appeal dismissed as moot under 11 U.S.C. § 363(m) appeals of orders authorizing the sale of assets. The courts’ analysis focused on whether granting the appellant’s relief from the lower courts’ order would affect the asset sale. Thus the trend in the appellate courts is that only appeals that will not affect the sale itself (such as a dispute over the distribution of sale proceeds) are not subject to being dismissed as moot.
The power of an appellate court in the federal system to stay the orders of lower courts or to enjoin conduct that lower courts have refused to enjoin, so as to preserve the appellate court’s jurisdiction to review those orders on ultimate appeal, is clearly established yet infrequently invoked. In addition to other potential sources, the power derives from the All Writs Act, 28 U.S.C.
Section 1121(e)(1) of the Bankruptcy Code provides a 180-day exclusive period for a small business debtor to file a plan, unless this period is extended by the court. Section 1121(e)(2) provides “the” plan and a disclosure statement (if any) shall be filed no later than 300 days after the order for relief. Section 1121(e)(3) provides that the deadlines in 1121(e)(1) and (e)(2) may be extended only if the debtor demonstrates that it is more likely than not that the court will confirm a plan within a reasonable period of time.
In a case of first impression at the circuit level, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals has held a debtor’s entire religious tithing is avoidable if it exceeds 15% of the debtor’s gross annual income, and the court did so based on its perception of the plain language of the Religious Liberty and Charitable Donation Protection Act which codified the “safe harbor” provisions of sec.
In recent years, bankruptcy courts have come closer to reaching a consensus regarding their ability to recharacterize debt into equity. Yet, beneath this consensus lies a deepening divide that lenders should be aware of. Recharacterization challenges “the assertion of a debt against the bankruptcy estate on the ground that the ‘loaned’ capital was actually an equity investment.” In re Insilco Techs., Inc., 480 F.3d 212, 217 (3d Cir. 2007) (internal citations omitted).
The Tenth Circuit recently analyzed the interplay between sections 523(a)(5) and 523(a)(15) of the Bankruptcy Code in connection with a judgment obtained by a former husband for overpayment of his spousal support obligations. Eloisa Taylor, the debtor in In re Taylor, 2013 WL 6404952 (10th Cir.
Tenth Circuit holds that Canadian nationals who conspire to commit a breach of fiduciary duty against a Delaware corporation operating exclusively in Oklahoma are subject to personal jurisdiction in Oklahoma despite their lack of physical contact with the state. Canadian law firm alleged to have assisted the conspirators is not, however, subject to personal jurisdiction.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, applying Oklahoma law, has held that a bankruptcy or insolvency exclusion may bar coverage for the insured broker’s claim, where the broker’s actions were connected to the bankruptcy of its client’s former insurer. C.L. Frates & Co. v. Westchester Fire Ins. Co., 2013 WL 4734093 (10th Cir. Sept. 4, 2013).