Bankruptcy Judge Christopher S. Sontchi recently ruled in the Energy Future Holdings case1 that the debtor will not be required to pay the $431 million “make whole” demanded by bondholders upon the debtor’s early payment of the bonds.2
Congress Weighs Legislation that May Preclude Suit by Bankruptcy Trustees Against Colleges and Universities to Recover a Bankrupt Parent's Tuition Payments for a Student
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Client, with the assistance of its attorney, engages in illegal conduct. Client places money received from its illegal conduct in the attorney’s trust account. Attorney absconds with these illegal funds. When the client brings a non-dischargeability action in the attorney’s bankruptcy case, may the attorney defend the action under the unclean hands doctrine because the funds he stole were gained by the client through its own ille
Law360, New York (July 17, 2015, 11:24 AM ET) -- On June 26, 2015, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida issued an opinion on consolidated appeals arising from the Bayou Shores SNF LLC bankruptcy case with potentially broad implications for health care bankruptcy cases. At the heart of the dispute before the district court was whether the bankruptcy court had jurisdiction to enjoin the termination of, and subsequently authorize the assumption of, certain Medicare and Medicaid provider agreements.
Attorney. Counselor. Advisor. As “the last bastion of the generalist,” the role of the restructuring attorney takes various forms and requires a restructuring attorney to wear many different hats – at times acting both as lawyer and business advisor. This combination of business and law is very often what draws professionals to the practice area in the first place. The line, however, between business and legal advisor is often blurry and imprecise, and a recent
In melodramatic movie weddings, guests are urged, before the couple is joined in matrimony, to “speak now or forever hold their peace” (although this phrase never seems to work its way into actual wedding ceremonies – presumably because there are no longer legitimate objections to a marriage that guests should be voicing at the wedding).
In re Walker, 526 B.R. 187 (E.D. La. 2015) –
The bankruptcy court (1) denied a mortgage lender’s request to file a late amendment to a proof of claim that had been filed on its behalf by the debtor and (2) confirmed the debtor’s proposed plan over the mortgagee’s objection that the plan payments were not sufficient to cure the actual arrearage. The lender appealed to the district court.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently reversed the dismissal of a Chapter 13 bankruptcy debtor’s complaint filed in federal district court alleging that defendants foreclosed on and sold the debtor’s home in violation of the automatic stay, holding that the federal district court had subject matter jurisdiction and the complaint adequately stated a plausible claim for relief under 11 U.S.C. § 362(k).
Although almost all of an individual debtor’s assets become property of the estate upon a bankruptcy filing, certain exceptions exist to the rule at both the federal and state level. In some jurisdictions, funds held for a debtor in retirement plans are exempt assets. An open question, however, is whether payments distributed from such plans prior to the petition date are also exempt assets. The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit recently held in
The rapper Curtis James “50 Cent” Jackson III filed a voluntary chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in Connecticut bankruptcy court on Monday, July 13, 2015. Jackson rose to prominence with songs like In Da Club and P.I.M.P. from his 2003 album Get Rich or Die Trying (also the name of his 2005 film biopic) and has starred in many film and television projects, including the Starz show Power and the upcoming movie Southpaw.