Despite the absence of any explicit directive in the Bankruptcy Code, it is well understood that a debtor must file a chapter 11 petition in good faith. The bankruptcy court can dismiss a bad faith filing "for cause," which has commonly been found to exist in cases where the debtor seeks chapter 11 protection as a tactic to gain an advantage in pending litigation. A ruling recently handed down by the U.S.

It is well recognized that, in keeping with the "fresh start" or "rehabilitative" policy, the Bankruptcy Code invalidates after-acquired property clauses in prepetition security agreements, but also includes an exception to the general rule for prepetition liens on the proceeds, products, offspring, or profits of prepetition collateral. Less well understood is that there is an "exception to the exception" if a bankruptcy court determines that the "equities of the case" suggest that property acquired by the estate should be free of such liens.

A federal judge recently allowed a trustee’s preferential transfer claim against a law firm to proceed but dismissed a constructivefraudulent transfer claim. The decision highlights the pleading standards and analytical framework for motions to dismiss such claims. Insys Liquidation Trust v. Urquhart(In re Insys Therapeutics Inc.), Case No. 19-11292, Adv. No. 21-50359, 21 Bankr.

On November 11, 2021, Carlson Travel, Inc. of Minnetonka, MN filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (Case No. 21-90017). Carlson Travel is a business travel management company offering traveler care, travel management, consulting, and booking services.

Summary

As noted recently by some United States Bankruptcy Courts, effective December 1, 2021, the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (the “AO”) has designated any entity that receives 100 or more paper bankruptcy notices in a single calendar month as a high-volume paper notice recipient pursuant to Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9036(b)(2)(B) (as amended effective December 1, 2021) (the “Rule”).

In a decision that will likely impact bankruptcy proceedings around the country, the Supreme Court recently denied the petition for writ of certiorari of David Hargreaves, which challenged the equitable mootness doctrine.¹ As a result, the concept of equitable mootness remains anything but moot.

Whether—and in what circumstances—a debtor should pay creditors a make-whole premium continues to be litigated in bankruptcy courts. Last week, as reported by Bloomberg, Judge Dorsey (Delaware) ruled that the debtor – Mallinckrodt Plc – did not need to pay a make whole premium to first lien lenders in order to reinstate such obligations under the debtor’s chapter 11 plan.

Highlights

Debt restructuring can be a useful tool for both well-performing companies and for companies experiencing financial distress. Pre-IPO startups should understand the basic elements of debt restructuring and the steps involved.

When a Startup May Consider Debt Restructuring