The recent Spanish Peaks decision from the Ninth Circuit (covering Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington) deepens the split in case law on the ability to strip off leases in a landlord/borrower bankruptcy.
Some legal malpractice defendants are content to litigate claims asserted by debtors in the bankruptcy court. But many others, fearing that the debtor’s creditors may view them as a deep-pocketed resource to augment their own recoveries, would prefer to defend malpractice claims in what they view as a more neutral forum.
A bankruptcy case in Illinois highlights the need for the amendments to Uniform Commercial Code Article 9 which will be effective in Indiana and many other states.
The Delaware bankruptcy court recently decided that a debtor could not assign a trademark license absent the consent of the licensor. The court concluded that federal trademark law and the terms of the license precluded assignment without consent. Because the debtor could not assign the license under any circumstances (consent was not forthcoming), the court held that cause existed to annul the automatic stay to permit the licensor to “move on with its trademark and its business.”
USAE, LLC, f/k/a U.S. Aerospace LLC, has filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Case No. 17-11778). Based in Wilmington, DE, USAE produces aircraft assemblies, structural components and highly engineered, precision machined details for the U.S. Government, U.S. Airforce and companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
Phil Anker, in this article published by DailyDAC's Commercial Bankruptcy Alternatives, explores the “Absolute Priority Rule” and other “Rules” of “Priority” in bankruptcy, and if they really are “absolute,” if they really are “rules,” and if they always provide “priority” to some claimants over others.
Filing for bankruptcy is one of the most challenging experiences you can ever have. In fact, the things that happen before bankruptcy – calls from debt collectors, receiving garnishments, and the fear of losing your investments including your home and your car – can drive anyone to physical and mental exhaustion.
Last year, Burr & Forman lawyers won a decisive victory in the Eleventh Circuit, in the case of In re Failla, 838 F.3d 1170 (11th Cir. 2016). In Failla, the Eleventh Circuit held that a debtor who files a statement of intention to “surrender” his or her house in bankruptcy may not oppose the secured creditor’s foreclosure proceeding in state court. Failla is a significant victory for secured creditors for two primary reasons. First, the Eleventh Circuit interpreted the meaning of “surrender,” as used in 11 U.S.C.
Our Delaware Corporate and Alternative Entity Law attorneys closely follow the opinions coming from Delaware’s Supreme Court and Court of Chancery. Our 2017 Year to Date Review is a collection of brief summaries of selected cases concerning Delaware Corporate and Alternative Entity Law. While this list is a selection of important cases, our intent is to provide our readers with the rationale behind a court’s holding to ultimately provide information that may be helpful in strategic and business decisions concerning litigation and commercial arrangements.
Editors’ Note: The Supreme Court’s Jevic ruling last spring remains a treasure trove of bankruptcy theory, suitable for the novice bankruptcy student and highly instructional for those of us who have practiced in chapter 11 for years. We at The Bankruptcy Cave like it so much that we will be offering a few more posts in upcoming weeks on the lower courts’ interpretation of Jevic since the spring, the continued efforts in Delaware to sidestep Jevic, and other important learning from the case.