A common query with D&O insurance coverage is whether post-insolvency claims against the insolvent company’s directors and officers trigger the Insured vs. Insured exclusion found in most D&O policies. This issue arises when claims are brought on behalf of the insolvent company against directors in an attempt to recover money for creditors.
(Bankr. S.D. Ind. May 23, 2016)
The bankruptcy court sustains the creditor’s objection to the proposed Chapter 13 plan, finding the creditor’s expert more credible than the debtor’s expert as to valuation of the debtor’s mobile home. Thus, the the creditor’s secured claim was higher than the amount provided for in the plan. The court also holds that certain of the appliances in the home are not accessions and thus are not subject to the creditor’s lien. Opinion below.
Judge: Moberly
Yesterday, Iron Bridge Tools, Inc., a full-service design, development, and distribution company serving the consumer and professional hand-tool market, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Fort Lauderdale (Case No. 16-17505-RBR).
On March 11, 2016, the Seventh Circuit ruled that a distressed company’s termination of a lease pursuant to an agreement with its landlord and the relinquishment of its leasehold interest to its landlord constituted “transfers” that may be avoidable as fraudulent transfers and preferences under the Bankruptcy Code. The decision, Official Comm. Of Unsecured Creditors v. T.D. Invs. I, LLP (In re Great Lakes Quick Lube LP, 816 F.3d 482 (7th Cir. 2016)), serves as a cautionary tale for landlords dealing with distressed tenants.
Background
On May 16, 2016, the United States Supreme Court decided the term “actual fraud” in Bankruptcy Code § 523(a)(2)(A) encompasses forms of fraud, like fraudulent conveyance schemes, that can be effected without a false representation by a debtor. Importantly, the Husky International Electronics, Inc. v. Ritz, No. 15-145, 2016 WL 2842452 (U.S. May 16, 2016) opinion clears up a split among the lower courts on the question of whether the phrase “actual fraud” requires a false representation to be made to a creditor.
When Can a Subsidiary Be Liable for the Actions of Its Owners?
Recently, the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York issued an opinion in In re Sabine Oil & Gas Corp.1 that permitted the debtor, Sabine Oil & Gas Corporation (“Sabine”) to reject certain gathering and condensation agreements as executory contracts under 11 U.S.C. § 365. Because the midstream service sector finances the construction of pipelines, the costs of which are recovered over the life of gathering agreements, the Court’s decision has the potential to lead to considerable upheaval in the energy sector.
The Ninth Circuit BAP recently discussed on appeal the issue of whether a bankruptcy court may use the “fair and equitable” standard for confirmation in § 1129(b) to deny an oversecured creditor default interest on its claim to which it would otherwise be entitled under § 506(b). In Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. v. Beltway One Development Group, LLC (In re Beltway One Development Group, LLC), 547 B.R. 819 (9th Cir.
That intriguing little tech company in which you invested has just filed bankruptcy. Will you ever be able to recover any of that investment? Maybe. It depends upon the form of your investment. And because recoveries depend upon the form of the investment, you may want to consider how you document your investments in the future.
(Bankr. W.D. Ky. May 19, 2016)