Once a company files a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition (to sell its assets, reorganize or liquidate), Bankruptcy Code § 1114 sets forth a detailed procedure for the employer to follow to modify or terminate certain retiree benefits. Among other things, § 1114 imposes on the employer the burden of showing that the elimination or modification of benefits is necessary to permit reorganization.

In re Leslie Controls, Inc., No. 10-12199 (Bankr. D. Del. Sept. 21, 2010), involved a very common scenario. A company in financial difficulty sought to negotiate a consensual restructuring with an ad hoc committee and, in that context, disclosed various confidential analyses. In this particular case, the company had asbestos exposure, the ad hoc committee represented asbestos plaintiffs, and the shared information included a memorandum and numerous e-mails concerning potential insurance recoveries under various bankruptcy scenarios.

The issue of whether Section 362(a) operates as a stay of ITC Section 337 investigations arose in several ITC cases in the last two years. The first case, ITC Investigation No. 337-TA-605, involved Spansion, Inc., a Delaware corporation that manufactures semiconductor chips outside the United States. Spansion was named as a Respondent in the case and contended that the ITC investigation should be stayed as to Spansion pursuant to the automatic stay provision of Section 362(a).

Recently, the Chapter 7 Trustee (the "Trustee") in the HRP Myrtle Beach Holdings bankruptcy, filed several avoidance actions pursuant to sections 547, 548, and 549 of the Bankruptcy Code. The avoidance actions, filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, are before the Honorable Kevin J. Carey, Chief Judge of the Delaware Bankruptcy Court.

In 1984 a Third Circuit panel decided that the automatic stay did not apply to a right to payment which arose under applicable state law after a bankruptcy petition was filed. Avellino & Bienes v. M. Frenville Co., 744 F.2d 332 (3d Cir. 1984). The Third Circuit tradition is that the holding of a panel in a precedential opinion is binding on subsequent panels. Until this year Frenville remained good Third Circuit law notwithstanding universal rejection by other circuits.

The next few years will see the “redevelopment” of the law in two critical areas involving bank failures where the Federal Deposit Insurance Corpora-tion (“FDIC”) is appointed receiver: (i) the relative rights and claims of creditors of a bank or savings and loan holding company, including the FDIC; and (ii) D&O and professional liability. Significant decisions are be-ginning to be issued with regard to the former.

On September 22, 2010, Bryan Marsal, co-chief executive officer of the restructuring firm Alvarez & Marsal ("A&M") and chief restructuring officer for Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., presented A&M's State of the Estate report regarding the chapter 11 cases of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and its affiliated debtors (collectively, the "Debtors"). In his overview of the State of the Estate report, Marsal outlined the timeline for plan confirmation, the claims reconciliation process, and recovery analysis:  

Plan Confirmation Timeline  

On July 13, 2010, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit unanimously held that auto-parts supplier Visteon Corporation could not terminate health and life insurance benefits for approximately 2,100 retirees during its chapter 11 bankruptcy unless Visteon followed the specific requirements laid out in section 1114 of the Bankruptcy Code, even if Visteon would have had the unilateral right to terminate these benefits outside bankruptcy.1 The Court found that a debtor may terminate any retiree benefits in bankruptcy only if,inter alia, the debt

Construction disputes often boil down to a single issue: “show me the money.” Experienced contractors, owners and financiers understand the risks that come with unfinished projects and unpaid work; best practices have long included tracking first visible work, last day of work, and other issues critical to perfecting and enforcing mechanic’s lien rights. But a bankruptcy or a potential bankruptcy of a project participant introduces a new set of challenges and risks to construction projects.

On September 20th, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York granted BNY Corporate Trustee Services Limited ("BNY") leave to appeal the bankruptcy court's decision in the Lehman "Dante" matter. In its January decision, the bankruptcy court had voided certain document provisions providing for the subordination of a swap counterparty's rights to an early termination payment when the swap counterparty or one of its close affiliates went into bankruptcy.‪ BNY holds the collateral subject to this dispute.