A long-struggling company’s failure to issue written notice to its employees 60 days in advance of shutting down operations, as required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (“WARN”) Act, is excused by the Act’s “unforeseeable business circumstances” exception, the federal appeals court in New Orleans held. Angles v. Flexible Flyer Liquidating Trust, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 2850 (5th Cir. Feb. 11, 2013). 

In In the Matter of Castleton Plaza, LP,¹ the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held that a new value plan that leaves creditor claims unpaid must be subjected to a market test if the new value is contributed by an insider. The decision by the Seventh Circuit expanded the competition requirement to insiders whether or not the insider is a holder of a claim or interest against the debtor.

In re Geijsel, et al., Case No. 10-43979-11 (Bankr. N.D. Texas, Aug. 24, 2012)

CASE SNAPSHOT

In re Homebanc Mortgage Corp.,No. 07-51740-KJC, 2013 WL 211180 (Bankr. D. Del. Jan. 18, 2013)

CASE SNAPSHOT

The Bankruptcy Court found that individual repurchase transactions having a purchase price of zero may fall within the definition of "repurchase agreement" under section 101(47) of the Bankruptcy Code provided that the master agreement governing such transactions acknowledges that each transaction constitutes consideration for every other transaction under the master agreement.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

All too often, a secured creditor’s negotiation and litigation of chapter 11 plan confirmation issues centers disproportionately on the amortization schedule of a secured claim and lacks focus on other issues that shift risk or otherwise have significant economic impact on the relative rights of the parties.

In re Premier Golf Properties, L.P., BAP No. SC- 11-1508-HPaJu (9th Cir. BAP, Aug. 13, 2012)

CASE SNAPSHOT

The Ninth Circuit B.A.P. affirmed the bankruptcy court decision that post-petition income from greens fees and driving range fees were not “rents, proceeds, or profits” of the secured lender’s pre-petition blanket security interest on all real and personal property (and “all proceeds thereof”) within the meaning of section 552(b), and thus were not cash collateral.

On February 13, 2013, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved a stipulation between LightSquared and, among others, its lenders to extend until July 15, 2013 LightSquared’s exclusive right to file a Chapter 11 plan of reorganization. That right was due to expire on January 31, 2013, and then was extended until the court ruled on LightSquared’s motion to extend that date.

In re S. White Transp., Inc., 473 B.R. 695 (S.D. Miss. 2012)

CASE SNAPSHOT

In re American Capital Equipment, LLC, 688 F.3d 145 (3d Cir. 2012)

CASE SNAPSHOT

On January 17, 2013, the United States Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the First Circuit (the “First Circuit BAP”) rendered its opinion in Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance v. OPK Biotech, LLC (In re PBBPC, Inc.), BAP No. MB 12-042 (B.A.P. 1st Cir. Jan.