Electric vehicle battery manufacturer A123, which received a $249 million stimulus grant from the Department of Energy, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection October 15 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware to facilitate an agreement in which Johnson Controls will purchase its automotive business assets for $125 million. The company has drawn down roughly $131 million of its grant, and has faced problems with batteries supplied to Fisker as well as low demand for electric vehicles.

On October 17, 2012, Back Yard Burgers, Inc.

The Bottom Line:

The Bottom Line:

The Commission brought an offering fraud action against two long time residential real estate businessmen, Thomas S. Mulholland and James C. Mulholland, Jr. The two defendants had been in the residential real estate business since the 1990s. By 2008 they had raised about $16 million from investors. Thomas and James Mulholland had about 300 properties and apartment building units.

Great Lakes Agri-Services, LLC v State Bank of Newberg (In re Enright), 474 B.R. 854 (Bankr. E.D. Wisc. 2012) –

Steven Enright and his wife borrowed money from a bank to buy dairy cows and other improvements for the family dairy farm.  The bank loan was secured by assets of the Enrights, and also guaranteed by Steven’s parents, with the parents’ guarantee secured by a mortgage on the dairy farm itself (which was owned by the parents).

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee ruled in August that an LLC’s creditor could not pierce the LLC’s veil to assert its claim against the LLC’s sole member. In a twist, the LLC’s member, not the LLC, was the debtor in bankruptcy. In re Steffner, No. 11-51315, 2012 WL 3563978 (Bankr. E.D. Tenn., Aug. 17, 2012).

In re Coastal Broadcasting Systems, Inc., Case No. 11-10596 (Bankr. D. N.J. July 6, 2012)

CASE SNAPSHOT

At confirmation, the bankruptcy court considered whether the assignment of voting rights in an intercreditor agreement was enforceable. The bankruptcy court noted that various courts had reached differing conclusions, but ultimately found that the voting assignment in the intercreditor agreement before it was enforceable.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

In re Furrs Supermarkets, Inc., No. 11-01-10779 SA (Bankr. D.N.M. Aug. 15, 2012)

CASE SNAPSHOT

Wright v. Owens Corning, 450 B.R. 541 (W.D. Pa. 2011), aff’d in part, rev’d in part, 2012 WL 1759992 (3rd Cir. Pa.) (May 18, 2012).