Large Cap
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October 01, 2024
Foley & Lardner Accused Of Malpractice In GWG Transactions
Foley & Lardner LLP did not heed the fiduciary duty it owed to GWG Holdings when it facilitated loans and other transactions unfair to the life insurance-backed bond seller and, instead, enriched a group of "corrupt" shareholders, according to a lengthy adversary lawsuit filed in Texas bankruptcy court.
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October 01, 2024
FTX CEO Avoids Depo Before Ch. 11 Confirmation Hearing
FTX CEO John J. Ray III does not have to sit for a deposition requested by Virgin Islands-based LayerZero Labs Ltd. to answer questions about why it was not included in a Chapter 11 settlement with the debtor, a Delaware bankruptcy judge said Tuesday, as FTX pursues confirmation of its bankruptcy plan.
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October 01, 2024
Bitcoin DIP Loans Spark Intrigue For Bankruptcy Lawyers
The Chapter 11 case of bitcoin miner Rhodium included a rarely seen option to take out a debtor-in-possession loan denominated in digital currency, a development that has left lawyers divided over whether the novel approach could provide much-needed flexibility or an unacceptable level of risk for future bankrupt borrowers.
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October 01, 2024
Judge Sends SVB Ch. 11 Appeal To 2nd Circ. In FDIC Row
A New York federal judge ruled that the former parent of Silicon Valley Bank can appeal directly to the Second Circuit, bypassing a district court as SVB challenges a bankruptcy judge's ruling that federal regulators have standing to object to its Chapter 11 plan.
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October 01, 2024
Steward Can't Be Forced To Reassign Contract In Ch. 11
While a government contractor was within its rights to end a subcontracting agreement with embattled hospital group Steward Health, the Bankruptcy Code's provisions for assignment of contracts mean the debtor can't be compelled to reassign the agreement while in Chapter 11, a Texas bankruptcy judge said Tuesday.
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October 01, 2024
McElroy Deutsch Must Face 'Malicious' Claim From Fired Exec
A former business development director from McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP has been given the go-ahead from a New Jersey state judge to bring a malicious-prosecution claim against the firm in litigation over her and her husband's alleged multimillion-dollar embezzlement from the firm.
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October 01, 2024
Judge Backs Ban On Protests Targeting Guo Ch. 11 Trustee
A Connecticut federal judge has affirmed a ban on certain protests aimed at the Chapter 11 trustee overseeing the bankruptcy estate of Chinese dissident Miles Guo, also known as Ho Wan Kwok, after the trustee faced death threats because of his investigation and a failed $250 million settlement.
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October 01, 2024
Florida Firm Markowitz Ringel Brings On Bankruptcy Partner
Markowitz Ringel Trusty & Hartog has bolstered its restructuring and insolvency practice group with a partner in Fort Lauderdale who came aboard from Miami-based Tabas & Silver PA.
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September 30, 2024
Guo Ch. 11 Trustee Seeks To Sell Conn. Mansion For $6.9M
The Chapter 11 trustee overseeing the estate of Chinese exile Miles Guo, also known as Ho Wan Kwok, asked a bankruptcy judge's permission Monday to sell a Connecticut mansion tied to the convicted fraudster for $6.9 million to benefit the estate, according to paperwork filed Monday.
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September 30, 2024
FCC Approves Audacy's Soros Deal, Triggering GOP Anger
The Federal Communications Commission has given the green light to the purchase of an ownership interest in bankrupt radio station owner Audacy Inc. by a fund manager with ties to George Soros.
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September 30, 2024
J&J Ch. 11 Parties Must Meet Ahead Of Venue Hearing
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Monday ordered lawyers fighting over a bid to get Johnson & Johnson's latest Chapter 11 moved to New Jersey to meet and confer before a hearing on the potential venue transfer that is scheduled for next week.
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September 30, 2024
LaVie Care Can Seek Creditor Votes On Updated Ch. 11 Plan
Bankrupt skilled nursing facility operator LaVie Care Centers received conditional approval for its Chapter 11 plan disclosures Monday in Georgia court, allowing the debtor to seek creditor votes on an updated plan that resulted from mediation.
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September 30, 2024
Bed Bath & Beyond Investors Lose Bid For Class Cert.
A D.C. federal judge has refused to certify a class of Bed Bath & Beyond investors in a suit alleging they were misled by company executives, saying that while the investors met many certification requirements, certification cannot be granted because the market for the company's stock was not efficient during the proposed class period.
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September 30, 2024
Steward Health CEO Sues Senate Panel After Contempt Vote
The outgoing CEO of embattled Steward Health Care on Monday sued members of Congress who voted earlier this month to hold him in contempt for defying their subpoena to testify at a hearing into the downfall of the bankrupt hospital chain he heads.
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September 30, 2024
Cineworld Wins Court Approval For UK Restructuring Plan
Cineworld was granted approval for a U.K. restructuring plan on Monday as a judge concluded it was a better option than allowing the struggling cinema chain to fall into administration.
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September 27, 2024
Puerto Rico Utility Creditors Seek OK For Bond Claims Suit
Representatives of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority's unsecured creditors are asking a New York federal judge to allow them to contest what they say is the wrongful lumping of $8.4 billion in bondholder claims with their own claims against the utility.
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September 27, 2024
Del. Judge To Mediate Incora Ch. 11 Plan Disputes
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Brendan L. Shannon of Delaware said Friday he would oversee the mediation of a dispute in Texas bankruptcy court that involves aircraft parts supplier Incora and two rival groups of creditors, as the parties seek a settlement clearing Incora to exit bankruptcy.
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September 27, 2024
Rate Cuts Offer Balm For Companies Teetering On Bankruptcy
The Federal Reserve's jumbo interest rate cut last week has lifted hopes that cheaper debt and a potential soft landing will let companies on the brink of bankruptcy avoid insolvency, a welcome reprieve for distressed borrowers at a moment when Chapter 11 filings are at the highest levels in years.
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September 26, 2024
Judge Says Avon Should Hold Off On Deal With Parent Co.
A Delaware bankruptcy judge told cosmetics giant Avon Products Inc. on Thursday that it needs to give creditors more time to investigate its dealings with its Brazilian parent company before he can approve a proposed settlement of claims against the parent.
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September 26, 2024
NY Diocese Reaches $323M Settlement With Abuse Survivors
Long Island's bankrupt Roman Catholic diocese has agreed to a nearly $323 million deal with hundreds of survivors of sexual abuse, a historic settlement that will bring to a close after four years the church's Chapter 11 case, according to a statement issued Thursday.
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September 26, 2024
WR Grace Asbestos Ch. 11 Spanned Legal Generation
Chemical manufacturer W.R. Grace is seeking to put an end to its 2001 asbestos-driven bankruptcy case in a legal landscape that may mean courts will never see an asbestos bankruptcy of this length and complexity again.
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September 26, 2024
Del. Bankruptcy Judge Says Purdue Limits Opt-Out Releases
A Delaware bankruptcy judge says the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Purdue Pharma LP barring nonconsensual third-party releases does not allow a kind of oft-used opt-out waiver for voters who don't return ballots.
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September 26, 2024
J&J Is 'Forum-Shopping' In New Spinoff Ch. 11, Trustee Says
The U.S. Department of Justice's bankruptcy watchdog has asked a judge to send the latest Johnson & Johnson talc-liability spinoff bankruptcy to New Jersey, saying Thursday that J&J subsidiary Red River Talc's Chapter 11 petition in the Southern District of Texas is an "assault on the very integrity of the bankruptcy system" and amounts to forum-shopping.
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September 26, 2024
Atty Can't Shield Bank Records In Judge Romance Probe
A former Jackson Walker LLP lawyer on Thursday lost her bid to torpedo a subpoena from the U.S. Trustee's Office seeking her bank records in connection with an inquiry into her secret relationship with a former Texas federal bankruptcy judge, court records show.
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September 26, 2024
FTX Strikes Deal With MDL Counsel For Ch. 11 Plan Support
FTX Trading Ltd. has asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge for permission to enact a settlement with plaintiffs and counsel it's facing in multidistrict litigation in Florida, saying the proposed deal would prevent potentially costly legal tussles and bring the plaintiffs on board to support FTX's Chapter 11 plan.
Tupperware's Crash Unseals Lenders' Foreclosure Dreams
Iconic food storage product maker Tupperware Brands Corp. filed for Chapter 11 in mid-September with critically low liquidity, and now new lenders are eager to get the assets at a significant discount after their prepetition foreclosure attempt failed.
J&J Fights For Ch. 11 Venue, NY Diocese Settles For $323M
Johnson & Johnson and the Justice Department are set to face off in a dispute over whether the consumer products giant was justified in putting a talc unit into bankruptcy in Texas this month, after the U.S. Trustee's Office accused J&J of "forum-shopping" its third Chapter 11 filing.
J&J Has An Uphill Battle To Keep Newest Ch. 11 In Texas
Consumer products giant Johnson & Johnson is facing significant pushback for filing its third bankruptcy in yet another new venue as it seeks to address tens of thousands of talc liability claims, with experts saying it may be a hard sell to keep the case in Texas when the facts haven't changed since two earlier gambits filed in other states were dismissed.
Expert Analysis
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AI May Limit Key Learning Opportunities For Young Attorneys
The thing that’s so powerful about artificial intelligence is also what’s most scary about it — its ability to detect patterns may curtail young attorneys’ chance to practice the lower-level work of managing cases, preventing them from ever honing the pattern recognition skills that undergird creative lawyering, says Sarah Murray at Trialcraft.
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Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics
Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.
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It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers
Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.
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Expect More Restaurant Ch. 11s As COVID Debt Comes Due
The wave of restaurant bankruptcies is likely to continue in the coming months as companies face the looming repayment of COVID-19 pandemic-era government loans, an uncertain economy and increased interest rates, says Isaac Marcushamer at DGIM Law.
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Mitigating Risk In Net Asset Value Facility Bankruptcies
In times of economic turbulence, parties to bankruptcy proceedings that involve net asset value facilities can mitigate risk by understanding the purpose of the automatic stay, complications it can create for NAV facility lenders and options for relief, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.
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Tax Traps In Acquisitions Of Financially Distressed Targets
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Parties to the acquisition of an insolvent or bankrupt company face myriad tax considerations, including limitations on using the distressed company's tax benefits, cancellation of indebtedness income, tax lien issues and potential tax reorganizations.
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7 Steps To Take Before Responding To Claim Objections
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
When counsel is notified of an objection to the proof of claim in a bankruptcy case, they should contact the client and begin discussing the cost and benefit of responding.
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Tips For Handling Single Asset Real Estate Bankruptcy Cases
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Bankruptcy counsel should consider several strategies when representing either a debtor or lender in single asset real estate debtor Chapter 11 cases, which generally arise when a debtor is forced to file for relief to stop an impending foreclosure sale.
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How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations
Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.
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Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles
Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.
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Ch. 11 Ruling Shows Early Attempt To Tackle Purdue Fallout
A Delaware bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in Parlement Technologies’ Chapter 11 case, which denied a bid by Parler’s former owner to extend its bankruptcy stay to nondebtors, illustrates early efforts to grapple with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Purdue Pharma for a recurring bankruptcy issue, say Daniel Lowenthal and Jonah Wacholder at Patterson Belknap.
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9 Liability Management Tips As Debt Maturity Cliff Looms
As the debt maturity cliff swiftly approaches in this challenging environment, attorneys at Winston & Strawn highlight the top considerations for boards of directors and finance professionals to think about when structuring and executing liability management transactions, including reviewing capital structure, evaluating debt covenants, and more.
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Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.