Mid Cap
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October 18, 2024
Chancery Keeps Better Therapeutics SPAC Suit Alive
A Delaware vice chancellor on Friday refused to dismiss a suit challenging the take-public merger of now-defunct Better Therapeutics, saying the investors have sufficiently pleaded direct breach of fiduciary duty claims against the medical technology business' special purpose acquisition company partner and its directors.
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October 18, 2024
Under The Radar: Bankruptcy News You May Have Missed
Johnson & Johnson, Imerys Talc, Cyprus Mines, Takeoff Technologies and SunPower Corp. all fielded objections to their Chapter 11 bankruptcies, from their creditors' committees or the Office of the U.S. Trustee or both, with the U.S. Trustee largely raising concerns about overbroad releases.
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October 18, 2024
More Than Just Superheroes: Marvel Inked Ch. 11 Legacy
The nearly three-decade-old bankruptcy and reorganization of comic book giant Marvel produced a company that has become a major force in Hollywood, but it also led to an enduring legal precedent on conflict-of-interest standards for bankruptcy professionals that is still cited today.
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October 18, 2024
NYC Building Sold After Losing Half Of Tenants To Ch. 11
A historic mixed-use building in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood that was ravaged by the bankruptcies of two major tenants has been acquired and recapitalized by a partnership of RXR Realty and Hudson Bay Capital through a $421 million financing package from Blackstone, the buyers announced Friday.
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October 17, 2024
Atty's 'Groundhog Day' Motion Trims Ex-Girardi Client's Suit
A California state judge on Thursday trimmed a family's $1.8 million malpractice lawsuit against an attorney that represented it in recovering millions lost in Girardi Keese's embezzlement scandal, calling a bid to nix one of the suit's claims a "Groundhog Day" motion because she already granted a similar one from the attorney's firm.
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October 17, 2024
Colorado Judges Doubt Giuliani Shielded For 2020 Lies
Colorado appellate judges appeared skeptical Thursday of Rudy Giuliani's bid to escape a defamation lawsuit by a former executive for Dominion Voting Systems, noting that they already found Giuliani's statements weren't protected in a related appeal.
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October 17, 2024
Behind The Ch. 11 Filing Of Digital Media Solutions
An increase in car crashes was among the factors that helped lead to the Chapter 11 filing of online advertising company Digital Media Solutions, one of the latest debtors to file for bankruptcy following a reversal of fortunes after the COVID-19 pandemic.
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October 17, 2024
Truck Rental Co. Starts Ch. 11 With Plans To Sell
A Colorado-based truck rental business filed for Chapter 11 protection late Wednesday in Delaware, hoping to sell its assets as a going concern following a liquidity crunch.
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October 17, 2024
A&O Shearman Taps Governance Veteran To Co-Lead Practice
A&O Shearman said Thursday that it has tapped a longtime partner to co-head the firm's compensation, employment, pensions and governance practice, bringing it under the joint leadership of alum from each of its two legacy firms after the merger between New York-based Shearman & Sterling and London-based legacy firm Allen & Overy became official last May.
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October 17, 2024
Biolase Gets Go-Ahead For Nov. Asset Auction
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Thursday said she would send dental laser maker Biolase to the auction block in a little over two weeks with a $14 million opening bid from a company embroiled in a patent dispute with the debtor.
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October 17, 2024
NJ Injury Firm Heads To Ch. 11 Under $700K State Tax Debt
New Jersey personal injury attorney law firm Michael J. Weiss Inc. has hit Chapter 11 with $697,397.86 in state tax liability, according to court filings.
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October 16, 2024
NYC Condo Building's Revised Ch. 11 Plan Gets Confirmation
A New York federal bankruptcy judge has confirmed the owner of a Manhattan condominium complex's revised Chapter 11 plan, signing off on the planned restructuring after initially sending it back for revisions in late September, according to a notice filed Wednesday.
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October 16, 2024
Profs Urge 3rd Circ. To Rethink Reopening Shipbuilder Ch. 11
A group of law professors have asked the Third Circuit to grant shipbuilder Bath Iron Works' request for a rehearing on its bid to reopen the Chapter 11 case of its former affiliate in order to allocate responsibility for a number of environmental remediation costs, saying it is of "central importance" a bankruptcy court and not a civil court adjudicate the issue.
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October 16, 2024
Catching Up With New Bankruptcy Case Action
Several companies including True Value, Accuride and Jordan Health filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy over the past week, citing financial strains from inflation, supply-chain issues and market changes.
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October 16, 2024
Giuliani Says Ga. Poll Workers Can't Go After His Fla. Condo
Disgraced ex-lawyer Rudy Giuliani told a New York federal court Wednesday that two Georgia poll workers cannot force a sale of his Florida condominium to help cover their $148 million defamation award against him because the property is his permanent residence and thus is shielded under a "homestead" exemption.
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October 16, 2024
Ex-Judge Aims To Shield Bank Records In Romance Probe
A former U.S. bankruptcy judge is hoping to sink a subpoena from the U.S. Trustee's Office for his banking records in connection with its inquiry into his concealed romantic relationship with a former Jackson Walker LLP partner who appeared before him in a number of cases.
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October 16, 2024
Fla. Jury Finds 2 Live Crew Can Take Back Music Rights
A Florida federal jury ruled Wednesday that the Miami rap group 2 Live Crew is entitled to the copyrights on dozens of songs, finding the group made a valid claim under a law that allows them to claw back ownership of their music after more than three decades.
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October 16, 2024
Construction Co., Gov't Drop $4M Retention Credit Suit
A former construction business' suit against the Internal Revenue Service seeking nearly $4 million in employee retention credit refunds was dismissed by a Florida federal judge Wednesday after the company and the federal government agreed to drop the case.
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October 16, 2024
Key Bank Blocking Hunt For Apt. Co-Op's $1.3M, Towns Say
Key Bank NA should be held in contempt of court because four insurance checks totaling $1.3 million seem to have vanished from a troubled housing co-op's accounts, and the bank is preventing a receiver in charge of the 924-unit Success Village Apartments from figuring out what happened, two Connecticut municipalities have said.
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October 16, 2024
Williams Industrial Gets OK To Put Liquidation Plan To Vote
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Wednesday gave Williams Industrial Services Group the go-ahead to send its Chapter 11 liquidation plan out for a creditor vote before a December hearing on approval of the plan.
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October 16, 2024
Jenner & Block Grows Restructuring Team In NYC, Chicago
Jenner & Block LLP announced Wednesday an expansion of its bankruptcy and restructuring practice in New York and Chicago with the addition of two partners from Mayer Brown LLP, including a former co-leader of that firm's restructuring group in New York.
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October 15, 2024
Uncle Luke Says 2 Live Crew Songs Weren't Works For Hire
Rapper and producer Luther Campbell, also known as Uncle Luke, told jurors Monday that the checks they'd been shown for payments to members of hip-hop group 2 Live Crew were for per diem expenses, not paychecks, and insisted that the group members were not employees of his record label and can therefore claw back their rights to their old hit recordings.
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October 15, 2024
BurgerFi Wins OK For DIP After Tiff Over Fruit And Veg Bills
Bankrupt burger and pizza restaurant operator BurgerFi Inc. can push forward with an asset sale and its debtor-in-possession financing package after wrestling with language to resolve objections, particularly from a group of fruit and vegetable distributors.
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October 15, 2024
Nostrum Says Ch. 11 Trustee Unnecessary
New Jersey drugmaker Nostrum Laboratories has filed an opposition to Citizens Bank's motion to appoint a Chapter 11 trustee, arguing it was filed too early and is unneeded because Nostrum plans to sell its assets and pay Citizens in full.
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October 15, 2024
Fla. Medical Co. Hits Ch. 11 With Plans For Quick $45M Sale
The operator of 26 primary care centers in Florida has filed for Chapter 11 in hopes of a quick $45 million sale to an affiliate of health insurance company Humana Inc.
Expert Analysis
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Avoiding Retail Bankruptcy As Economic Uncertainty Persists
Amid record retail bankruptcies and continued economic uncertainty in 2024, retailers can take specific steps like building stronger cash-flow models, managing inventory wisely and reassessing cost structures to avoid financial distress, say consultants at BRG.
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Banking Compliance Takeaways From Joint Agency Statement
Federal bank regulatory agencies’ recent joint statement warning of risks associated with third-party fintech deposit services spotlights a fundamental problem that may arise with bank deposit products that are made through increasingly complex customer relationships, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.
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Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.
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Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing
Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Bankruptcy Courts May Be Budding Open To Cannabis Cases
Two recent California bankruptcy court rulings, denying motions to dismiss the respective debtors' bankruptcies, provide persuasive authority to allow cannabis debtors the protections of federal bankruptcy law, say Noah Weingarten and Bethany Simmons at Loeb & Loeb.
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Vendor Rights Lessons From 2 Chapter 11 Cases
A Texas federal court’s recent critical vendor order in the Zachry Holdings Chapter 11 filing, as well as a settlement between Rite Aid and McKesson in New Jersey federal court last year, shows why suppliers must object to critical vendor motions that do not recognize creditors' legal rights, says David Conaway at Shumaker.
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Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?
A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.
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Mercon Coffee Ch. 11 Ruling Shows Insider Releases' Limits
A New York bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in Mercon Coffee’s Chapter 11 case highlights the stringent requirements for retention-related transfers to insiders, even in cases where no creditor has objected, say Robert Klyman and Scott Shelley at DLA Piper.
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Bankruptcy Trustees Need More FinCEN Guidance
Recent FinCEN consent orders in two North Carolina bankruptcy cases show that additional guidance is necessary for most types of fiduciaries overseeing bankruptcy estates or other insolvency vehicles, say Brian Shaw and David Doyle at Cozen O’Connor.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Congress Must Increase Small Biz Ch. 11 Debt Cap
Congress must act to reinstate Subchapter V, which recently sunsetted when the debt threshold to qualify reverted from $7.5 million to just over $3 million, meaning thousands of small businesses will no longer be able to use the means of reorganization, says Daniel Gielchinsky at DGIM Law.
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How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market
Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.
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Ch. 11 Ruling Clarifies Cross-Border 'Alternative A' Scope
A New York bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in airline holding company SAS’s Chapter 11 case — addressing the applicability of Alternative A, which is similar to Section 1110 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code — is a cautionary tale for contracting European Union member states that have adopted Alternative A domestically but have not made a formal declaration, say attorneys at Pillsbury.