Bankruptcy

  • January 14, 2025

    Resort Developer Asks To Wind Up Chinese Co. In Bahamas

    The developer of the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas filed a petition Tuesday to liquidate a Chinese-owned construction firm that was hit with a $1.6 billion judgment last year by a New York court over its fraud tied to the construction of the resort project.

  • January 14, 2025

    Airline Workers' Attys Get $4.2M From ESOP Deal

    A Delaware federal judge Tuesday awarded over $4.2 million in fees to class counsel in a suit over alleged mismanagement of the employee stock ownership plan at bankrupt cargo hauler Western Global Airlines that was settled in September for $14.5 million.

  • January 14, 2025

    Wynne Transportation Can Tap Some Of $6M DIP In Ch. 11

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge said Tuesday she will allow transportation service provider Wynne Transportation to borrow $2 million in initial debtor-in-possession financing on an interim basis, clearing the way to fund a Chapter 11 case the company launched in the wake of a nearly $33 million arbitration judgment.

  • January 14, 2025

    Trade Secret Suit Sends New Zealand Software Co. Into Ch. 15

    A New Zealand company that develops actuarial software products supported by artificial intelligence commenced a Chapter 15 bankruptcy case in Delaware Tuesday, saying ongoing trade secrets litigation had harmed its sales and operations.

  • January 14, 2025

    Giuliani Atty Chided For 'Higher Power' Remark Ahead Of Trial

    A Manhattan federal judge pushed back Tuesday against Rudy Giuliani's lawyer ahead of a trial on whether the former New York City mayor must turn over his Florida condo and World Series rings to help cover a $148 million defamation judgment, after Giuliani's counsel said a precluded witness "answers to a higher power than this court."

  • January 13, 2025

    Ace Gallery Founder Gets 2 Years In Prison For Embezzlement

    A California federal judge on Monday sentenced art dealer Douglas Chrismas, who founded the internationally renowned Ace Gallery, to two years in prison for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the bankruptcy estate of the shuttered Los Angeles art gallery.

  • January 13, 2025

    Colombian Refinery Co. Gets $1B McDermott Award OK'd

    Colombia's state-owned oil company on Friday won enforcement of a $1 billion arbitral award issued against Dutch and British units of Texas-based construction firm McDermott International following a dispute over a refinery modernization project.

  • January 13, 2025

    Madoff Trustee Blasts Katten's 2nd Bid To Drop Client

    The trustee overseeing the long-running liquidation of Bernie Madoff's bankruptcy estate is fighting a renewed attempt by Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP to drop its client, French investment fund Access International Advisors, telling the court that the firm's motion to withdraw as counsel lacks novel arguments differentiating it from an earlier bid that had already been denied.

  • January 13, 2025

    Sen. Warren To Grill Treasury Pick On Trump's Tax Agenda

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., plans to ask Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent at his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday about President-elect Donald Trump's tax agenda and plans for the Internal Revenue Service, according to a letter she sent the nominee.

  • January 13, 2025

    Infowars Bidder Raises Offer As Attys Consider Auction

    A failed bidder for conspiracy-monger Alex Jones' Infowars has more than doubled the amount it would pay to acquire the website, and the parent company of satirical news site The Onion is preparing to submit its own revised bid, counsel for the trustee in Jones' Chapter 7 case said at a hearing in Texas bankruptcy court Monday.

  • January 13, 2025

    Alex Jones Switches Conn. Attys In $1B Sandy Hook Appeal

    A Randazza Legal Group attorney will represent Alex Jones in a Connecticut Supreme Court bid to erase the remainder of a $1.44 billion defamation judgment for Sandy Hook shooting victims after the Infowars host's now-former lawyer raised unspecified conflict concerns about a third attorney representing Jones in the Connecticut appeal.

  • January 13, 2025

    Ex-Sacks Weston Atty's Theft Supports Suspension, Court Told

    The severity of a suspended Philadelphia attorney's actions when he defrauded his former firm, Sacks Weston LLC, of almost $320,000 supports the Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board's recommendation of a five-year suspension of his law license, the state's Office of Disciplinary Counsel has argued.

  • January 13, 2025

    Smith Gambrell Faces DQ Bid In Major Lindsey Suit

    A former Major Lindsey & Africa employee with a lengthy legal history with the recruiter is seeking to disqualify Smith Gambrell from representing Major Lindsey in her $75 million federal defamation suit, arguing three attorneys are key witnesses to help determine liability.

  • January 13, 2025

    Wynne Transportation Files Ch. 11 After $32M Arbitration Loss

    Transportation services company Wynne Transportation Holdings LLC filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware after an arbitrator said it must pay a former subcontractor $32.8 million because it severed their partnership after the state of Texas required it to bus migrants to Democratic-controlled areas.

  • January 12, 2025

    Hospital Operator Hits Ch. 11 With $1B-Plus Debt, Sale Plans

    Listing more than $1 billion in debts, California-based hospital operator Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. and several subsidiaries on Saturday filed a Chapter 11 petition in bankruptcy court in the Northern District of Texas, saying they intend to advance the planned sales of several facilities and refocus on operations in their home state.

  • January 10, 2025

    Justices To Review Block On Expanded Student Loan Benefits

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review the Fifth Circuit's block on expanded benefits under a federal program that forgives student loans for borrowers defrauded by higher education institutes.

  • January 10, 2025

    US Trustee Balks At Ch. 11 Bid Protections In First Mode Case

    A package of bid protections for the stalking horse of bankrupt electric-engine developer First Mode needs to be reined in, the Office of the U.S. Trustee has said, urging a Delaware bankruptcy judge to reject the debtor's request that expenses and fees tied to the $15 million bid be paid as priority claims.

  • January 10, 2025

    SafeMoon CEO Wants 'Misleading' Reddit Post Explained

    The CEO of bankrupt cryptocurrency asset company SafeMoon LLC asked a Brooklyn federal judge Friday to order the government to explain whether it had a role in a social media user's "misleading" post that promised to connect SafeMoon investors with the U.S. government.

  • January 10, 2025

    Giuliani Held In Contempt Again, This Time In DC

    A D.C. federal judge Friday held Rudy Giuliani in contempt for continuing to repeat false claims that two Georgia poll workers meddled with the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, marking the second time in a week the former New York City mayor has been found in civil contempt.

  • January 10, 2025

    J&J Talc Claimants Seek Sanctions Over Morelli No-Show

    A group of attorneys representing talc claimants in Johnson & Johnson unit Red River Talc's Chapter 11 case has urged a Texas bankruptcy judge to sanction Morelli Law Firm PLLC's founding partner, Benedict Morelli, for allegedly failing to appear in person at a December hearing and falsely claiming to have resolved a dispute with the talc group.

  • January 10, 2025

    Ex-McKinsey Partner Admits To Obstructing Purdue Probe

    A former senior partner at consulting giant McKinsey & Co. pled guilty Friday to obstructing the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation into the firm's work with opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma LP, a month after McKinsey agreed to pay $650 million to resolve related charges.

  • January 09, 2025

    J&J Spin-Off Says Talc Committee Can't Hire Brown Rudnick

    Johnson & Johnson's bankrupt spin-off called Brown Rudnick's bid to represent an official committee of talc claimants "an ethical violation," telling a Texas bankruptcy judge that the law firm's previous work for a group trying to toss the case clashes with the committee's support for its Chapter 11 plan.

  • January 09, 2025

    Texas Oil Well Operator's Ch. 11 Plan Approved With Releases

    Oil well operator Independence Contract Drilling received approval Thursday from a Texas bankruptcy judge for its Chapter 11 reorganization plan, which includes consensual third-party releases.

  • January 09, 2025

    FTX Squabbles With Crypto Startup Over EU Distributions

    The estate of bankrupt crypto exchange FTX said it had no involvement with a startup cryptocurrency exchange's announcement that it had purchased FTX EU and would be handling distributions to former customers of the FTX European subsidiary.

  • January 09, 2025

    Judge Nixes Bid To Depose SEC Counsel In $73M Fraud Case

    A New Jersey federal magistrate judge has denied a credit reporting agency's bid to depose four U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission attorneys and to compel the production of their witness interview notes in a civil enforcement action over an alleged $73 million fraud, ruling the information sought is protected by the work-product doctrine.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • Opinion

    High Court Made Profound Mistake In Tossing Purdue Deal

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to throw out Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 plan jeopardizes a multistate agreement that would provide approximately $7 billion in much-needed relief to help fight the opioid epidemic, with states now likely doomed to spend years chasing individual defendants across the globe, says Swain Wood at Morningstar.

  • What FTX Case Taught Us About Digital Asset Recoverability

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    FTX's Chapter 11 plan has drawn lots of attention, but the focus should be on the anticipated outcome for investors, which counters several myths about digital currencies, innovation and recoverability, says Kyla Curley at StoneTurn.

  • Series

    Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.

  • A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates

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    Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.

  • Synapse Bankruptcy Has Ripple Effects For Fintech Industry

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    Synapse Financial Technologies’ recent bankruptcy filing marks a significant moment in the fintech industry's evolution, highlighting that stringent compliance and risk management in fintech partnerships are essential to mitigate risk and protect consumers, say Joann Needleman and Ryan Blumberg at Clark Hill.

  • Opinion

    Discount Window Reform Needed To Curb Modern Bank Runs

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    We learned during the spring 2023 failures that bank runs can happen extraordinarily fast in light of modern technology, especially when banks have a greater concentration of large deposits, demonstrating that the antiquated but effective discount window needs to be overhauled before the next crisis, says Cris Cicala at Stinson.

  • Opinion

    States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions

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    Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • Best Text Practices In Light Of Terraform's $4.5B Fraud Deal

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    Text messages were extremely important in a recent civil trial against Terraform Labs, leading to a $4.5 billion settlement, so litigants in securities fraud cases need to have robust mobile data policies that address the content and retention of messages, and the obligations of employees to allow for collection, say Josh Sohn and Alicia Clausen at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.

  • Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice

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    The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • 2 Options For Sackler Family After High Court Purdue Ruling

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently blocked Purdue Pharma's plan to shield the family that owns the company from bankruptcy lawsuits, the Sacklers face the choice to either continue litigation, or return to the bargaining table for a settlement that doesn't eliminate creditor claims, says Gregory Germain at Syracuse University.

  • In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State

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    On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.

  • Revisiting Scalia's 'What's It To You?' After Kaiser Ruling

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser allows insurers to be considered "parties in interest" in Chapter 11 cases, they still need to show they would face an injury in fact, answering the late Justice Antonin Scalia's "what's it to you?" question, say Brent Weisenberg and Jeff Prol at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Florida Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The second quarter of 2024 brought two notable bills that will affect Florida's banking and finance community across many issues, including virtual currency abandonment, cancellation of financial services on the basis of political opinions, and the exemption amount of motor vehicles, say Joshua Prever and Andrew Balthazor at Holland & Knight.

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