Bankruptcy

July 01, 2024
Clothing Maker Delta Apparel Hits Ch. 11 With Sale Plans

Delta Apparel Inc., a Georgia-based clothes manufacturer, and six affiliates filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware with around $250 million in debt and plans to sell the lifestyle and clothes brand Salt Life while in bankruptcy.
June 28, 2024
Chevron's End Is Just The Start For Energized Agency Foes

By knocking down a powerful precedent that has towered over administrative law for 40 years, the U.S. Supreme Court's right wing Friday gave a crowning achievement to anti-agency attorneys. But for those attorneys, the achievement is merely a means to an end, and experts expect a litigation blitzkrieg to materialize quickly in the aftermath.
June 28, 2024
Will 'Moral Victory' In Purdue Ruling Help Plaintiffs?

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision that the Sackler family members who own Purdue Pharma LP cannot be shielded by the bankruptcy code from lawsuits over the opioid crisis reflects the widespread public outrage over their role in the epidemic, but experts say it remains unclear what will happen next for the individuals and governments that have sued the company.
June 28, 2024
Real Estate Recap: Camping Ban, Mobile Money, Post-Surfside

Catch up on this week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on an Oregon town's anti-camping ordinance, government incentives for manufactured housing communities, and the progress states have made toward building safety in the three years since the tragic condo collapse in Surfside, Florida.
June 28, 2024
Girardi Wins Bid To Offer Mental Condition Testimony At Trial

Tom Girardi's defense team can call a doctor to testify at his upcoming trial as to a potential "mental condition" that they say might indirectly have bearing on his intent to defraud clients, a California federal judge ruled Thursday, rejecting prosecutors' argument that the testimony is irrelevant.
June 28, 2024
In Chevron Case, Justices Trade One Unknown For Another

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overrule a decades-old judicial deference doctrine may cause the "eternal fog of uncertainty" surrounding federal agency actions to dissipate and level the playing field in challenges of government policies, but lawyers warn it raises new questions over what rules courts must follow and how judges will implement them.
June 28, 2024
Problems Linger Amid Efforts To Clean Up Debt Firm's Mess

After the collapse of a California debt relief firm last year amid allegations of fraud, a bankruptcy judge signed off on a plan to allow a new firm to begin providing services for thousands of affected clients. While the new firm has promised to clean up its predecessor’s mess, some consumers say little to nothing has changed, and now enforcement agencies including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have started asking questions.
June 28, 2024
Rite Aid Ch. 11 Plan OK'd With Insurers' Objections Resolved

A New Jersey bankruptcy judge Friday approved pharmacy chain Rite Aid's Chapter 11 restructuring plan after the company said it had resolved objections from its insurance carriers to how the plan treats their policies.
June 28, 2024
Girardi's Ch. 7 Evidence Fight May Raise Novel Issues

Tom Girardi told a California federal judge that FBI agents violated his constitutional rights by obtaining evidence from his law firm's bankruptcy trustee without a search warrant, an argument that, if successful, could hamstring prosecutors in his upcoming wire fraud trial and shake up law enforcement's dealings with trustees.
June 28, 2024
Judge Finalizes $4M Deal In Eye Doc Ransomware Dispute

A North Carolina federal judge has signed off on a $4 million deal to resolve two class actions over an electronic patient recordkeeping and billing company allegedly failing to give truthful, timely notice to ophthalmology practices and their patients about ransomware attacks that damaged its software for months.
June 28, 2024
Lincoln Logs Maker Basic Fun Inc. Files For Ch. 11

Basic Fun Inc., the toy-maker behind Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Friday in a Delaware bankruptcy court, listing less than $100 million in assets and liabilities each.
June 28, 2024
Nixed Purdue Ch. 11 Plan May Leave States Ready For A Fight

State attorneys general across the country could be gearing up for more opioid-related litigation against the Sackler family after the U.S. Supreme Court wiped out a $5.5 billion third-party release for the owners of bankrupt drugmaker Purdue Pharma LP, experts told Law360.
June 27, 2024
Texas Bank Moves For Partial Win In Ginnie Mae Loan Suit

Texas Capital Bank told a federal judge that it's entitled to tens of millions of dollars in collateral on which it has a first-priority lien that it said Ginnie Mae wrongfully diverted to itself, and that the court has already addressed the issue that warrants partial summary judgment in its favor.
June 27, 2024
SPAC Investors Get Final OK On $13M Settlement

Attorneys who brokered a $13 million settlement on behalf of investors in special purpose acquisition company Pioneer Merger Corp. will receive about 30% of that settlement fund, minus nearly $100,000 that will go toward their clients' incentive award, a Manhattan federal judge has determined.
June 27, 2024
Purdue Ruling Reshapes Conn. Catholic Diocese's Ch. 11 Plan

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Thursday banning bankruptcy judges from forcing non-debtor third parties to release claims against other non-debtors quickly reshaped a proposed Chapter 11 plan for a Connecticut Roman Catholic diocese, as a creditors committee withdrew a $32 million abuse victim trust proposal and proffered an immediate replacement.
June 27, 2024
Insurers Call Rite Aid Ch. 11 Opioid Deal Unfair

Counsel for bankrupt drugstore chain Rite Aid told a New Jersey bankruptcy judge Thursday that it hopes to reach an agreement with at least some of its insurers on payments into an opioid settlement fund before closing arguments in its Chapter 11 plan confirmation Friday.
June 27, 2024
Ch. 7 Can't Free PE Firm From Suit, Diamond Polisher Says

A Canadian diamond polisher urged a Michigan federal judge to keep alive its suit alleging that a lab-grown diamond company's private equity owner knew it couldn't make good on its promise to fund new facilities to process the gemstones, saying the fact that the company is going through bankruptcy can't shield the PE firm from liability for using its alter ego to make fraudulent statements.
June 27, 2024
Titanic Purdue Ruling Shifts The Balance Of Power In Ch. 11

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down the Sackler family's liability shield in the Chapter 11 plan of Purdue Pharma LP not only eliminates a key tool to resolve mass tort liabilities through bankruptcy, it gives claimants more leverage and fundamentally changes the insolvency landscape in future cases, experts tell Law360.
June 27, 2024
Justices Nix 3rd-Party Liability Releases In Purdue Ch. 11 Plan

The U.S. Supreme Court shot down the validity of nonconsensual third-party releases in an opinion issued Thursday in the case of bankrupt drugmaker Purdue Pharma LP, potentially exposing the Sackler family members who own the company to personal liability for the company's role in the opioid crisis.
June 26, 2024
Talc Co. Barretts' Creditors Push To Dismiss Ch. 11 Case

Unsecured creditors of Barretts Minerals have urged a Texas bankruptcy judge to dismiss its bankruptcy following the debtor's sale of its talc business, arguing that Barretts remains in bankruptcy only to get its fully solvent parent company out of its talc liability.
June 26, 2024
Judge Denies ConvergeOne Lenders' Bid To Halt Ch. 11 Plan

A Texas federal judge has rejected a request by a group of ConvergeOne lenders to stay a bankruptcy court's order approving an equity rights offering included in the information technology company's Chapter 11 plan, ending the spurned lenders' challenge to a deal they claimed ran afoul of bankruptcy rules.
June 26, 2024
Gun Co. Co-Owner Tells Del. Justices That Partner 'Lied'

A joint owner of a gun manufacturing business who accused his partner of duping him out of his 50% stake told Delaware's Supreme Court on Wednesday that the partner — who won the case — had repeatedly "lied" during Chancery Court litigation, so the trial court's decision should be overturned.
June 26, 2024
Calif. Atty Won't Contest Claim He Stole Up To $282M

A California lawyer has stopped defending himself against bar discipline charges that accuse him of stealing as much as $282 million from clients, and his posture has forced the cancelation of a trial that was scheduled for this week and makes his disbarment almost certain.
June 26, 2024
Pharma Co. PhaseBio Can Exit Ch. 11 With Wind-Down Plan

A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Wednesday gave her blessing for pharmaceutical developer PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals Inc. to liquidate its assets and wind down after settlement agreements with creditors and a business partner cleared a path for it to exit Chapter 11 after roughly 19 months.
June 26, 2024
A Picture Of Office Sector Distress

This five-part series from Law360 Real Estate Authority explores distressed office buildings in Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, Dallas and New York City in an illustration of how the stressors facing the asset class are playing out across the country.

Expert Analysis

Charting The Course For Digital Assets In 2024

Although 2023 was a tough year for the digital asset industry, upcoming court decisions, legislation and regulatory action will bring clarity, allowing the industry to expand and evolve, and the government will decide what innovation it will allow without challenge, says Joshua Smeltzer at Gray Reed.
Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends

Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
What 2023 Bankruptcy Statistics May Mean For 2024

Bankruptcy data from 2023 shows that we are in an unprecedented time in our economic history because of unique, unpredictable and distressed conditions, and bankruptcy professionals should be prepared for the continued rise in Chapter 11 filings in 2024, says Deirdre O'Connor at Epiq.
The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.
What The 2023 Bank Failures Taught Us, And What's To Come

As 2023 draws to a close, it's apparent that the bank failures this past spring sparked a seismic shift in the regulatory and supervisory landscape for banking organizations, and the consequences are still continuing to be felt throughout the financial sector as we head into 2024, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities

Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023

Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.
What WeWork's Ch. 11 Filing Means For Landlords

WeWork’s recent Chapter 11 filing in New Jersey has the potential to be one of the most consequential cases in the real estate industry in many years, and presents a number of issues for landlords, including unexpired leases, assumption, assignment and more, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.
How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season

Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
The 4 Top Philadelphia Commerce Court Opinions Of 2023

Four 2023 rulings from the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas — including decisions on judicial privilege, stay requests, sheriff's sales and the appointment of a receiver — highlight the court's commitment to stringent standards and address evolving challenges in commercial litigation, say Jonathan Hugg and Sarah Boutros at Eckert Seamans.
A Former Bankruptcy Judge Talks 2023 High Court Rulings

In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued four bankruptcy law opinions — an extraordinary number — and a close look at these cases signals that changes to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code will have to come from Congress, not the courts, says Phillip Shefferly at the University of Michigan Law School.
3 Defense Takeaways From The Bankman-Fried Trial

FTX founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s recent fraud conviction offers several key lessons for future white collar defendants, from the changing nature of cross-examination to the continued risks of taking the stand, say Jonathan Porter and Gregg Sofer at Husch Blackwell.
Series

Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.
Opinion

What Happens If High Court Rejects Releases In Purdue Ch. 11

Reading the tea leaves following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent arguments in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, it appears likely that the justices will decide that bankruptcy courts lack the power to release third-party claims against nondebtors, which would result in one of three scenarios, says Gregory Germain at Syracuse University.
Del. Ruling Shows Tension Between 363 Sale And Labor Law

The Delaware federal court's ruling in the Braeburn Alloy Steel case highlights the often overlooked collision between an unstayed order authorizing an asset sale free and clear of successor liability under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code and federal labor law imposing successor liability on the buyer, say attorneys at Proskauer.