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Bankruptcy
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March 28, 2024
Bankman-Fried Gets 25 Years For 'Very Bad Bet' Of FTX Fraud
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for stealing more than $11 billion from customers, investors and lenders of his now-collapsed cryptocurrency empire, with a Manhattan federal judge saying the infamous risk-taker "made a very bad bet about the likelihood of getting caught."
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March 27, 2024
Sedgwick Trustee's Valuation Of Firm Flawed, Judge Told
An accounting expert hired by two ex-partners fighting the Sedgwick LLP trustee's bid to claw back $1.1 million testified at the close of a three-day California bench trial Wednesday that the trustee expert's valuation analysis is "materially flawed" and took a "sledgehammer" to the law firm's book value.
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March 27, 2024
NC Commissioner Says Insurance Mogul's Argument 'Mistaken'
The North Carolina insurance commissioner asked the state's Supreme Court on Tuesday to allow him to give his take on a group of insurers' lawsuit against embattled mogul Greg Lindberg that alleges he pilfered the insurance companies as owner, saying if the court lets him submit an amicus brief he'll explain how Lindberg's main argument is "mistaken."
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March 27, 2024
BlockFi Wins Approval Of 'Tremendous' Deal With FTX
A New Jersey bankruptcy judge gave his blessing on Wednesday to a global settlement that ends disputes between fallen cryptocurrency giants BlockFi Inc. and FTX, saying the results were "tremendous."
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March 27, 2024
Yellow Corp. Pension Fund Liability To Be Decided In Ch. 11
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Wednesday denied the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.'s bid to take a dispute with Yellow Corp. over $7.8 billion in retirement fund withdrawal liability claims to arbitration, finding the dispute would be best resolved through the trucking firm's Chapter 11 claims allowance process.
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March 27, 2024
Camden Diocese Insurers Demand Ch. 11 Plan Be Halted
Several insurers of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden told a New Jersey bankruptcy judge Wednesday that the approval of the debtor's third modified Chapter 11 plan stripped the insurers' rights and urged the court to implement a stay on the order.
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March 27, 2024
McDermott Completes Global Restructuring
Texas-based energy industry construction firm McDermott International has announced the company successfully completed its cross-border restructuring in the Netherlands and the U.K., noting it has arranged to extend its debt maturities by three years and resolve arbitration liabilities.
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March 27, 2024
11th Circ. Affirms Experian's Win In Credit Reporting Suit
The Eleventh Circuit has determined a district court didn't err in evidentiary rulings in a case brought by a Florida resident against Experian Information Solutions Inc. alleging it inaccurately reported a discharged mortgage in his credit history, upholding a verdict in favor of the company.
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March 27, 2024
Troika Media Can Exit Ch. 11 After Settlement And Lender Sale
Marketing firm Troika Media Group Inc. is set to exit bankruptcy before the end of the month after a New York bankruptcy judge Wednesday said he would approve its Chapter 11 plan to sell itself as a going concern and settle pre-bankruptcy legal disputes.
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March 27, 2024
Piracy Claims Against Bankrupt ISP Frontier Can Go Forward
A New York bankruptcy judge Wednesday said a group of copyright holders can go to trial with claims internet service provider Frontier Communications is liable for failing to cut off customers who downloaded pirated music and movies.
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March 27, 2024
Terraform Loses Mistrial Bid After Rakoff Query About 'Lying'
Manhattan U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff on Wednesday rejected a mistrial bid by counsel for Terraform Labs and creator Do Kwon centering on the judge's move to ask an investor if the bankrupt crypto startup had disclosed potential risks about "lying" to the public.
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March 26, 2024
Judge To Let McDermott Investors Seek 2-Subclass Cert.
A Texas federal judge has declined to certify a proposed class of investors in energy industry engineering company McDermott International Inc., siding with a magistrate judge who recommended dismissing the class certification bid so the investors could refile and seek certification for two investor subclasses.
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March 26, 2024
Sedgwick Judge Rips Attys 'Playing Games' In Clawback Trial
A California federal judge presiding over the Sedgwick LLP trustee's bid to claw back $1.1 million from two ex-partners overruled defense objections to Sedgwick's financial statements, asking, "How am I supposed to do this without numbers?" and telling counsel, "You're playing games with me on this, because I need to see numbers."
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March 26, 2024
FTX Says Millions In Ch. 11 Token Claims Should Be Zeroed
Cryptocurrency exchange FTX Trading Ltd. argued in court Tuesday that a Delaware bankruptcy judge should estimate the claims of customers holding some digital tokens at a heavy discount for Chapter 11 purposes, including zeroing out hundreds of millions of dollars in token value.
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March 26, 2024
Terraform Backer Tells Jury His Firm Lost Big On $36M Stake
A Boston venture capitalist told the Manhattan federal jury hearing fraud claims against Terraform Labs and its creator Do Kwon on Tuesday that his former company confidently invested $35.9 million in the crypto startup based on representations that regulators say were false.
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March 26, 2024
Combat Arms Earplugs Settlement Moves To Final Resolution
More than 249,000 U.S. service members who claimed they suffered permanent hearing loss due to 3M's allegedly faulty combat earplugs have signed onto the $6 billion settlement, boasting "more than 99%" participation, according to a Tuesday announcement by the company.
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March 26, 2024
Girardi Fraud Trial Moved To Aug. 6
A California federal judge has agreed to postpone disgraced California plaintiffs attorney Tom Girardi's trial to Aug. 6, setting the proceedings to begin 16 months later than originally required at the outset of the case.
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March 26, 2024
Teamsters Duck Yellow's $137M Suit Over Restructuring Talks
The Teamsters have defeated Yellow Corp.'s $137 million lawsuit accusing them of pushing the trucking company into bankruptcy through intransigence in negotiations over a corporate restructuring, with a Kansas federal judge finding the company didn't exhaust the grievance process under a union contract before suing.
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March 25, 2024
McDermott Settles Colombian Refinery Fight With $900M Deal
A Colombian refinery company that was granted a $1 billion arbitration award against global engineering giant McDermott International Ltd. has resolved its long-standing dispute with an agreement that gives the refinery company a settlement package amounting to about $900 million.
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March 25, 2024
J&J Exec 'Shocked' Over Atty's Ties With Talc Plaintiffs
Johnson & Johnson's vice president of litigation said on Monday he was "utterly shocked and appalled" upon learning an attorney who served as the company's outside counsel was working with its adversary Beasley Allen Law Firm and one of its attorneys in litigation over the alleged link between the company's talcum powder products and ovarian cancer.
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March 25, 2024
Ex-Lordstown CEO Settles SEC's 'Pre-Sale' Fraud Claims
The former CEO of the electric pickup truck company once known as Lordstown Motors Corp. has agreed to pay $175,000 to settle the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's fraud claims over the alleged misrepresentation of its pre-sale demand for vehicles.
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March 25, 2024
Backstabbing 'Just How Law Firms Work': Sedgwick Judge
A California federal judge told counsel during bench trial openings Monday that the Sedgwick LLP trustee's bid to claw back $1.1 million from two ex-partners isn't a "blame game," and "partners stab each other in the back every day and move on to the next one" — "it's just how law firms work."
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March 25, 2024
3rd Circ. Says NJ City Can't Stop Sale Of Failed Project's Sites
The Third Circuit tossed a New Jersey city's challenge of a bankruptcy court ruling that allowed the two local properties of a failed affordable housing project to be sold to a third party, according to an unpublished opinion Monday.
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March 25, 2024
EV Maker Fisker Says It's Considering Restructuring
Electric vehicle company Fisker told federal regulators it is considering restructuring after the collapse of partnership talks with a "large automaker" endangered its attempts to secure $150 million in new financing.
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March 25, 2024
FTX Reaches Deals For $884M In Ch. 11 AI Biz Stock Sales
Bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX Trading Ltd. informed a Delaware court that it has reached agreements with two dozen purchasers for sales of the debtor's holdings in artificial intelligence company Anthropic PBC worth $884.1 million.
Expert Analysis
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Rockport Ch. 11 Highlights Global Settlement Considerations
A Delaware bankruptcy court’s recent rejection of Rockport’s proposed settlement serves as a reminder that there is a risk that a global settlement executed outside of a plan may be rejected as a sub rosa plan, but shouldn’t dissuade parties from seeking relief when applicable case law supports approval, says Kyle Arendsen at Squire Patton.
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How Purdue High Court Case Will Shape Ch. 11 Mass Injury
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent arguments in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, addressing the authority of bankruptcy courts to approve nonconsensual third-party releases in Chapter 11 settlement plans, highlight the case's wide-ranging implications for how mass injury cases get resolved in bankruptcy proceedings, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.
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Opinion
Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
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How Cannabis Cos. Are Adapting In Shifting Bankruptcy Arena
Recent bankruptcy cases show that federal courts have begun to demonstrate more openness to downstream businesses in the cannabis industry, and that even though receivership can be a viable option for those denied access to the bankruptcy system, it is not without its own risks and complexities, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Pa. City Ch. 9 Ruling Raises Municipal Financing Concerns
A Pennsylvania district court’s recent ruling in a Chapter 9 case filed by the city of Chester, Pennsylvania, strengthens the foundations of the municipal bond market, but also demonstrates that bankruptcy courts continue to struggle with some of the features of municipal revenue bonds and issue rulings that contradict market expectations, say attorneys at Cadwalader.
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Series
Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.
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What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance
Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories
The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.
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Pa. Ruling Shows Why Term Sheet Can Be Worth The Wait
A Pennsylvania bankruptcy court’s recent In re: Legarde ruling, holding that a settlement term sheet was enforceable, reminds litigants that it’s crucial to draft a written agreement before leaving mediation in order to resolve potential evidentiary issues and protect against buyer’s remorse, says Brian Shaw at Cozen O'Connor.
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Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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Asserting 'Presence-Of-Counsel' Defense In Securities Trials
As illustrated by the fraud trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, defense attorneys in securities trials might consider arguing that counsel had some involvement in the conduct at issue — if the more formal advice-of-counsel defense is unavailable and circumstances allow for a privilege waiver, say Joseph Dever and Matthew Elkin at Cozen O'Connor.
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Crypto Has Democratized Trading In Bankruptcy Claims
Following the pandemic, there has been a wave of cryptocurrency bankruptcies and a related increase in access to information, allowing nontraditional bankruptcy investors to purchase claims and democratizing a once closed segment of alternative investing, says Joseph Sarachek at Strategic Liquidity.
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The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms
In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.
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5 Key Tips For Attorneys In The Subchapter V Arena
Subchapter V cases present unique challenges for the nondebtor parties-in-interest, and habits developed by attorneys in typical Chapter 11 cases do not necessarily translate, meaning creditors and their counsel should quickly take a proactive role in their cases to protect their interests, which can be done by attending the 341 meeting, analyzing the plan, and more, says Kelly Singer at Squire Patton.
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Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary
The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.