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Bankruptcy
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August 29, 2024
SunPower Eyes Sept. Auction As IP Objection Nixed For Now
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Thursday overruled an objection to bidding procedures for the assets of residential solar technology company SunPower Corp. from a former subsidiary, finding the dispute over use of the SunPower brand should be heard later.
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August 29, 2024
Bankruptcy Judge Allows Red Lobster To Reject 23 Leases
Troubled seafood chain Red Lobster gained a Florida bankruptcy judge's approval for its proposal to reject leases of an additional 23 restaurant locations slated to close at the end of the month.
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August 28, 2024
Fla. Bank City National Says Applebee's Franchisees Owe $8M
City National Bank of Florida sued a Louisiana-based Applebee's franchisee and three of its subsidiaries for $8.3 million, saying in a complaint filed Wednesday in Florida federal court that the companies defaulted on a federal COVID-19-era loan and then transferred control of their restaurants without consent.
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August 28, 2024
Jazz, Hikma Must Face Bulk Of Xyrem Antitrust Suit
Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Hikma Pharmaceuticals appear bound for trial against most solo insurer and class action antitrust claims over alleged efforts to block generic competitors to Jazz's Xyrem narcolepsy drug, under a newly unsealed California federal court order largely rejecting competing motions for summary judgment.
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August 28, 2024
Calif. Debt Relief Firm Ran Criminal Enterprise, Judge Says
A California bankruptcy judge ruled Tuesday that the defunct Orange County debt relief law firm Litigation Practice Group operated a "criminal enterprise" and possibly a Ponzi scheme, a finding that representatives for the firm's court-appointed bankruptcy trustee say they will use to claw money back from investors.
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August 28, 2024
Justices Won't Revive Student Debt Relief Plan Right Now
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to reinstate President Joe Biden's latest student loan debt relief program, leaving the $475 billion plan on ice until the Eighth Circuit decides whether the administration has the authority to continue its new push to reduce student loan bills for millions of people.
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August 28, 2024
Farella Braun Can Pursue Unpaid SVB Fees From FDIC
Farella Braun & Martel LLP can go after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. for $49,000 in legal fees owed by Silicon Valley Bank's parent after the agency was appointed as the bank's receiver, a California federal judge ruled Wednesday.
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August 28, 2024
Boy Scout Abuse Trust Art Sales To Start In November
An auction house announced Wednesday that parts of the Boy Scouts of America's former art collection, including a number of Norman Rockwell pieces, will go on the auction block in November to pay for claims by sexual abuse survivors.
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August 27, 2024
Guo Trustee Says Trump Aide Must Face $353K Clawback Suit
The Chapter 11 trustee for Miles Guo has urged a Connecticut bankruptcy judge to preserve an adversary action seeking to claw back more than $353,000 that he alleged the Chinese exile fraudulently gave to Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Donald Trump and founder of conservative social media platform Gettr, saying Miller's bid to ax the case was flimsy.
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August 27, 2024
Chancery Voids Bank Board Picks In Scheduling Suit
A Delaware Chancery Court judge on Tuesday invalidated an annual meeting where a board election was held by directors of Golden Mountain Financial Holdings, restoring the preelection boards of the venture, which emerged from the bankruptcy of First NBC Bank Holding Co.
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August 27, 2024
Asbestos Claimants Tell 4th Circ. Bestwall Isn't Distressed
The official committee of asbestos claimants in the Chapter 11 case of Georgia-Pacific unit Bestwall told the Fourth Circuit that the company's bankruptcy should be tossed because commitments to fund asbestos liabilities by the parent mean the debtor isn't facing financial distress.
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August 27, 2024
Madison Ave. Condo Owners File New Ch. 11
The corporate owner of a luxury Manhattan condominium complex has filed for Chapter 11 in a New York bankruptcy court in what it says is an attempt to resolve the disputed bankruptcy filing of the partnership that owns the corporation.
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August 27, 2024
Tobacco Co-Op's $10M Insurance Suit Headed To Mediation
Tobacco grower cooperative U.S. Tobacco Cooperative Inc. will go into mediation with Axis Specialty Insurance Co. as part of a lawsuit brought by the grower alleging the insurer has refused to pay $10 million in excess coverage.
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August 27, 2024
Jackson Walker Is Trying To 'Revise History,' US Trustee Says
Jackson Walker LLP told a Houston judge Tuesday that the U.S. Trustee's Office "wants everyone to play by the rules except for [itself]" in a discovery dispute connected to a former Texas bankruptcy judge's secret relationship, as the bankruptcy watchdog simultaneously accused the firm of chasing down rumors to "revise history" through overbroad discovery requests.
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August 27, 2024
Disbarred Atty Tom Girardi Convicted Of Defrauding Clients
A California federal jury on Tuesday convicted disbarred attorney Tom Girardi on all four counts of wire fraud, finding that the former titan of the plaintiffs bar misappropriated $15 million of his clients' settlement funds.
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August 26, 2024
Girardi Lied 'Over And Over,' Jury Told As Fraud Trial Wraps
A federal prosecutor told a California federal jury during closing arguments in Tom Girardi's criminal fraud trial Monday that the now-disbarred attorney lied to his clients "over and over and over again" in order to misappropriate millions of their settlement money as part of a yearslong Ponzi scheme.
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August 26, 2024
Pool Co. Secures $1.1M In Fees For False Ad Trial Win
A North Carolina federal judge has granted $1.1 million in fees for attorneys from McCarter & English LLP and Womble Bond Dickinson who represented a swimming pool salt system supplier in a trial against a competitor, finding the case qualifies as exceptional since the opposing company acted "unreasonably."
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August 26, 2024
US Trustee Raises Release Concerns With FTX Ch. 11 Plan
The U.S. Trustee's Office has lodged an objection to FTX's Chapter 11 plan with 10 reasons why the proposed resolution for the mammoth crypto bankruptcy is flawed, including releases that are overbroad and don't carve out a high-profile data breach from their terms.
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August 26, 2024
Conn. Diocese Seeks Mediation Over Competing Ch. 11 Plans
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, told a bankruptcy judge that a Chapter 11 plan proposed by unsecured creditors is unconfirmable and fighting over competing plans will drain estate resources, and that renewed mediation over how to address childhood sexual abuse liability is the only path forward.
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August 26, 2024
Judge Won't Eject Trustee From Irish Developer's $942M Ch. 7
A Connecticut bankruptcy judge has denied a nearly two-and-a-half-year-old motion to remove a Chapter 7 trustee from an Irish developer's $942 million bankruptcy, saying the developer's appellate losses and a recent U.S. Supreme Court certiorari denial, ultimately favoring the trustee, left the motion finally ripe for a decision.
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August 26, 2024
Texas Cases To Watch In Last Half Of 2024
Courts across the state are poised to make decisions in several high-stakes cases over the next several months, including ruling on whether Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton can be deposed in a long-running employment retaliation suit and whether a challenge to Texas' floating Rio Grande barrier must be tried before a jury.
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August 26, 2024
Texas Bitcoin Miner Hits Ch. 11 With More Than $50M In Debt
Cryptocurrency miner Rhodium filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Texas bankruptcy court with more than $50 million in debt.
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August 23, 2024
Girardi Says High Court Holding Should Gut His Fraud Case
Tom Girardi has urged a California federal judge to toss the majority of the wire fraud charges he is facing ahead of closing arguments in his trial, saying a 1960 U.S. Supreme Court case demonstrates he was charged for nothing more than receiving legally required wire transfers.
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August 23, 2024
Fed. Judge Affirms $37M Escrow, Yacht Rulings In Guo Ch. 11
A Connecticut federal judge on Friday upheld bankruptcy rulings placing a $37 million escrow account and a $23 million yacht under the control of Chinese exile and convicted fraudster Miles Guo's Chapter 11 trustee, agreeing that a holding company was Guo's alter ego and approving the trustee's veil piercing maneuver.
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August 23, 2024
Split 9th Circ. Says Ponzi Schemes Don't Need Proof Of Intent
A split Ninth Circuit panel affirmed Friday a jury's finding in a fraudulent-transfer fight that a now-bankrupt company was a Ponzi scheme, with the majority writing that jurors didn't need to find an intent to defraud, while a dissenting judge slammed the majority's reasoning as "circular."
Expert Analysis
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Parsing Justices' Toss Of Purdue's Controversial Ch. 11 Plan
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent nixing of OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 proposal prevents the Sackler family from settling thousands of civil opioid lawsuits without the consent of all of the plaintiffs, and holds profound implications for bankruptcy cases, say attorneys at MoloLamken.
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Contract Disputes Recap: Addressing Dispositive Motions
Stephanie Magnell and Bret Marfut at Seyfarth examine three recent decisions from the U.S. Court of Claims and the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals that provide interesting takeaways about the nuances of motion practice utilized by the government to dispose of cases brought under the Contract Disputes Act prior to substantive litigation
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Series
Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer
The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.
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Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule
Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.
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Del. Bankruptcy Ruling Will Give D&O Insureds Nightmares
In Henrich v. XL Specialty Insurance, the Delaware Bankruptcy Court recently found that a never-served qui tam claim had been "brought" before a D&O policy's retroactive date, thereby eliminating coverage, and creating a nightmare scenario for directors and officers policyholders facing whistleblower claims, says David Klein at Pillsbury.
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Opinion
No Matter The Purdue Ruling, Mass Tort Reform Is Needed
The U.S. Supreme Court will soon issue its opinion in the bankruptcy of Purdue Pharma LP, and regardless of the outcome, it’s clear legal and policy reforms are needed to address the next mass tort, says William Organek at Baruch College.
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After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1
The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.
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Big Banks Face Potential Broader Recovery Plan Rules
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's recent call for potentially subjecting more banks to recovery planning standards would represent a significant expansion of the scope of the recovery guidelines, and banks that would be affected should assess whether they’re prepared, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers
BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.
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Series
Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.
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How Associates Can Build A Professional Image
As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.
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Yellow Corp. Lease Assumption Shows Landlord Protections
Yellow Corp.’s recent filing of a motion to assume unexpired leases is a helpful reminder to practitioners to maintain a long-term approach about what is most beneficial for an estate and to not let a debtor's short-term cash position dictate business decisions, says Kyle Arendsen at Squire Patton.
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Insurers Have A Ch. 11 Voice Following High Court Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Gypsum — which reaffirmed a broad definition of "party in interest" — will give insurers, particularly in mass tort Chapter 11 bankruptcies, more opportunity to protect their interests and identify problems with reorganization plans, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.
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Considerations For Cooperation Contracts In Loan Trades
Significant challenges to settling trades can arise when lenders of syndicated bank loans enter into defense-oriented cooperation agreements, which are growing in popularity, but working through these issues on the front end of a trade can save hours down the road, says Robert Waldner at Crowell & Moring.
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Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age
As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.