Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Bankruptcy
-
March 20, 2024
Future Of Judge-Shopping Reform Hazy After Rule Proposal
The policymaking body for U.S. courts provoked a stir last week when it proposed a rule designed to curb "judge shopping," with observers saying that the policy does address one type of the practice but that it remains to be seen if individual federal district courts will be willing to adopt even that limited reform.
-
March 19, 2024
EV Charging Biz Pitches $400K Ch. 11 Staff Retention Plan
Charge Enterprises Inc., a company that builds electric vehicle charging stations and other infrastructure, has urged a Delaware bankruptcy judge to let it offer about $400,000 in bonuses to keep a dozen employees the firm deemed critical during its Chapter 11 case.
-
March 19, 2024
Bankman-Fried's Fraud Left FTX Users Reeling, Letters Say
Customers of Sam Bankman-Fried's fallen crypto exchange are struggling with financial insecurity, skimping on expenses including food and worrying about their assets, according to victim letters lodged ahead of the FTX founder's sentencing for what prosecutors call an $11 billion fraud.
-
March 18, 2024
Genesis Gets OK For $21M Deal To End SEC Crypto Loan Suit
A New York federal judge on Monday approved a $21 million settlement to resolve allegations that bankrupt crypto lender Genesis Global Capital LLC violated the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's regulations by selling unregistered securities in a joint partnership with crypto exchange Gemini Trust Co.
-
March 18, 2024
Genesis Defends Crypto Payments At Ch. 11 Plan Hearing
Cryptocurrency lender Genesis Global Holdco Monday told a New York bankruptcy judge its proposal to distribute cryptocurrency to its customers is both fair and legal as the hearing on its Chapter 11 liquidation plan wound down.
-
March 18, 2024
Voyager Investors Suing Mark Cuban Seek Class Cert.
Investors suing billionaire Mark Cuban over his role in promoting now-bankrupt Voyager Digital Ltd. have pushed for class certification and urged the court to rule that Voyager was selling unregistered securities.
-
March 18, 2024
Amyris Gets OK To Settle Pot Co.'s $15M Trade Secret Suit
A Delaware bankruptcy judge has approved biotechnology company Amyris' $15.1 million settlement with cannabinoid manufacturer Lavvan, resolving yearslong litigation and arbitration proceedings alleging the debtor misused its then-business partner's trade secrets.
-
March 18, 2024
Kirkland Wants To Escape Suit Over Ex-Judge's Relationship
Kirkland & Ellis LLP wants to bring down the hammer on a racketeering lawsuit claiming the firm "conspired" to profit from a Texas bankruptcy judge's secret romance scandal, saying the "flimsy" suit should be dismissed, and both the plaintiff and his attorneys at Bandas Law Firm PC should be sanctioned for filing it.
-
March 18, 2024
Major Lindsey Followed Rules In Sex Assault Suit, Judge Says
A Chicago-based attorney who represents Major Lindsey & Africa LLC in an ex-employee's New York sexual assault suit did not run afoul of court requirements by sending a letter demanding that she drop the claims, a judge held Monday.
-
March 18, 2024
Barnes & Thornburg Lands Morris Manning Bankruptcy Team
Barnes & Thornburg LLP picked up a former Morris Manning & Martin LLP bankruptcy group in Atlanta, the firm announced Monday.
-
March 18, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Multimillion-dollar e-cigarette settlements, $4 billion in stock buybacks and a $6.1 million appraisal tweak were among the big-dollar items logged in the Delaware Court of Chancery's ledger last week. Also on the docket: a Panama port project, a news outlet's defamation case, drone disputes and a flood of mail from Tesla shareholders. In case you missed it, here's all the latest from the Chancery Court.
-
March 18, 2024
Joann Hits Ch. 11 With $1B Secured Debt, Creditor Deal
Fabric retailer Joann Inc., better known as Joann Fabrics, filed for bankruptcy in Delaware on Monday with $1 billion in secured debt and an agreement with its creditors to trim $505 million from its balance sheet.
-
March 16, 2024
Up Next At High Court: Gov't Jawboning & Retaliatory Arrests
The U.S. Supreme Court has a packed oral arguments calendar this week that includes disputes over the Biden administration's work with social media companies to combat misinformation, the appropriate evidence standard for bringing retaliatory arrest claims and whether the federal government can object to a consent decree entered into by three states.
-
March 15, 2024
Ex-Prisoners Partially Settle Prepaid Card Suit For $2.8M
Central National Bank NA and a class of former inmates who were charged fees for using the bank's prepaid debit cards from partner Numi Financial reached a $2.8 million settlement following mediation, but the parties have requested the court stay the case while class counsel investigates Numi's potential insolvency.
-
March 15, 2024
Eletson Creditors Urge Cutting Most Of Reed Smith's Fee Bid
Eletson Holdings Inc.'s unsecured creditors told a New York bankruptcy judge to cut the "vast majority" of the fees Reed Smith LLP requested for its work on the tanker company's Chapter 11 case because the firm wants nearly $1.9 million for work that didn't help the estate.
-
March 15, 2024
Peer Street Can Solicit Ch. 11 Plan Votes, Judge Says
Peer Street told creditors of the company and its entities Friday to expect ballots for their Chapter 11 plan, after a Delaware bankruptcy judge decided the real estate investment platform had disclosed enough information about its proposal for reorganization.
-
March 15, 2024
Kwok Daughter Says Ch. 11 Judge Can't Hear RICO Suit
The daughter of Chinese exile Ho Wan Kwok has implored a Connecticut bankruptcy judge to punt to the district court the civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations claims that a Chapter 11 trustee for her father leveled, contending they raise "significant issues involving non-bankruptcy federal law."
-
March 15, 2024
Judge Voids Boy Scouts Ch. 11 Ballots For Likely Forgery
Three Chapter 11 plan ballots that opted for a quicker but smaller settlement payout in the Boy Scouts of America's bankruptcy should be tossed, a Delaware bankruptcy judge has ruled, finding they were likely forged.
-
March 15, 2024
Cybersecurity Co. Co-Founder Must Face SEC Fraud Claims
A New York federal judge determined that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has sufficiently alleged that the co-founder of a now-bankrupt cybersecurity company raked in over $6.2 million in ill-gotten gains by participating in a fraudulent securities scheme that defrauded investors of over $100 million.
-
March 15, 2024
Camden Diocese Gets OK For Ch. 11 Plan On 4th Attempt
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden has won approval from a New Jersey bankruptcy judge for its plan to settle sexual abuse claims for $87.5 million after three prior versions of the plan were rejected over insurance carrier objections.
-
March 15, 2024
Feds Say Bankman-Fried Deserves 40 To 50 Years In Prison
Sam Bankman-Fried should spend 40 to 50 years in prison for engaging in a massive fraud that sank his FTX crypto exchange, Manhattan federal prosecutors argued Friday, pushing back against a request by defense counsel for a sentence of roughly six years.
-
March 14, 2024
Lehman Brothers Can't Undo Trial Loss Over Crisis-Era CDS
A New York appeals court on Thursday affirmed a bench trial loss Lehman Brothers' bankrupt European unit suffered last year in a suit attempting to claw back nearly half a billion dollars from Assured Guaranty over losses on credit default swaps tied to the 2008 financial crisis.
-
March 14, 2024
72-Year Weil Alum, 'True Visionary' Corporate Atty Dies At 97
Ira M. Millstein, the legendary Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP senior partner who helped save New York City from bankruptcy in the 1970s and used his bipartisan connections to help smooth Ruth Bader Ginsburg's path to the federal judiciary, has died, the firm said Thursday.
-
March 14, 2024
PE Firm Riverspan Agrees To Pay $32M For Barretts' Assets
Barretts Minerals Inc. told a Texas bankruptcy court Thursday that a unit of private equity firm Riverspan Partners had won an auction for its assets with a $32 million cash offer, money that the talc-mining company intends to use to fund a settlement trust for alleged victims of asbestos exposure.
-
March 14, 2024
Near Intelligence's Ch. 11 Plan Gets Court's Approval
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Thursday confirmed consumer data platform Near Intelligence's Chapter 11 plan, which went through without objection after negotiations resolved outstanding concerns.
Expert Analysis
-
Opinion
Air Ambulance Ch. 11s Show Dispute Program Must Resume
Air Methods’ recent bankruptcy filing highlights the urgent need to reopen the No Surprises Act’s independent dispute resolution program for air ambulances, whose shutdown benefits insurance companies and hurts providers, says Adam Schramek at Norton Rose.
-
Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys
Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.
-
Why Delaware ABCs Are No Longer As Easy As 1-2-3
In light of the Court of Chancery's recent focus on additional disclosures, the assignment for the benefit of creditors process in Delaware may no longer be as efficient as it once was, and companies should be prepared to provide significantly more information leading up to an ABC, say attorneys at Goodwin.
-
Diamond Sports Cases Shed Light On Executory Contracts
Recent Texas bankruptcy cases involving telecast fees payable by Diamond Sports to certain Major League Baseball teams provide a window into the dynamic relationship that can develop between debtors and counterparties under some executory contracts, say Joseph Badtke-Berkow and Robin Spigel at Allen & Overy.
-
Series
Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Performing in a classic rock cover band has driven me to hone several skills — including focus, organization and networking — that have benefited my professional development, demonstrating that taking time to follow your muse outside of work can be a boon to your career, says Michael Gambro at Cadwalader.
-
Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'
The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.
-
Balancing Justice And Accountability In Opioid Bankruptcies
As Rite Aid joins other pharmaceutical companies in pursuing bankruptcy following the onslaught of state and federal litigation related to the opioid epidemic, courts and the country will have to reconcile the ideals of economic justice and accountability against the U.S. Constitution’s promise of a fresh start through bankruptcy, says Monique Hayes at DGIM Law.
-
Proactive Measures While NY Foreclosure Law Is In Limbo
While questions about the scope and constitutionality of New York's Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act might not be resolved by courts for years, lenders, borrowers and other interested parties can take action to protect their rights and potentially expedite appellate review, say Allison Schoenthal and Andrew Kim at Goodwin.
-
Unearthing The Lesser-Known 'Buried Facts' Doctrine
A New York federal judge’s recent suggestion that the “buried facts” doctrine may be applicable in the fraud trial of FTX cofounder Sam Bankman-Fried should serve as a reminder to attorneys in all kinds of cases involving corporate disclosures that this lesser-known rule could torpedo their defense, say Corban Rhodes and Li Yu at DiCello Levitt.
-
Opinion
Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform
The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.
-
9th Circ. Ruling Expands The Horizons Of Debt Discharge
The Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel’s recent ruling in RS Air v. NetJets demonstrates that creditors should not be quick to conclude that their recoveries are limited if a debtor commences bankruptcy and receives a discharge, and should instead consider other potential paths for recovery, like alter ego claims, say Dania Slim and Claire Wu at Pillsbury.
-
How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing
Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
-
Opinion
Judicial Independence Needs Defense Amid Political Threats
Amid recent and historic challenges to the judiciary from political forces, safeguarding judicial independence and maintaining the integrity of the legal system is increasingly urgent, says Robert Peck at the Center for Constitutional Litigation.
-
How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies
Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.
-
Why Bankruptcy Is A Budding Alternative For Cannabis Cos.
A set of recent decisions from a California bankruptcy court regarding The Hacienda Co. signal a retreat from a zero-tolerance policy requiring dismissal of any bankruptcy case involving a cannabis-related business, and show why cannabis companies could benefit from having full access to the bankruptcy system, say George Singer and Rachel Gillette at Holland & Hart.