Large Cap
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April 01, 2025
Catching Up With New Bankruptcy Case Action
Restaurant chain Hooters launched a Chapter 11 case with about $380 million in debt, saying it has reached a deal to shed its company-owned restaurants and trade debt for equity. Gastropub chain Bar Louie filed for bankruptcy, listing nearly $70 million of debt, about five years after its creditors took over the business during a previous bankruptcy. And a sustainability-focused financial services company filed for Chapter 11 less than a month after the firm's founder was arrested and charged with fraud.
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April 01, 2025
Talc Claimants Tell 3rd Circ. Whittaker Couldn't File Ch. 11
Talc injury claimants on Tuesday asked the Third Circuit to dismiss Whittaker Clark & Daniels' Chapter 11 case, saying a South Carolina state judge had given control of the talc supplier to a receiver six weeks before the company filed for bankruptcy.
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March 31, 2025
Hooters Hits Ch. 11 With Plans For Restaurant Sales
Restaurant chain Hooters filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Texas bankruptcy court late Monday with about $380 million in debt, saying it has reached a deal to shed its company-owned restaurants and trade debt for equity.
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March 31, 2025
J&J Talc Spinoff's Ch. 11 Case Gets Tossed, Erasing $9B Deal
A Texas bankruptcy judge rejected Johnson & Johnson's third attempt to use Chapter 11 to settle thousands of claims that its products caused cancer, dismissing J&J unit Red River Talc's Chapter 11 case on Monday and throwing out a roughly $9 billion bankruptcy deal over issues with the company's voting procedures and third-party releases.
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March 31, 2025
FTX Seeks Alternative Service In $1.76B Binance Suit
The recovery trust created under the Chapter 11 plan of defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX has asked the Delaware bankruptcy court for permission to serve people and entities related to Binance Holdings via alternative means, saying their locations have made traditional service difficult or impossible in a $1.76 billion clawback lawsuit against the rival crypto business.
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March 31, 2025
Ex-US Trustee Head Appeals Firing, Purdue Case Extended
The former director of the U.S. Trustee's Office appealed her removal, alleging the government lacked cause and violated due process. Meanwhile, Purdue Pharma secured more time to protect itself and the Sackler family from lawsuits as the company seeks approval for a $7.4 million opioid settlement plan. And FTX told a court it has $11.4 billion ready for creditors but is still reviewing a massive volume of claims before the distribution.
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March 31, 2025
US Trustee Says Imerys Ch. 11 Releases Non-Consensual
The U.S. Trustee's Office is asking a Delaware bankruptcy judge to reject Imerys Talc America's Chapter 11 plan, saying the talc supplier wants to grant excessively broad claims releases to third parties without the consent of plan supporters.
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March 31, 2025
Carlton Fields Faces DQ Bid In $500M Miss America Suit
Carlton Fields faces a disqualification bid for allegedly having a conflict of interest in a $500 million lawsuit regarding the ownership of the company that runs the Miss America pageant.
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March 31, 2025
Retailer Conn's Gets OK To Pay $2M To B. Riley, Store Dealers
Furniture and appliance retailer Conn's Inc. received a Texas bankruptcy judge's approval Monday to pay a group of former W.S. Badcock dealers about $2 million to settle their potential claims in the Chapter 11 case, under an agreement that calls for the onetime store owners and lender B. Riley to share in proceeds of the Conn's asset sales.
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March 31, 2025
Feds Seek 10 Years For Ex-Girardi CFO's 'Brazen' Crimes
Los Angeles federal prosecutors said Girardi Keese's former head of accounting should spend 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to assisting Tom Girardi in siphoning clients' settlement funds and what the government called a "brazen" side fraud to steal from the firm's operating accounts.
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March 28, 2025
Under The Radar: Bankruptcy News You May Have Missed
A major producer of gypsum products is trying to get a sinkhole claim that is roughly two decades old tossed, a trust for FTX creditors is trying to claw back $90 million in frozen funds, and a talc miner's insurers are asking a court to reject its bankruptcy plan.
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March 28, 2025
Conn's Creditors Object To $4M Award For Lender
The committee of unsecured creditors of bankrupt retailer Conn's Inc. has urged a Texas bankruptcy judge to reject the company's bid to amend its debtor-in-possession financing to pay a lender $4 million to provide apparent adequate protection.
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March 28, 2025
Purdue Lawsuit Injunction Extended Ahead Of Plan Hearings
Bankrupt drugmaker Purdue Pharma LP received a further extension of a bar on litigation against the company and its owners in the Sackler family as the debtor pursues a late May approval of a disclosure statement describing a Chapter 11 plan premised on a $7.4 billion settlement of opioid claims.
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March 28, 2025
Ex-Director Of DOJ's Bankruptcy Watchdog Appeals Removal
The former director of the Department of Justice's U.S. Trustee Program, which oversees bankruptcy proceedings, has filed an appeal of her termination, saying it was without cause and violated her due process rights, according to documents obtained by Law360 on Friday
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March 28, 2025
3rd Circ. Preview: April Arguments Feature Class Action Rows
The Third Circuit's April argument lineup springs into action with securities litigation brought by Walmart investors claiming they were misled about the government's opioid investigation into the company, and a bid to upend an attorney fee award stemming from the settlement of data breach litigation against convenience store chain Wawa.
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March 28, 2025
The Supreme Court's Week: By The Numbers
The U.S. Supreme Court heard five arguments this week, including in cases over the proper venue for challenges to EPA actions and the potential revival of a doctrine not used since the 1930s, while also issuing two rulings, one of them a high-profile decision involving ghost guns. Here, Law360 Pulse takes a data-driven dive into the week that was at the U.S. Supreme Court.
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March 28, 2025
FTX Sitting On $11.4B In Cash To Distribute To Creditors
FTX has $11.4 billion in funds ready to be handed out to creditors, but it still has much work to do to sort out the massive number of claims asserted against the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange, an attorney for the company told a Delaware bankruptcy judge Friday.
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March 27, 2025
Diocese Creditors Gain Access To Abuse Claim Data In Ch. 11
Creditors of the Archdiocese of San Francisco will have access to records of the archdiocese's independent review board after a California bankruptcy judge said production of the documents serve a valid purpose in its Chapter 11 case.
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March 27, 2025
Steward Health, Doctors Vie For $60M Delayed Comp Plan
Troubled hospital operator Steward Health battled against a group of healthcare providers in a Texas bankruptcy court Wednesday and Thursday for control of a pair of delayed compensation trusts worth $60 million, arguing over whether the plans are protected by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.
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March 27, 2025
Boy Scouts Claimants Lose Appeal To Fix Ch. 11 Opt-In Error
A Delaware federal judge has upheld a bankruptcy court order that childhood sexual abuse survivors who accidentally opted in for a quicker, smaller payment over their claims could not undo that mistake in the Boy Scouts' Chapter 11.
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March 27, 2025
Barretts Mediator Feinberg Blames Committee For Impasse
The mediator in the bankruptcy of talc miner Barretts Minerals Inc. has told a Texas bankruptcy court that Chapter 11 plan talks reached an impasse, saying the unsecured creditors in the case have not shown an "ability or willingness to engage."
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March 27, 2025
American Tire Gets OK For Ch. 11 Plan After Sale To Creditors
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Thursday confirmed the liquidation plan of American Tire Distributors Inc. after it completed a roughly $835 million sale of its business to a lender group.
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March 27, 2025
Exela Pulled Into Ch. 11 By Stiff Competition, Pandemic Woes
Competing businesses, a ratings downgrade in 2019, impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and a 2022 network outage led automation service business Exela Technologies to seek bankruptcy protection in early March this year, with a prearranged Chapter 11 reorganization that will be funded by noteholders.
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March 27, 2025
Guo Trustee Settles Clawbacks From Versace, Firms
The Chapter 11 trustee handling convicted Chinese exile Miles Guo's estate has asked a Connecticut bankruptcy judge to approve 10 clawback settlements with Hodgson Russ LLP, BakerHostetler, luxury retailer Versace and others, ending claims totaling $8.6 million but keeping the terms under wraps for six months.
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March 27, 2025
Eletson, Levona Ask 2nd Circ. To Not Delay Atty Removal
The new owners of reorganized international shipping group Eletson and a creditor-turned-affiliate have urged the Second Circuit to nix Reed Smith LLP's emergency motion for a stay in a lawsuit seeking to enforce a $102 million arbitral award, as the law firm fights to continue representing the shipping company's pre-bankruptcy shareholders.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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Why The Debt Maturity Wall Is Still A Figment, For Now
While the phenomenon of the debt maturity wall — a growing wall of staggered corporate debt maturities — has been considered a looming problem since the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, it’s unlikely to have significant consequences before 2025 due to factors such as quantitative easing and evolved lending practices, says Michael Eisenband at FTI Consulting.
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AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier
Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
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10 Essential Bankruptcy Litigation Tips For In-House Counsel
Bankruptcy litigation is a complex and multifaceted area of law that poses unique challenges for in-house counsel, and there are several tools at legal professionals' disposal, like appraisals and understanding jurisdictions, to stay well-informed and protect their companies' interests, says Alison Ashmore at Dykema.