Large Cap
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December 18, 2024
Girardi Gets Sentencing Delayed For Dementia Probe
A Los Angeles federal judge pushed back Tom Girardi's sentencing for his embezzlement conviction on Wednesday, ordering a psychiatric evaluation and special hearing to determine whether the 85-year-old disbarred attorney should be committed to a medical facility instead of prison due to his dementia diagnosis.
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December 18, 2024
High Court Bar's Future: McDermott's Paul Hughes
Paul W. Hughes of McDermott Will & Emery LLP knows U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments are unpredictable — you can end up as the butt of a justice's joke or have the whole bench fully embrace your novel legal theory — so he focuses on what he can control: being overprepared for any version of the court he meets.
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December 18, 2024
FDIC Moves Closer To Suing Ex-Brass Of Silicon Valley Bank
Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. leaders have given a green light for the agency to potentially sue former top brass of Silicon Valley Bank for alleged mismanagement of the bank that led to its collapse last year.
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December 18, 2024
Meet The Attorneys Helping Hearthside Through Ch. 11
When it filed for bankruptcy late last month in Texas, under the shadow of child labor investigations, the parent company of Hearthside Food Solutions embarked on a path to wipe out more than $1.9 billion of debt and secure $200 million of new equity capital.
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December 18, 2024
Yellow Corp. Gets Del. Court OK For Ch. 11 Asset, Lease Sales
Bankrupt trucking venture Yellow Corp. secured a Delaware judge's approval Wednesday for a $192.5 million series of deals to sell or lease a dozen properties owned or leased by Yellow in California, Miami, Ohio and other states.
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December 18, 2024
Steward Health Docs Say $60M Comp Plan Off-Limits
Four doctors participating in a Steward Health deferred compensation plan have asked a Texas bankruptcy judge to keep $60 million worth of assets from the plan's trust separate from the hospital operator's Chapter 11 estate, arguing that the burden is on the debtor to prove the plan trust is exempt from Employee Retirement Income Security Act protections.
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December 18, 2024
US Trustee Says $62.5M WOM Breakup Fee Unnecessary
The U.S. Trustee's Office has asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge to reject WOM SA's request to pay a noteholder group $62.5 million if a planned rights offering tied to WOM's exit financing falls through, arguing the debtor hasn't proved the fee is necessary.
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December 18, 2024
Greenberg Traurig Faces DQ Bid In NJ Cosmetics Spat
A New Jersey cosmetics company suing a former investor alleging breach of contract has asked a federal court to disqualify Greenberg Traurig LLP as defense counsel, telling the court that it previously consulted with the firm about suing the investor and gave away its "playbook" for the litigation.
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December 17, 2024
Franchise Group Can Keep Exclusive Control Of Its Ch. 11
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Tuesday denied a motion to end the plan exclusivity window and other bankruptcy rights for debtors in Franchise Group Inc.'s Chapter 11, saying possible intercompany claims don't justify relief that the debtor argued would plunge the case into chaos.
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December 17, 2024
Purdue, FTX Top Biggest Bankruptcy Cases, Trends Of 2024
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to throw out nonconsensual third-party releases in opioid maker Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 reverberated through the bankruptcy domain in unexpected ways this year, but it was just one among many major events to shape bankruptcy in 2024.
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December 17, 2024
Discovery Needs Push Back J&J Talc Unit's Ch. 11 Trial
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Tuesday postponed the Chapter 11 plan confirmation hearing of Johnson & Johnson talc unit Red River Talc LLC until February, saying additional time was needed for parties to continue taking discovery over questions concerning the plan's provisions.
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December 17, 2024
Catching Up With New Bankruptcy Case Action
A surgical clinic and residential building in Manhattan filed for Chapter 11, as did a New Jersey-based shipping company; a high-tech acoustics manufacturer was weighed down by a $38.6 million trade secrets verdict; a hybrid-electric engine developer filed for bankruptcy; and a Pennsylvania law firm that itself specializes in representing creditors in bankruptcy sought Chapter 11 protection.
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December 17, 2024
2nd Circ. Says Sears Trustee Can Keep Mall Of America Lease
The Second Circuit has upheld a district court order obliging the return of bankrupt Sears Holding Corp.'s lease in Minnesota's Mall of America to SHC's liquidating trustee, finding in part the mall's earlier lease was not a "true" contract.
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December 17, 2024
SEC Says Express Didn't Disclose $1M In Ex-CEO Perks
Express Inc. failed to disclose nearly $1 million worth of perks and personal benefits to former CEO Tim Baxter, according to a settlement released Tuesday by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which declined to levy a civil penalty against the fashion retailer in light of its cooperation and remediation.
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December 17, 2024
Yukos Capital Opposes Stay In $5B Russia Award Suit
The financing arm of Yukos Oil Co. urged a D.C. federal court on Monday not to pause its lawsuit looking to enforce a $5 billion arbitral award against Russia while litigation involving similar issues plays out, saying the Kremlin is needlessly dragging its feet.
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December 17, 2024
Express Inc.'s Post-Sale Ch. 11 Liquidation Plan Approved
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Tuesday confirmed the Chapter 11 liquidation plan for the estate of clothing retailer Express Inc., after the debtor sold the business this summer for $174 million.
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December 17, 2024
Spirit Airlines Gets OK For Jan. Hearing On Ch. 11 Plan
A New York bankruptcy judge Tuesday set the hearing on Spirit Airlines' Chapter 11 plan for the end of January, overriding arguments by the U.S. Trustee Office that the case doesn't need to move this fast.
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December 17, 2024
Quinn Emanuel Taps 2 London Partners In Global Promotions
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP has named 11 new partners in its latest round of promotions, with two in the British capital.
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December 16, 2024
Judge Kills Infowars Sale, BigLaw Firms Duck Suit
A Texas court blocked an attempt from satirical news outlet The Onion to buy conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' radio show, and a racketeering suit against Jackson Walker LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP over allegations they profited from former bankruptcy Judge David R. Jones' romantic relationship with a member of the bankruptcy bar was dismissed.
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December 16, 2024
Incora Moves Toward Confirmation After Opt-Outs OK'd
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Monday approved the opt-out mechanism for third-party releases in the Chapter 11 plan from aircraft parts supplier Incora, overruling an objection from the U.S. Trustee's Office.
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December 16, 2024
Reed Smith, Eletson Battle Over Sanctions In Ch. 11
The current and former owners of reorganized Greek shipping group Eletson Holdings clashed in New York bankruptcy court Monday over sanctions requested against Reed Smith LLP, the Chapter 11 counsel to the previous Eletson, and others in a dispute over implementing its confirmed bankruptcy plan that an attorney compared to the movie "Groundhog Day."
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December 16, 2024
Global Brands Trustee's $296M Ch. 11 Clawback Suit Survives
A $296 million adversary suit brought by a litigation trust created for the benefit of reorganized debtor Global Brands Group's creditors can continue after a New York bankruptcy judge on Monday said the defendants were subject to the personal jurisdiction of his court.
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December 16, 2024
Restaurants Struggled In 2024 As Costs Rose, Visits Fell
Many restaurants have faced challenges this year, grappling with the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising inflation and difficulty passing costs onto increasingly price-sensitive patrons — pressures that are expected to persist into the next year, experts told Law360.
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December 13, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen a group of franchise operators hit Vodafone with a £120 million ($151 million) claim for allegedly imposing commission cuts, green energy tycoon Dale Vince pursue another libel action against the publisher of the Daily Mail, and parcel delivery giant Yodel face a claim by an investor that helped save it from collapse earlier in the year.
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December 13, 2024
Auto Mogul Must Turn Over Note Info In $127M Collection Row
An auto mogul, his living trust and one of his companies must turn over documents related to a $20 million payment on promissory notes as part of marathon litigation related to Alter Domus LLC's attempts to collect on a $127 million judgment, a Michigan federal judge has ruled.
Expert Analysis
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It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers
Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.
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Expect More Restaurant Ch. 11s As COVID Debt Comes Due
The wave of restaurant bankruptcies is likely to continue in the coming months as companies face the looming repayment of COVID-19 pandemic-era government loans, an uncertain economy and increased interest rates, says Isaac Marcushamer at DGIM Law.
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Mitigating Risk In Net Asset Value Facility Bankruptcies
In times of economic turbulence, parties to bankruptcy proceedings that involve net asset value facilities can mitigate risk by understanding the purpose of the automatic stay, complications it can create for NAV facility lenders and options for relief, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.
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Tax Traps In Acquisitions Of Financially Distressed Targets
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Parties to the acquisition of an insolvent or bankrupt company face myriad tax considerations, including limitations on using the distressed company's tax benefits, cancellation of indebtedness income, tax lien issues and potential tax reorganizations.
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7 Steps To Take Before Responding To Claim Objections
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
When counsel is notified of an objection to the proof of claim in a bankruptcy case, they should contact the client and begin discussing the cost and benefit of responding.
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Tips For Handling Single Asset Real Estate Bankruptcy Cases
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Bankruptcy counsel should consider several strategies when representing either a debtor or lender in single asset real estate debtor Chapter 11 cases, which generally arise when a debtor is forced to file for relief to stop an impending foreclosure sale.
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How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations
Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.
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Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles
Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.
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Ch. 11 Ruling Shows Early Attempt To Tackle Purdue Fallout
A Delaware bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in Parlement Technologies’ Chapter 11 case, which denied a bid by Parler’s former owner to extend its bankruptcy stay to nondebtors, illustrates early efforts to grapple with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Purdue Pharma for a recurring bankruptcy issue, say Daniel Lowenthal and Jonah Wacholder at Patterson Belknap.
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9 Liability Management Tips As Debt Maturity Cliff Looms
As the debt maturity cliff swiftly approaches in this challenging environment, attorneys at Winston & Strawn highlight the top considerations for boards of directors and finance professionals to think about when structuring and executing liability management transactions, including reviewing capital structure, evaluating debt covenants, and more.
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Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.
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How Cos. Can Leverage IP In Corporate Bankruptcy
In light of an increase in year-to-date Chapter 11 filings, businesses must understand the importance and value of intellectual property in corporate bankruptcy and restructuring, from contributing to enterprise value, to providing leverage in negotiations and facilitating recovery, says Gregory Campanella at Ocean Tomo.
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Avoiding Retail Bankruptcy As Economic Uncertainty Persists
Amid record retail bankruptcies and continued economic uncertainty in 2024, retailers can take specific steps like building stronger cash-flow models, managing inventory wisely and reassessing cost structures to avoid financial distress, say consultants at BRG.