Large Cap
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December 10, 2024
How Loan Servicer Intrum Hit Ch. 11 After Debt Spiral
Intrum, a loan servicing company based in Stockholm, has petitioned for bankruptcy protection in the U.S., after taking on too much debt in an attempt to buy up portfolios of consumer debt on the cheap and then failing to keep up with its own debt payments amid a sluggish European economy.
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December 10, 2024
BigLaw Firms Freed From Bankruptcy Judge Romance Suit
Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Jackson Walker LLP have officially escaped an investor's racketeering lawsuit alleging a conspiracy involving a former Texas bankruptcy judge and his secret romance with a former Jackson Walker partner.
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December 10, 2024
Beasley Allen Told To Give Update On J&J Discovery
Beasley Allen has until Friday to provide a detailed accounting of what documents it has produced to Johnson & Johnson's latest liability spinoff, Red River Talc, a Texas bankruptcy judge said Tuesday in hopes of speeding up discovery in a dispute over how voting was conducted on the debtor's prepackaged Chapter 11 plan.
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December 10, 2024
Catching Up With New Bankruptcy Case Action
KAL Freight Inc. filed for Chapter 11 due to declining demand after a COVID-19-related expansion. Vobev LLC entered bankruptcy citing COVID-19-linked delays in launching its Salt Lake City plant. Connecticut real estate firms filed in that state with between $50 million and $100 million in liabilities, while a Minnesota apartment complex filed in New York. Brazilian cement supplier InterCement Brasil SA filed a new Chapter 15 case in New York, adding entities excluded from its July filing.
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December 10, 2024
99 Cents Only Assets Net $245M In Ch. 11 Liquidation
A real estate agency has announced it recovered $245 million by arranging sales of real properties and other assets of 99 Cents Only Stores in a bankruptcy case the discount retailer launched in April with more than $1 billion in debt.
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December 10, 2024
Brazilian Chemical Co. Unigel Scores Ch. 15 Recognition
A New York bankruptcy judge on Tuesday granted Chapter 15 recognition to Brazilian chemical company Unigel Participacoes and three affiliates after the debtors resolved an objection from the U.S. Department of Justice's bankruptcy watchdog.
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December 09, 2024
Jones Says Waiver Gave Onion Unfair Edge In Infowars Auction
Lawyers for Alex Jones on Monday stepped up their criticism of satirical news outlet The Onion's bid to buy the conspiracy theorist's Infowars website, urging a Texas bankruptcy judge to block the deal and hand Infowars to a company operating a supplements website instead.
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December 09, 2024
NY Diocese Plan Confirmed, Bankruptcy Bills Reintroduced
A diocese covering 132 Roman Catholic parishes on New York's Long Island has secured confirmation of its Chapter 11 plan in a case it started four years ago. An Oregon federal judge has ruled that memos tied to an ethics scandal in the Southern District of Texas' bankruptcy court aren't shielded by attorney-client privilege. And members of the U.S. Senate have renewed legislation to ban the controversial "Texas two-step" bankruptcy maneuver and add protections for rank-and-file workers impacted by corporate insolvencies.
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December 09, 2024
Hearthside Settles Illinois Child Labor Investigation For $4.5M
The parent company of snack maker Hearthside Food Solutions has asked a Texas bankruptcy judge to approve a $4.5 million settlement that Hearthside reached with the Illinois attorney general and the Illinois Department of Labor over their investigation into claims of violations of the state's child labor laws.
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December 09, 2024
Judge Grossman Reflects On 20 Years On Bankruptcy Bench
After nearly 20 years on the bench in the Eastern District of New York, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert E. Grossman will retire next June.
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December 09, 2024
Bed Bath & Beyond Irons Out 401(k) Fee Suit Deal
Bed Bath & Beyond has agreed to settle a suit from workers alleging mismanagement of an employee 401(k) plan, according to a joint filing from the parties entered Monday in New Jersey federal court.
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December 09, 2024
Ex-BVI Fund Boss Challenges $400M Ponzi Scheme Debt
The former director of a defunct investment fund urged the top appeals court for U.K. overseas territories on Monday to allow him to challenge a decision by its liquidators to accept a $400 million demand by the bankrupt company behind a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.
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December 06, 2024
FTX Says Three Arrows Can't Add $1.5B To Ch. 11 Claims
FTX is pushing back against efforts by liquidators for defunct cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital to add more than $1.5 billion to its claims in FTX's Chapter 11 case in Delaware bankruptcy court.
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December 06, 2024
Under The Radar: Bankruptcy News You May Have Missed
A Texas oil and gas driller is seeking permission to sell its oilfields, while the U.S. Trustee's Office is looking to shut another oil producer's yearslong Chapter 11 down, and creditors of a bankrupt medical implant maker are alleging the debtor's bankruptcy financing and sale plans are a way for its private equity sponsor to weasel out of product liability claims.
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December 06, 2024
Behind EV Battery Maker Northvolt's $5B Ch. 11
Swedish electric vehicle battery manufacturer Northvolt AB, which once had the ambition to power-up Europe's electric vehicle manufacturing industry and had secured contracts from automakers like Porsche, Audi and BMW, descended into Chapter 11 after failing to scale up its production and falling victim to slowing sales, according to its bankruptcy filings.
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December 06, 2024
Feds, NC Insurance Mogul Want Grier Wright On $2B Liquidation
Convicted insurance mogul Greg Lindberg and federal prosecutors have come together to ask a North Carolina federal judge to appoint an attorney from Grier Wright Martinez PA to serve as special master for liquidating Lindberg's billions in assets as restitution for his $2 billion fraud scheme.
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December 06, 2024
Conn. Panel Pares $150M From $1.44B Alex Jones Verdict
The Connecticut Appellate Court on Friday sliced $150 million from a $1.44 billion trial court judgment against Infowars host Alex Jones over his claims that the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax, holding the state's consumer protection laws did not allow the massacre's survivors to recover for alleged harms connected to Jones' ancillary product sales.
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December 05, 2024
'Texas Two-Step,' Exec Bonus Bankruptcy Bills Reintroduced
Lawmakers in the U.S. Senate this week renewed efforts to pass two bankruptcy bills that would bolster rights for employees and crack down on the controversial use of so-called Texas two-step bankruptcies.
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December 05, 2024
3rd Circ. Affirms ConocoPhillips Ruling On $8.5B Debt
The Third Circuit on Thursday affirmed a ruling paving the way for ConocoPhillips' participation in an auction for control of the U.S. oil giant Citgo to enforce an $8.5 billion debt against Venezuela.
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December 05, 2024
Not Just COVID, Rapid Expansion Drove CareMax's Ch. 11
Pressures from rising operational costs, the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic, and inflation have all contributed to CareMax Inc.'s recent filing for Chapter 11, but it also found itself in a challenging healthcare environment that made it difficult for the company specializing in senior care to keep up with its rapid expansion.
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December 05, 2024
FTX Clawback Deal With Ex-Alameda Co-CEO Gets Court Nod
A Delaware bankruptcy judge has approved a deal to settle clawback claims by FTX against former Alameda Research Ltd. executive John Samuel Trabucco, who agreed to hand over two San Francisco apartments purchased in 2021 for $8.7 million and a 53-foot yacht bought in 2022 for $2.5 million.
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December 05, 2024
Insurance Giant Allianz Warns Of Rising Insolvencies In 2025
Company bosses and their insurers could face increased claims next year from a predicted rise in corporate insolvencies and class actions, Allianz warned Thursday.
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December 04, 2024
Behind Prison Health Co. Wellpath's Ch. 11
Wellpath Holdings Inc., one of the largest companies that provide healthcare services to incarcerated individuals in the U.S., recently hit Chapter 11 in Texas with more than $1 billion in debt, saying it was dragged down by rising costs, lawsuits brought by its patients and a heavy debt load despite raking in $2 billion in revenue in 2023.
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December 04, 2024
Pa. Gets More Time To Find Funds For Steward Hospital
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has until Monday, Dec. 9, to secure additional funding to cover a hospital's operating losses as it seeks to negotiate a sale from bankrupt hospital operator Steward Healthcare to Meadville Medical Center, a neighboring community hospital.
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December 04, 2024
Guo Trustee Balks At Boies Schiller's Clawback Transfer Bid
The Chapter 11 trustee overseeing Chinese exile Miles Guo's bankruptcy in Connecticut says Boies Schiller Flexner LLP should not be allowed to move a nearly $654,000 clawback action from bankruptcy court to district court, suggesting a bankruptcy judge is better poised to consider his asset recovery theories.
Expert Analysis
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Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents
Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.
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Wesco Ch. 11 Ruling Marks Shift In Uptier Claim Treatment
A Texas bankruptcy court’s recent decision in In re: Wesco Aircraft Holdings leaves nonparticipating creditors with a road map to litigate to judgment non-pro rata liability management transactions, and foreshadows that bankruptcy courts may no longer be a friendly forum for these types of claims, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Charting The Course For Digital Assets In 2024
Although 2023 was a tough year for the digital asset industry, upcoming court decisions, legislation and regulatory action will bring clarity, allowing the industry to expand and evolve, and the government will decide what innovation it will allow without challenge, says Joshua Smeltzer at Gray Reed.
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Del. Ruling Shows Tension Between 363 Sale And Labor Law
The Delaware federal court's ruling in the Braeburn Alloy Steel case highlights the often overlooked collision between an unstayed order authorizing an asset sale free and clear of successor liability under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code and federal labor law imposing successor liability on the buyer, say attorneys at Proskauer.
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How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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Del. Insurance Co. Liquidation Reveals Recovery Strategies
Arrowood's recent liquidation in the Delaware Chancery Court offers a positive development for policyholders and claimants, providing access to guaranty association protections amid the company's demise, say Timothy Law and Ann Kramer at Reed Smith.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape
The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
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Navigating Asset Tracing Challenges In Bankruptcy
A Virginia court’s recent ruling in Health Diagnostic Laboratory Inc.'s bankruptcy highlights the heightened demand for asset tracing and the strategic use of the lowest intermediate balance rule in recovering funds from commingled accounts, says Daniel Lowenthal at Patterson Belknap.
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Lender Agreements And Unitranche Facilities: A Fresh Look
Unitranche facilities — which offer blended interest rates in a single loan document — are gaining prevalence, and lenders and borrowers should understand their advantages, as well as concerns over the enforceability of a unitranche-style agreement among lenders in bankruptcy, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.
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What Banks Should Know About FDIC Assessment Rule
Max Bonici at Venable answers questions banking organizations may have about the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s recent approval of a rule implementing a special assessment on banks to recoup costs associated with protecting uninsured depositors after the bank failures earlier this year, and highlights other considerations for uninsured deposits.
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Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.
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Bankruptcy Must Be On The Table As A Student Loan Solution
Amid the ongoing discourse on student loan forgiveness, borrowers must have a deeper understanding of U.S. Departments of Justice and Education guidance regarding how the government will agree to discharge loans in bankruptcy, or miss a life-changing opportunity currently available to regain control over their financial condition, say Jonathan Carson and Eric Kurtzman at Stretto.
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Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.