Mid Cap
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August 28, 2024
Pregnancy Tech Co. Nuvo Gets Interim OK For $10M DIP Loan
A Delaware bankruptcy judge said Wednesday she would give interim approval to a $10 million debtor-in-possession financing package for Nuvo Group USA Inc., the maker of a remote pregnancy monitoring band that filed for Chapter 11 on Aug. 22 with more than $12 million in secured debt.
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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
CRE Reset Heats Up As Lenders Take Fight To Guarantors
Remote work and high interest rates have dented commercial real estate values, but much of the fallout is yet to come. While the market waits for values to reset, some lenders are now turning to a strategy that indicates they are reaching their limit: pursuing guarantors.
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August 28, 2024
Judge Will OK Anne Fontaine Plan After Edits For Deals
A New York bankruptcy judge on Wednesday said she will approve the Chapter 11 plan of the U.S. subsidiary of renowned French luxury fashion house Anne Fontaine once the plan is updated to account for deals the company reached with creditors over the summer.
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August 27, 2024
Del. Judge Nixes Purdue Concerns In GigaMonster Ch. 11 Plan
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Tuesday agreed to approve the Chapter 11 liquidation and wind-down plan of defunct internet service provider GigaMonster, finding the plan's third-party releases and overall creditor settlement were acceptable.
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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
Meet The Attys Guiding Crypto Miner Rhodium Through Ch. 11
Bitcoin mining group Rhodium Encore LLC has filed for Chapter 11 in Texas amid a lease dispute over a mining facility. Guiding Rhodium through its bankruptcy is a team of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP attorneys who have represented clients in the crypto industry and beyond.
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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
11th Circ. Affirms $700K Valuation For Bitcoin Mining Site
The Eleventh Circuit has agreed with a Georgia bankruptcy court's finding that a defunct company's bitcoin mining facility was worth more than $700,000, saying the lower court correctly valued the property using the most appropriate methodology.
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August 27, 2024
Top Bankruptcy Trends Of 2024: Midyear Report
The bankruptcy world has had a busy 2024 so far on a number of fronts, with Chapter 11 filings rising across a variety of industries.
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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 27, 2024
Latham Hires BigLaw Restructuring Vet From Gibson Dunn
Latham & Watkins LLP tapped Joe Zujkowski, a BigLaw veteran and former co-head of the domestic restructuring practice at O'Melveny & Myers LLP, as a partner in New York.
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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
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
Girardi Denies Fraud Charges, Alex Jones Biz Sale Proposed
Disbarred attorney Tom Girardi has denied stealing from any of his clients, asking a judge to toss wire fraud charges. Meanwhile, a court-appointed trustee in Alex Jones' bankruptcy has asked a Texas judge to authorize the liquidation and wind-down of Free Speech Systems. This is the week in bankruptcy.
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August 26, 2024
AI Staffing Co. Ch. 11 Releases Are 'Gratuitous,' Investors Say
Shareholders of Joonko Diversity Inc., a recruitment firm that uses artificial intelligence, have objected to the company's proposed Chapter 11 liquidation plan, saying the proposal includes releases of claims against directors and officers of the business who may be implicated in a fraud scheme, for which Joonko's ex-chief executive was recently indicted in federal court.
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August 26, 2024
Judge OKs Buca Di Beppo Bidding Process
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Monday approved Italian restaurant chain Buca di Beppo's bidding procedures, setting up the possibility of an auction in early October.
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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
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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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.
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Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.
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Sellers Seeking Best Deal Should Focus On Terms And Price
Rising interest rates and a decline in the automotive mergers and acquisitions market mean that a failed deal carries greater stakes, and sellers therefore should pursue not only the optimum price but also the optimum terms to safeguard their agreement, says Joseph Aboyoun at Fox Rothschild.
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General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI
With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.
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Rite Aid's Reasons For Ch. 11 Go Beyond Opioid Suits
Despite opioid-related lawsuits being the perceived reason that pushed Rite Aid into bankruptcy, the company's recent Chapter 11 filing reveals its tenuous position in the pharmaceutical retail market, and only time will tell whether bankruptcy will right-size the company, says Daniel Gielchinsky at DGIM Law.
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Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information
As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.
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Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD
Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.
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A Look At DOJ's New Nationwide Investment Fraud Approach
Investment fraud charges are increasingly being brought in unlikely venues across the country, and the rationale behind the U.S. Department of Justice's approach could well be the heightened legal standards in connection with prosecuting investment fraud, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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Decoding The Digital Asset Landscape In Bankruptcy
Recent cases show the explosion of cryptocurrency as an asset class has created new challenges for debtors-in-possession, bankruptcy trustees, and federal and state receivers, and fiduciaries will have to consider a number of legal and practical considerations when determining how to manage these assets in insolvency, say David Castleman at Otterbourg and Anthony Facciano at Stretto.
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How Fla. Bankruptcy Ruling May Affect Equity Owners
A Florida bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in Vital Pharmaceuticals — which rejected the Third Circuit’s Majestic Star decision that determined a bankrupt corporation’s flow-through status was not protected by the automatic stay — may significantly affect how equity owners can mitigate the impact of flow-through structures in bankruptcy, say Eric Behl-Remijan and Natasha Hwangpo at Ropes & Gray.
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Calif. Ruling May Open Bankruptcy Trustees To Tort Liability
In Martin v. Gladstone, a recent California appellate court decision, the application of tort concepts to bankruptcy trustees could pose a new concern for trustees and federal receivers when controlling and maintaining commercial property, says Jarrett Osborne-Revis at Buchalter.