Expert Bankruptcy & Debt Relief Insights

If a debtor declines a contract in a bankruptcy case, the non debtor can be impacted in several ways. In 2019, the Supreme Court heard the Mission Products case, which attempted to settle a split among circuit courts regarding the impact of rejecting a contract under the Bankruptcy Code’s Section 365.  This case required the…

Maryland Court Questions When Debts are Incurred Pursuing Chapter 11 bankruptcy can prove to be an advantageous and appealing option for individuals as well as companies faced with a large amount of financial liabilities. Filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy both results in the placement of a bar on any pending legal action against a company…

A federal district court recently issued an important and likely to be an influential decision that addressed equitable mootness during the appeal of bankruptcy cases. In the FishDish case, the Eight Circuit held that even though the issue of equitable mootness existed, the court additionally found that the question of if an order is interlocutory…

Toward the end of 2021, a federal circuit court found for the first time that claims that became connected to a debtor’s case after a Chapter 11 plan was confirmed but before the plan’s effective date was subject to discharge. This holding urges extra caution from all creditors and counterparties of a Chapter 11 case…

The Second Circuit in the recent case of In Homaidan v. Sallie Mae recently held that some kinds of private student loans do not require the repayment of debts that can be categorized as an educational benefit. This decision resulted in the Second Circuit joining the Fifth Circuit and Tenth Circuit on the matter. Neither…

In what could likely end up an influential ruling, a Delaware court recently held that securing a “critical vendor” status in Chapter 11 commercial bankruptcy case ultimately offers no defense in situations where the vendor later faces legal action for the recovery of preferential payments that the debtor recoups shortly before bankruptcy. The Role of…

The Issuers of Stock Held Liable for Double-Pledge A Louisiana bankruptcy court, in the Karcredit LLC case, recently considered a case involving two lenders and one stock certificate. At the heart of the Karcredit case was a party who relied on a stock certificate to satisfy loan duties owed to another party. After a replacement…

Under the US Bankruptcy Code, various powers are granted to debtors, creditors, and other parties involved with the bankruptcy process. One such power is found in section 544, which grants individuals the ability to avoid some interactions with bankruptcy trustees or debtors-in-possession. Questions, however, have lingered about whether  avoidance powers can only be exercised when…

Bankruptcy courts have long been overwhelmed with the question of how to apply sovereign immunity. The United States Supreme Court has issued some rulings about sovereign immunity, but has yet to write a definitive ruling about the issue. As a result, no definitive rulebook exists for how lower courts should interpret sovereign immunity issues. One…

Contracts Non-Executory A New Jersey Bankruptcy Court recently rejected a motion to deny a written agreement  in accordance with Bankruptcy Code section 365. The court held that a court’s request of specific performance made under a contract was non-executory and non-rejectable. The following examines the potential repercussions of this case, the role of section 365,…