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Full-Text Articles in Law

A Revised Perspective On Non-Debtor Releases, Joshua M. Silverstein Oct 2023

A Revised Perspective On Non-Debtor Releases, Joshua M. Silverstein

Faculty Scholarship

“Non-debtor releases” are bankruptcy orders that extinguish claims against a party other than a bankrupt debtor over the objection of the creditor. Also known as “third-party releases,” the legality of these orders is one of the most important and controversial issues in bankruptcy law specifically and business law generally. The split in the courts over the propriety of non-debtor releases stretches back thirty-five years. However, the United States Supreme Court is poised to resolve the split this term in the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy. In two prior articles published in 2006 and 2009, I argued that third-party releases are permissible under …


The Bankruptcy Of Refusing To Hire Persons Who Have Filed Bankruptcy, Terrence Cain Oct 2017

The Bankruptcy Of Refusing To Hire Persons Who Have Filed Bankruptcy, Terrence Cain

Faculty Scholarship

In 1978, Congress made it illegal for government employers to deny employment to, terminate the employment of, or discriminate with respect to employment against a person who has filed bankruptcy. In 1984, Congress extended this prohibition to private employers by making it illegal for such employers to terminate the employment of, or discriminate with respect to employment against a person who has filed bankruptcy. Under the law as it currently exists, private employers can refuse to hire a person who has filed bankruptcy solely because that person has filed for bankruptcy. Meanwhile, employers have substantially increased their use of credit …


Statutory Foreclosures In Arkansas: The Law And Recent Developments, Lynn C. Foster Jan 2013

Statutory Foreclosures In Arkansas: The Law And Recent Developments, Lynn C. Foster

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.


Overlooking Tort Claimants' Best Interests: Non-Debtor Releases In Asbestos Bankruptcies , Joshua M. Silverstein Jan 2009

Overlooking Tort Claimants' Best Interests: Non-Debtor Releases In Asbestos Bankruptcies , Joshua M. Silverstein

Faculty Scholarship

The asbestos crisis has spawned the development of extraordinary new remedies. One of the most dramatic and controversial is known as a "non-debtor release," a bankruptcy order extinguishing claims against a party who has not itself filed for bankruptcy. Also known as a "third-party release," this form of relief first found acceptance in early asbestos insolvencies. Since that time, Congress has passed a statute—§ 524(g) of the Bankruptcy Code—that expressly authorizes non-debtor releases in asbestos reorganizations. Powerful remedies are subject to abuse, and third-party releases are no exception. In this article, I argue that bankruptcy courts and litigants have overlooked …


Hiding In Plain View: A Neglected Supreme Court Decision Resolves The Debate Over Non-Debtor Releases In Chapter 11 Reorganizations, Joshua M. Silverstein Jan 2006

Hiding In Plain View: A Neglected Supreme Court Decision Resolves The Debate Over Non-Debtor Releases In Chapter 11 Reorganizations, Joshua M. Silverstein

Faculty Scholarship

This article presents a novel resolution of a long-standing circuit split on an issue of critical significance to bankruptcy and tort law: whether bankruptcy courts may extinguish liabilities of parties that have not filed for bankruptcy. Such "non-debtor releases" are similar in effect to a bankruptcy discharge and have become particularly common in both mass tort disputes and general insolvencies adjudicated through the bankruptcy process. In this article, I illustrate how an overlooked Supreme Court decision—United States v. Energy Resources, 495 U.S. 545 (1990)—offers crucial support for the pro-release position. Energy Resources demonstrates that the bankruptcy courts’ "general equitable power" …


Take What You Can, Give Nothing Back: Judicial Estoppel, Employment Discrimination, Bankruptcy, And Piracy In The Courts, Theresa M. Beiner, Robert B. Chapman Jan 2005

Take What You Can, Give Nothing Back: Judicial Estoppel, Employment Discrimination, Bankruptcy, And Piracy In The Courts, Theresa M. Beiner, Robert B. Chapman

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.