Law Commons^™

The U.S. Small Business Bankruptcy Amendments: A Global Model For Reform?, Edward J. Janger

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Supreme Court, Dischargeability And Actual Fraud, David G. Carlson

Articles

No abstract provided.

The Low Usage Of Bankruptcy Procedures: A Cultural Problem? Lessons From Spain, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

While filing for bankruptcy does not seem appealing for any debtor regardless of the jurisdiction, the reluctance to use the bankruptcy system varies across countries. This article explores the underlying reasons and economic effects of the low usage of bankruptcy procedures in Spain, where the rate of business bankruptcies is one of the lowest in the world. Some authors have argued that the low usage of bankruptcy procedures in Spain is due to a “cultural” problem faced by Spanish entrepreneurs. According to this hypothesis, the lack of a “bankruptcy culture” makes Spanish entrepreneurs afraid to use the bankruptcy system. In …

Bankruptcy For Cannabis Companies: Canada's Newest Export?, Stephanie Ben-Ishai

Articles & Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Insolvency Law In Times Of Covid-19, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The international spread of the coronavirus is not only generating dramatic consequences from a social perspective but it is also heavily affecting the global economy. For this reason, governments, financial regulators and international organizations are responding to the coronavirus with a package of legal, economic and financial measures. Among the legal responses included in these packages, many countries, such as Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Luxembourg, India, Italy, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have proposed or implemented temporary changes to their insolvency frameworks. This paper starts by discussing …

Bankruptcy Law Resources, Jan B. Bissett, Margi Heinen

Library Scholarly Publications

No abstract provided.

Unwritten Rules And The New Contract Paradigm, David A. Skeel Jr.

All Faculty Scholarship

In a recent essay—part of a larger book project-- Douglas Baird contends that the standard accounts of the history of corporate reorganization miss an essential feature: the extent to which both current and prior practice have been governed by unwritten rules (such as full disclosure and the opportunity for each party to participate in the negotiations) that “are well-known to insiders, but largely invisible to those on the outside.” According to Professor Baird, the unwritten rules, not bankruptcy’s distribution provisions or other features of the Bankruptcy Code, are the essence of corporate reorganization.

This essay is a short response to …

Gander Mountain: A Retail Giant's Fall From The Top, Matthew Guernsey, W. Samuel Hargesheimer, Richard Mayberry

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Case Studies

No abstract provided.

Drilling For Success: An Excavation Of Sanchez Energy Corporation’S Ch. 11 Reorganization, Nathan Cates, Landon Foody

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Case Studies

No abstract provided.

The Weinstein Company Bankruptcy, Mason Shelton, Trevor Torres

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Case Studies

No abstract provided.

Law School News: Distinguished Research Professor: John Chung 05-24-2020, Michael M. Bowden

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Value Tracing And Priority In Cross-Border Group Bankruptcies: Solving The Nortel Problem From The Bottom Up, Edward Janger, Stephan Madaus

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Global Guide: Measures Adopted To Support Businesses Through The Covid-19 Crisis: Singapore, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

After the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Singapore Government responded with a quick and comprehensive package of legal, economic and financial measures that sought to put the economy into hibernation and avoid the destruction of jobs and viable businesses, at least while companies were unable to generate revenues and cash-flows due to a variety of factors, including travel restrictions and lockdowns imposed in many countries around the world. To that end, the Government spent SGD$97.3 billion (that is, around 20% of the country’s GDP) to support businesses, households and employees. Most of this financial support was given in the …

Financing Failure: Bankruptcy Lending, Credit Market Conditions, And The Financial Crisis, Frederick Tung

Faculty Scholarship

When contemplating Chapter 11, firms often need to seek financing for their continuing operations in bankruptcy. Because such financing would otherwise be hard to find, the Bankruptcy Code authorizes debtors to offer sweeteners to debtor-in-possession (DIP) lenders. These inducements can be effective in attracting financing, but because they are thought to come at the expense of other stakeholders, the Code permits these inducements only if no less generous a package would have been sufficient to obtain the loan.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the use of certain controversial inducements — I focus on roll-ups and milestones — skyrocketed in recent years, …

The Proceduralist Inversion–A Response To Skeel, Edward Janger, Adam J. Levitin

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The New Small Business Bankruptcy Game: Strategies For Creditors Under The Small Business Reorganization Act, Christopher G. Bradley

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

Most unsecured creditors have little incentive to act energetically in bankruptcy proceedings. They are unlikely to be paid enough to make it worth the effort. Our bankruptcy law allocates much more power to debtors and to secured claimants. This Article suggests that the Act further erodes the position of most unsecured creditors. Their expected recoveries will remain too low to justify anything other than a relatively passive attitude toward the bankruptcy proceeding, and the Act lowers the protections for passive creditors.

Part I provides an overview of the major features of the Act. It explains how a subchapter V case …

Bankruptcy And The Deceased Debtor: Rule 1016 In Practice, Laura B. Bartell

Law Faculty Research Publications

No abstract provided.

Obduskey V. Mccarthey & Holthus Llp: Declining To Distinguish Between Judicial And Non-Judicial Foreclosure In Furtherance Of The Fdcpa’S Mission, Moshe Y. Gugenheim

Proxy

No abstract provided.

A No-Contest Discharge For Uncollectible Student Loans, Brook E. Gotberg, Matthew Bruckner, Dalie Jimenez, Chrystin Ondersma

Faculty Publications

Over forty-four million Americans owe more than $1.6 trillion in student loan debt. This debt is nearly impossible to discharge in bankruptcy. Attempting to do so may require costly and contentious litigation with the Department of Education. And because the Department typically fights every case, even initial success can be followed by years of appeals. As a result, few student loan borrowers attempt to discharge their student loan debt in bankruptcy.

In this Article, we call on the Department of Education to develop a set of ten easily ascertainable and verifiable circumstances in which it will not contest a debtor’s …

The Debt Collection Pandemic, Pamela Foohey, Dalie Jimenez, Chris Odinet

Articles by Maurer Faculty

To curb the rapid spread of the coronavirus set to overwhelm the United States' healthcare system, in mid-March 2020, the federal government declared a national emergency. Many states followed suit by implementing shelter-at-home orders and people began social distancing across America. As of this writing, the United States' reaction to the unique and alarming threat of COVID 19 has partially succeeded in slowing the virus's spread. Saving people's lives, however, has come at a severe economic cost. Economic activity plummeted. Unemployment numbers soured to figures not seen since the Great Depression and countless other people saw their income disappear.

Americans' …

The High Burden Of A “Minimal Standard Of Living” Under The First Prong Of The Brunner Test, Samantha Alfano

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Under section 523(a)(8) of title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”), student loan debt is not dischargeable unless the debtor can show “undue hardship.” Courts have concluded that section 523(a)(8) creates a presumption that student loans are nondischargeable, finding that the burden of challenging this presumption rests upon the individual debtor. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Brunner v. New York State Higher Educ. Servs. Corp., articulated what has become the standard test (the “Brunner test”) for determining undue hardship. Subsequently, the Brunner test has been adopted by the …

Inconsistent Standards To Approve A Settlement Under Rule 9019, Zach Benaharon

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

“Settlements and compromises are favored in bankruptcy as they minimize costly litigation and further parties’ interests in expediting the administration of the bankruptcy estate.” In accordance with this policy, Congress promulgated Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9019 (the “Bankruptcy Rules”), which governs settlements in a bankruptcy case. Rule 9019 gives a bankruptcy judge discretion to approve a proposed settlement and states in relevant part, that: “[o]n motion by the trustee, the court may approve a compromise or settlement.” Rule 9019 applies to both settlements brought before the court on a standalone basis as well as those presented as part …

Intangible Property Can Satisfy The Debtor Eligibility Requirement Under Section 109(A), Edward Cho-O’Leary

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Section 109(a) of title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) states that “only a person that resides or has a domicile, a place of business, or property in the United States … may be a debtor under this title.” While a “foreign entity or individual domiciled abroad but owning property or doing business in the United States is eligible to be a debtor under 11 U.S.C. § 109,” the requirement can be difficult if the foreign entity or individual domiciled abroad has no commercial connection to the US. Consequently, the property component of Section 109(a) has …

Sdny Bankruptcy Judges Have Differing Views On A Bankruptcy Court’S Jurisdiction To Issue Third-Party Releases, Brandon Auerbach

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Under chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”), a debtor may receive a discharge from claims under its plan of reorganization. A chapter 11 discharge functions as a release of liability for the debtor. Often debtors attempt to include releases for non-debtor parties as part of their reorganization plans to preclude creditors from asserting claims against non-debtors. However, the Bankruptcy Code does not expressly provide for such “third party releases,” except in the context of asbestos cases. Nevertheless, bankruptcy courts have approved third-party releases in other circumstances. The courts, however, are divided as …

Transfer Of Real Estate Title May Be Avoided As A Preference In Certain Jurisdictions, Aleksandra Adamska

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Exceprt)

This article addresses whether a transfer of real estate title may be avoided as a preference under section 547(b) of title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”). Section 547 permits avoidance of preferential transfers. “A preference is a ‘transfer that enables a creditor to receive payment of a greater percentage of his claim against the debtor than he would have received if the transfer had not been made and he had participated in the distribution of assets of the bankrupt estate.’” Essentially, a preference allows one creditor to receive more value than other creditors. Preferential transfers …

The Two Approaches To Center Of Main Interest Timing Determination, John Freeze

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Under Chapter 15 of title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”), a bankruptcy court may grant recognition to a “foreign main proceeding.” A foreign main proceeding is “a foreign proceeding pending in the country where the debtor has the center of its main interests." The Bankruptcy Code offers little in the way of a definition of a foreign main proceeding, only that “the debtor’s registered office . . . is presumed to be the center of the debtor’s main interests.” Thus, chapter 15 provides a rebuttable presumption that a foreign debtor’s center of main interest is …

The In Pari Delicto Defense May Bar Trustees That Bring Claims Which Are Property Of The Estate Under 11 U.S.C. § 541(A), Carmine Broccole

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

The in pari delicto doctrine states that “[i]n a case of equal or mutual fault … the position of the [defending] party … is the better one.” This doctrine is guided by the premise that it is not within the purview of the court to resolve disputes among wrongdoers, and that denial of judicial relief in these instances effectively deters illegal activity. Within the bankruptcy context, “every Circuit to have considered the question has held that in pari delicto can be asserted against a trustee bringing a claim on behalf of a debtor in bankruptcy.”

Under Section 541(a)(1) of …

Trademarks Are “Intellectual Property” Under Bankruptcy Code Section 365(N), Emily Clark

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Under section 365 of title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) a trustee or a debtor-in-possession may reject an executory contract. Rejection has the same effect as a breach outside of bankruptcy; rejection does not rescind the rights that the contract previously granted or terminate the contract. Under section 365(n) of the Bankruptcy Code, a licensee of intellectual property may retain the right to use such intellectual property notwithstanding the rejection of such license provided it is an executory contract. A contract is executory when there is performance due, to some extent, from both parties. A …

Pleading Fraudulent Conveyances: Federal Vs. New York State Requirements, Tara Guarino

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Fraudulent conveyances are transfers of a debtor’s property made to defraud, burden, and unfairly place the property out of reach of the creditor. Such transfers are illegal and therefore prohibited under both federal and New York State law. Federal fraudulent conveyance law, the United States Bankruptcy Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”), recognizes two different types of fraudulent conveyances: intentional (“actual”) fraudulent transfers and constructive fraudulent transfers. Each of these fraudulent transfers require different pleading standards. These two types of fraud are recognized in New York, as well. If these fraudulent conveyances can be proven, both federal and state law allow …

Discharging Student Loan Debt Under Brunner: Interpreting The Second Prong’S “Additional Circumstances” Requirement, Emily Gault

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Under title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”), an individual debtor is not entitled to a discharge of his or her student loan debt “unless excepting such debt from discharge…would impose an undue hardship on the debtor and the debtor’s dependents.” Because the Bankruptcy Code does not define the term “undue hardship,” the courts have applied a broad range of standards which has resulted in a “state of considerable confusion.” Currently, the majority of circuit courts have adopted the test formulated by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to determine what qualifies …