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Full-Text Articles in Bankruptcy Law

Analisis Pengaturan Pajak Parkir Pada Badan Pengelola Pajak Retribusi Daerah Kabupaten Lampung Utara, Adinda Akhsanal Viqria Jan 2023

Analisis Pengaturan Pajak Parkir Pada Badan Pengelola Pajak Retribusi Daerah Kabupaten Lampung Utara, Adinda Akhsanal Viqria

"Dharmasisya” Jurnal Program Magister Hukum FHUI

Parking tax is a local tax imposed under the law number 28 of 2009 on local taxes and user charge. The purpose of this study is to analyze the adequacy of the Parking Tax Reception System At the Office of Lampung Utara Regional Tax and Retribution Agency. The method used is descriptive analysis. Data were obtained through field studies. The results of this research is that the System of Parking Tax Admission in Lampung Utara City has been adequate and in accordance with the applicable regulations, namely the Minister of Home Affairs Regulation number 59 at 2007 includes the related …


Texas Two-Stepping Out Of Bankruptcy, Michael A. Francus Jan 2023

Texas Two-Stepping Out Of Bankruptcy, Michael A. Francus

Michigan Law Review Online

Johnson & Johnson has a problem. For decades, it sold talc baby powder, a product that made Johnson & Johnson a household name and earned the business billions. But as those babies grew up, they started getting cancer. And then they began suing. Last June, twenty-two plaintiffs cemented a $2.12 billion judgment against Johnson & Johnson for cancer caused by its baby powder. Another 38,000 cases (and counting) remain in progress, each with the potential for a similar verdict.

To handle these mass tort liabilities, Johnson & Johnson has followed the lead of many businesses and turned to the bankruptcy …


The Fresh Start Paradox: Economic Disaster Relief Available To Title 11 Debtors, Kellsie Davis Ruane Jan 2023

The Fresh Start Paradox: Economic Disaster Relief Available To Title 11 Debtors, Kellsie Davis Ruane

Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal

The Small Business Administration (“SBA”) has been providing disaster relief in the form of Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) since its inception in 1953. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CARES Act charged the SBA with issuing forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) to small businesses which would otherwise face permanent closure. Though the CARES Act did not specifically grant the SBA authority to do so, the SBA interpreted its powers to include the ability to set requirements for loan approval which were not laid out in the Act itself. Specifically, the SBA promulgated a rule …


America’S Public Shell Trafficking Problem: Ripe For Reprocessing, Harrison Lipsky Jan 2023

America’S Public Shell Trafficking Problem: Ripe For Reprocessing, Harrison Lipsky

Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal

The scourge of public shell trafficking has led to fraudsters taking advantage of and pilfering the hard-earned dollars of the American investing public for decades. These fraudsters seek to abuse the chapter 11 bankruptcy process by discharging the debt of such public shells, so that they can increase the profitability of schemes that target innocent investors, such as reverse mergers and pump-and-dump schemes. Regulators and lawmakers alike have fought back against this phenomenon through statutory reform and targeted regulatory programs; recently, their principal method of fighting back has been to consistently object to chapter 11 plans of reorganization that could …


Duped By Dope: The Sackler Family’S Attempt To Escape Opioid Liability And The Need To Close The Non-Debtor Release Loophole, Bryson T. Strachan Jan 2023

Duped By Dope: The Sackler Family’S Attempt To Escape Opioid Liability And The Need To Close The Non-Debtor Release Loophole, Bryson T. Strachan

Law Student Publications

The opioid epidemic continues to rage on in the United States, ravaging its rural populations. One of its main causes? OxyContin. Purdue Pharma (“Purdue”), the maker of OxyContin, aggressively marketed opioids to the American public while racking up a fortune of over $13 billion dollars for its owners,3 the Sackler family. As a result, roughly 3,000 lawsuits were filed against Purdue and members of the Sackler family. Generally, the lawsuits alleged that Purdue and members of the Sackler family knew OxyContin was highly addictive yet aggressively marketed high dosages of the drug and misrepresented the drug as nonaddictive and without …


Built For Business: The Commercial Need For Aggregate Litigation, Jack Zarin-Rosenfeld Jan 2023

Built For Business: The Commercial Need For Aggregate Litigation, Jack Zarin-Rosenfeld

Connecticut Law Review

Commercial actors long have argued that class actions are bad for business. But for even longer, business groups have supported other types of aggregate litigation that closely resemble class actions, such as expansive federal bankruptcy. While critics have successfully limited national aggregation via class actions, they have not even attempted to criticize aggregation via bankruptcy.

Why have business groups attacked aggregate litigation in some cases and supported it in others? This Article provides an answer by examining aggregation’s origins and development, and what emerges, it turns out, is very much the opposite of what aggregation’s pro-business critics would have us …


Defi: Shadow Banking 2.0?, Hilary J. Allen Jan 2023

Defi: Shadow Banking 2.0?, Hilary J. Allen

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

The growth of so-called “shadow banking” was a significant contributor to the financial crisis of 2008, which had huge social costs that we still grapple with today. Our financial regulatory system still hasn’t fully figured out how to address the risks of the derivatives, securitizations, and money market mutual funds that comprised Shadow Banking 1.0, but we’re already facing the prospect o fShadow Banking 2.0in the form of decentralized finance, or “DeFi.” DeFi’s proponents speak of a future where sending money is as easy as sending a photograph–but money is not the same as a photograph. The stakes are much …


Regulatory Innovation And Permission To Fail: The Case Of Suptech, Hilary J. Allen Jan 2023

Regulatory Innovation And Permission To Fail: The Case Of Suptech, Hilary J. Allen

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision West Virginia v. EPA has cast a pall over the discretion of administrative agencies at a very inopportune time. The private sector is currently adopting new technologies at a rapid pace, and as regulated industries become more technologically complex, administrative agencies must innovate technological tools of their own in order to keep up. Agencies will increasingly struggle to do their jobs without that innovation, but the private sector is afforded something that is both critical to the innovation process, and often denied to administrative agencies: “permission to fail.” Without some grace for the inevitable …


The Application Of 11 U.S.C. § 523(A) To Subchapter V Corporate Debtors Under 11 U.S.C. § 1192(2), Elizabeth Allhusen Jan 2023

The Application Of 11 U.S.C. § 523(A) To Subchapter V Corporate Debtors Under 11 U.S.C. § 1192(2), Elizabeth Allhusen

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Under title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”), a debtor can receive a fresh start through a broad discharge of its debts. The general availability of a discharge is limited by section 523(a). Section 523(a) provides that certain types of debts of an individual are excepted from discharge. Section 1192 applies these exceptions in certain small business bankruptcy cases.

In 2019, Congress created Subchapter V of the Bankruptcy Code with the passing of the Small Business Reorganization Act (“SBRA”). The SBRA added provisions to Chapter 11 which apply to small business debtors. Small business debtors, as …


Solvent Debtors Must Pay The Contractual Post-Petition Interest Rate On Unimpaired Claims, Rayla Aberman Jan 2023

Solvent Debtors Must Pay The Contractual Post-Petition Interest Rate On Unimpaired Claims, Rayla Aberman

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

The default rule in bankruptcy law is that when a debtor files for bankruptcy, interest ceases to accrue on their unsecured claims. This general principle is subject to an exception known as the solvent debtor exception. Under this exception, solvent debtors are required to pay post-petition interest on their outstanding claims, even after filing for bankruptcy. Section 726(a)(5) of the Bankruptcy Code states that solvent debtors must pay interest at “the legal rate.” However, the Bankruptcy Code does not define what the legal rate is, and courts have disagreed over whether it applies to both impaired and unimpaired claimants. …


Creditors Not Precluded From Recovering Debtors’ Commercial Tort Litigation Recovery Through Security Interest, Dana Aprigliano Jan 2023

Creditors Not Precluded From Recovering Debtors’ Commercial Tort Litigation Recovery Through Security Interest, Dana Aprigliano

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) provides valuable protections for secured creditors. A secured creditor of a chapter 7 debtor is entitled to distribution of any debtor property (or its value) in which they have an interest before any other creditors are paid. Even if the debtor has filed under chapter 11 or 13, a secured creditor is still entitled to receipt of their collateral or its value.

Under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code (“UCC”), commercial tort claims and their proceeds may collateralize secured liens. Hence, creditors believing they are secured by a …


Exceptions To The Rule: When Non-Debtor Entities Are Protected By The Automatic Stay, Isabella Benchetrit Jan 2023

Exceptions To The Rule: When Non-Debtor Entities Are Protected By The Automatic Stay, Isabella Benchetrit

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

In most cases, the automatic stay, under section 362 of title 11 of the United States Code (the "Bankruptcy Code"), stays all creditors from pursuing litigation against debtors. Nonetheless, non-debtor entities can obtain the protection afforded to debtors by the automatic stay in limited circumstances. There are two primary ways of staying litigation against a non-debtor. First, through demonstrating that there are exceptional circumstances to extend section 362 to a non-debtor. Second, through satisfying the standard for an injunction pursuant to section 105 of the Bankruptcy Code.

This Article considers the circumstances by which a non-debtor entity may receive …


A Claims Agent Can Only Profit From The Fees The Clerk Of Court Can Charge, Peter Berkanish Jan 2023

A Claims Agent Can Only Profit From The Fees The Clerk Of Court Can Charge, Peter Berkanish

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

In the Southern District of New York, the retention of claims agents is governed by the judicial procedure set forth in section 156(c) of title 28 of the United States Code, for cases under chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) that involve 250 or more creditors and equity holders. When a claims agent is retained under section 156(c), the claims agent is acting in the same capacity as the clerk and the services are “limited in scope to those duties that would be performed by a Clerk of Court with respect to …


An Unincorporated Entity Will Be Unable To Recover As A Secured Creditor In Bankruptcy Unless A Court Invokes The Doctrines Of De Facto Corporation Or Corporation By Estoppel, Andrew Braverman Jan 2023

An Unincorporated Entity Will Be Unable To Recover As A Secured Creditor In Bankruptcy Unless A Court Invokes The Doctrines Of De Facto Corporation Or Corporation By Estoppel, Andrew Braverman

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Under New York law, an entity that has failed to properly incorporate cannot assume liabilities or acquire rights. As a result, unincorporated entities will typically lack capacity to enter into contractual agreements. Within the context of bankruptcy, this may hinder a creditor’s ability to maximize its recovery.

A creditor that is adversely affected by a lack of corporate recognition will attempt to persuade a court to impose the doctrines of de facto corporation or corporation by estoppel. These doctrines, which are matters of state law, provide unincorporated entities with the rights and obligations that a legally recognized entity would …


Free And Clear Sale Under Section 363 Of The Bankruptcy Code Prevents Successor Liability, Matthew Bopp Jan 2023

Free And Clear Sale Under Section 363 Of The Bankruptcy Code Prevents Successor Liability, Matthew Bopp

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

The Bankruptcy Code allows a debtor to sell its assets free and clear of any interest in such property, pursuant to section 363(f) of the Bankruptcy Code. Section 363(f) is used to allow the trustee to sell assets not in the ordinary course of business and to allow purchasers to buy assets without the fear of liability. The Bankruptcy Code does not define the term “interest.” Thus, in interpreting section 363(f), a court must view interest in property expansively. Using section 363(f), courts have extinguished several types of claims and interest in property including: possessory interests, employment related claims, …


Shared Responsibility Payment May Be A Tax Entitled To Priority Under The Bankruptcy Code, Ashton Bryan Jan 2023

Shared Responsibility Payment May Be A Tax Entitled To Priority Under The Bankruptcy Code, Ashton Bryan

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

The Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act ("ACA") provides that certain individuals must maintain minimum essential health insurance coverage throughout the year. If a person under the mandate fails to maintain the required insurance for one month or more, a shared responsibility payment ("SRP") is imposed on the taxpayer. The SRP is collected by the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS").

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("TCJA") eliminated the individual mandate and reduced the SRP to zero for 2019 and thereafter. The SRPs for 2018 and prior years must be reported to the IRS on the applicable tax return. Otherwise, …


Trustee’S Broad Duty To Disclose Information To Interested Parties Under Section 704(A)(7) Of The Bankruptcy Code, Joel Cardoz Jan 2023

Trustee’S Broad Duty To Disclose Information To Interested Parties Under Section 704(A)(7) Of The Bankruptcy Code, Joel Cardoz

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

A trustee has a duty to disclose information to interested parties upon request. Section 1109(b) of title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) includes creditors in the definition of interested parties. Trustees must obtain a court order to be excused from their duty to disclose.

A trustee’s duty of disclosure is “broad and extensive.” Courts are reluctant to excuse the trustee from their duty of disclosure unless the trustee points to a compelling “countervailing fiduciary duty … whose performance is more important than avoiding the harm resulting from withholding the information in question.”

First, this article …


A Majority Of Courts Reject The Application Of The Rules For Disallowance Of Claims Under Section 502(D) To Administrative Expense Claims, Mairead Cooney Jan 2023

A Majority Of Courts Reject The Application Of The Rules For Disallowance Of Claims Under Section 502(D) To Administrative Expense Claims, Mairead Cooney

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Since the adoption of title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”), courts have struggled with the application of administrative expense claims. Administrative expenses include the actual costs and expenses of preserving the estate after the commencement of a bankruptcy case. Allowance of an administrative expense claim is governed by section 503 of the Bankruptcy Code. A question arises, however, whether the rules of governing the allowance of claims, under section 502, also applies to administrative expense claims.

Under section 502(d), a court may “disallow any claim of any entity from which property is recoverable . . …


Uncertainty Surrounding Takings Claimants’ Rights In Municipal Bankruptcies, Gillian Deery Jan 2023

Uncertainty Surrounding Takings Claimants’ Rights In Municipal Bankruptcies, Gillian Deery

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Governments in the United States and its territories have the power to exercise eminent domain so long as they provide property owners with the constitutionally guaranteed “just compensation.” The Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause specifically prescribes this remedy for parties whose property has been subject to a government taking. “Just compensation” has proven to be an issue in the context of bankruptcy, as bankruptcy law inherently allows debtors to alter their obligations to their creditors.

In response to Puerto Rico’s financial crisis, Congress enacted the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (“PROMESA”), which created a modified version of …


When Deciding Whether To Transfer Venue, Bankruptcy Courts Will Consider Their Discretion To Retain A Case, As Well As The Interests Of Justice And Convenience Of The Parties, Cole Eiber Jan 2023

When Deciding Whether To Transfer Venue, Bankruptcy Courts Will Consider Their Discretion To Retain A Case, As Well As The Interests Of Justice And Convenience Of The Parties, Cole Eiber

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

When a debtor decides to file a petition for bankruptcy, one decision to make is in what court, or what jurisdiction to file. However, the debtor’s choice of where to file is not always indisputable. Once a case is filed in a particular court, any “party in interest” may bring a motion seeking to change the venue of the case to an alternate court. Additionally, a court, on its own motion, may transfer a case to an alternate venue. The three statutory provisions that govern transfers of venue are Bankruptcy Rule 1014 (“Rule 1014”), 28 U.S.C. § 1408 (“Section …


Two Valid Approaches For Determining Whether “Taxes” Get Priority In Bankruptcy Cases, Jonathan Fuller Jan 2023

Two Valid Approaches For Determining Whether “Taxes” Get Priority In Bankruptcy Cases, Jonathan Fuller

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

In bankruptcies, tax status often effects whether claims are entitled to priority. Thus, debates about whether charges are penalties or taxes date back to the early twentieth century. In 1930, the Supreme Court established that courts are not bound to the characterization given to a charge by the municipality that created it. Rather, courts have a duty to consider the “real nature” and “effect” of the charge. Accordingly, different circuits have implemented different approaches to make these determinations.

This Article examines the ambiguity among circuits regarding charges’ “tax” status and resulting priority entitlement. Part I outlines In re Lorber …


Bad Faith Dismissals In Chapter 7, Myah Drouin Jan 2023

Bad Faith Dismissals In Chapter 7, Myah Drouin

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) provides a fresh start to the “honest but unfortunate debtor.” Chapter 7 therefore permits a debtor to “discharge their outstanding debts in exchange for liquidating their nonexempt assets and distributing them to their creditors.” Dismissals in chapter 7 are governed by section 707 of the Bankruptcy Code. Section 707(a) governs all chapters of bankruptcy filings and applies when adequate “cause” is shown.

There is currently a circuit split regarding whether a debtor’s lack of good faith constitutes cause for dismissal under section 707(a). Under section 707(a), a case may …


The Intersection Of The Bankruptcy Courts And Ferc, Amanda Gazzo Jan 2023

The Intersection Of The Bankruptcy Courts And Ferc, Amanda Gazzo

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

In the past, the bankruptcy courts and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) have been involved in a power struggle with one another. Congress has granted bankruptcy courts exclusive authority to allow debtors to reject executory contracts in chapter 11 reorganization cases. Additionally, Congress has granted FERC authority to govern over utility entities’ filed-rates, which are sometimes contained in executory contracts. It is in this intersection, regarding executory contracts containing filed-rates, where the power struggle between the two exists.

An executory contract is a contract where both parties still have material obligations to perform under the contract. Filed-rates may …


Exceptions To The General Rule That The Automatic Stay Under Bankruptcy Code Section 362(A) Does Not Apply To Non-Debtors, Annmarie Gruick Jan 2023

Exceptions To The General Rule That The Automatic Stay Under Bankruptcy Code Section 362(A) Does Not Apply To Non-Debtors, Annmarie Gruick

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition, the automatic stay takes effect. “The automatic stay is one of the fundamental debtor protections provided by the bankruptcy laws. It gives the debtor a breathing spell from its creditors. It stops all collection efforts, all harassment, and all foreclosure actions. It permits the debtor to attempt a repayment or reorganization plan, or simply to be relieved of the financial pressures that drove him [or her] into bankruptcy.”

Section 362(a) enumerates eight (8) actions and activities from which the debtor is protected—“it does not protect separate legal entities, such as corporate directors, …


Whether A Surety Agreement Is An Executory Contract Is A Crucial Determination For Both Creditors And Debtors In Bankruptcy, Elizabeth Gomiela Jan 2023

Whether A Surety Agreement Is An Executory Contract Is A Crucial Determination For Both Creditors And Debtors In Bankruptcy, Elizabeth Gomiela

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

In bankruptcy, whether a surety bond is an executory contract is not a question that is often addressed by the circuit courts of appeals. However, this determination is crucial for both debtors and creditors because only executory contracts can be assumed, rejected, or pass through in bankruptcy.

“A surety bond creates a three party relationship, in which the surety becomes liable for the principal's debt or duty to the third party oblige.” The term “executory contract” has not been defined within title 11 of the Unted States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”), however the Supreme Court concluded that "Congress intended …


The Dischargeability Of Money Judgements Versus Property Interests In Arbitration Awards For Domestic Contributions In The Context Of Unmarried Couples, Gabriella Hansen Jan 2023

The Dischargeability Of Money Judgements Versus Property Interests In Arbitration Awards For Domestic Contributions In The Context Of Unmarried Couples, Gabriella Hansen

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

A debt which arises prior to the filing of the petition for discharge in bankruptcy is dischargeable unless it can be categorized as one of the statutory exceptions to discharge listed in section 523(a) of title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”). Section 523(a)(5) of the Bankruptcy Code prohibits the discharge of awards of domestic support due to a debtor’s spouse, former spouse, or child. Accordingly, maintenance, alimony, and child support, often awarded in divorce proceedings, fall under the federal bankruptcy law statutory exceptions to discharge for domestic support obligations.

When an unmarried couple separates and …


The Third Circuit Requires Inequitable Conduct By A Higher-Priority Creditor To Equitably Subordinate Its Debt To A Lower-Priority Creditor, Caitlyn R. Marino Jan 2023

The Third Circuit Requires Inequitable Conduct By A Higher-Priority Creditor To Equitably Subordinate Its Debt To A Lower-Priority Creditor, Caitlyn R. Marino

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) implements a basic priority system under section 507 to determine the order a bankruptcy court will distribute the assets of an estate. The classic hierarchy begins with secured creditors, then “[s]pecial classes of creditors, such as those [holding] certain claims for taxes or wages . . . [then] low-priority creditors, including general unsecured creditors . . . [followed by] equity holders . . . [who] receive nothing until all previously listed creditors have been paid in full.” Section 510(c) of the Bankruptcy Code authorizes disturbing the fundamental distribution scheme …


Personal Injury Tort Claims As Core Proceedings In Bankruptcy Courts—Broad, Narrow, And Intermediate Approaches, Brigid Lynn Jan 2023

Personal Injury Tort Claims As Core Proceedings In Bankruptcy Courts—Broad, Narrow, And Intermediate Approaches, Brigid Lynn

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Under 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(1), “bankruptcy judges may hear and determine all cases under title 11 and all core proceedings arising under title 11.” Core proceedings are those concerning the administration of an estate and the confirmation of plans, among others listed in the statute. However, not considered core proceedings are those regarding “the liquidation or estimation of contingent or unliquidated personal injury tort . . . claims against the estate for purposes of distribution in a case under title 11.” Personal injury tort claims are instead reserved for the district court in which the bankruptcy case is pending …


A Decedent’S Estate Is Barred From Filing Bankruptcy, Howard Poon Jan 2023

A Decedent’S Estate Is Barred From Filing Bankruptcy, Howard Poon

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

A “person” that “resides or has a domicile, a place of business, or property in the United States, or a municipality” is generally eligible to be a debtor in a bankruptcy case under title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”). The definition of a “person” under the Bankruptcy Code includes “individual, partnership, and corporation.” Courts, however, have interpreted the definition of “person” broadly to include groups not explicitly mentioned in the statute. Consequently, a decedent’s estate, which is not expressly identified as a person under the Bankruptcy Code, may nevertheless argue that it is eligible to …


A Transfer Made In Connection With A Securities Contract May Not Be Avoided Under Section 546(E) Of The Bankruptcy Code, Dennis Mossberg Jan 2023

A Transfer Made In Connection With A Securities Contract May Not Be Avoided Under Section 546(E) Of The Bankruptcy Code, Dennis Mossberg

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Under title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”), a bankruptcy trustee has the power to avoid, or claw back, certain transfers of property made before a bankruptcy filing. A trustee may avoid transfers such as those that are preferential under section 547 and fraudulent transfers under section 548. Section 546(e) of the Bankruptcy Code generally provides that a transfer made by, to, or for the benefit of a commodity broker, stockbroker, financial institution, or securities clearing agency in connection with a securities contract cannot be avoided. In 2018, the Supreme Court clarified the scope of the …