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Law In Books Versus Law In Action In The Landmark Shenzhen, China, Personal Bankruptcy Regime, Jason J. Kilborn Jan 2024

Law In Books Versus Law In Action In The Landmark Shenzhen, China, Personal Bankruptcy Regime, Jason J. Kilborn

Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal

The first personal bankruptcy regime in Mainland China celebrated its second anniversary on March 1, 2023. An empirical assessment of the law in action during these first two years reveals some troubling deviations from the early promises of the new law on the books. In the first year, a handful of judges were charged with an arduous in-person review process for over 1,000 applicants, and they accepted only twenty-five for case initiation. In the second year, initial case review was delegated to an administrative body—an important efficiency enhancement that tripled the number of opened cases. Nonetheless, most debtors continue to …


A Historical Account Of The Orderly Payment Of Debts Act Reference: Limiting Provincial Efforts To Protect Insolvent Debtors, Thomas Gw Telfer, Virginia Torrie Oct 2023

A Historical Account Of The Orderly Payment Of Debts Act Reference: Limiting Provincial Efforts To Protect Insolvent Debtors, Thomas Gw Telfer, Virginia Torrie

Dalhousie Law Journal

This paper analyzes the history of the Alberta Orderly Payment of Debts Act and the constitutional controversy that followed. The legislation sought to protect debtors by imposing restrictions on creditors. In 1960, the Supreme Court of Canada in Reference re Validity of Orderly Payment of Debts Act, 1959 (Alberta) ruled that the legislation was ultra vires on the basis that it interfered with the federal bankruptcy and insolvency power. The Orderly Payment of Debts Act reference is the capstone in a trilogy of cases in which provincial legislation was invalidated for encroaching upon the federal bankruptcy and insolvency power. The …


Tinjauan Hukum Penerapan Hak Mendahulu Utang Pajak Dalam Perkara Kepailitan Pt Industries Badja Garuda Berdasarkan Undang-Undang Nomor 37 Tahun 2004 Tentang Kepailitan Dan Penundaan Kewajiban Pembayaran Utang, Siti Fatimah Citra Nurislamiati Jan 2023

Tinjauan Hukum Penerapan Hak Mendahulu Utang Pajak Dalam Perkara Kepailitan Pt Industries Badja Garuda Berdasarkan Undang-Undang Nomor 37 Tahun 2004 Tentang Kepailitan Dan Penundaan Kewajiban Pembayaran Utang, Siti Fatimah Citra Nurislamiati

"Dharmasisya” Jurnal Program Magister Hukum FHUI

This paper discusses the application of pre-emptive rights over tax debt collection in bankruptcy disputes regulated in Article 41 paragraph (3) of Law Number 37 of 2004 concerning the Bankruptcy and Deferral of Debt Payment Obligations displayed by the Directorate General of Taxes. Tax debts outside the bankruptcy process for compulsory taxes are being filed for bankruptcy by requesting the Commercial Court to return all tax liabilities that would harm the interests of the country. In the event that a taxpayer has been declared bankrupt, the Directorate General of Taxes still has the right to overtake and is privileged, requesting …


A Comprehensive Framework For Conflict Preemption In Federal Insolvency Proceedings, Robert W. Miller Dec 2020

A Comprehensive Framework For Conflict Preemption In Federal Insolvency Proceedings, Robert W. Miller

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.


The Low Usage Of Bankruptcy Procedures: A Cultural Problem? Lessons From Spain, Aurelio Gurrea-Martínez Jul 2020

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

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

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 …


Ending Litigation And Financial Windfalls On Time-Barred Debts, Marc C. Mcallister Jan 2018

Ending Litigation And Financial Windfalls On Time-Barred Debts, Marc C. Mcallister

Washington and Lee Law Review

A trap for unsophisticated debtors, debt collectors often attempt to collect time-barred debts through written offers to settle those debts for a fraction of what is owed. Debtors typically respond to such offers in one of four ways. First, some debtors simply pay the offered settlement amount, usually 10%–40% of the total outstanding debt, thereby satisfying the debt in full. Second, those who wish to eliminate the debt but cannot pay the entire offered settlement amount will instead make a small payment, unwittingly reviving the statute of limitations on collections and making the entire debt judicially enforceable for several years …


Discharging Student Loans Via Bankruptcy: Undue Hardship Doctrine In The First Circuit, Anthony Bowers Dec 2014

Discharging Student Loans Via Bankruptcy: Undue Hardship Doctrine In The First Circuit, Anthony Bowers

University of Massachusetts Law Review

Student loans are presumptively non-dischargeable through bankruptcy, but the undue hardship doctrine provides an equitable “safety valve” for the indigent. To date, the United States First Circuit Court of Appeals has yet to select a single legal test for determining undue hardship under the United States Bankruptcy Code (“Bankruptcy Code”). Within the jurisdiction of the First Circuit, bankruptcy courts are free to choose an approach to evaluate undue hardship. In an effort to ensure consistency throughout the bankruptcy courts within the First Circuit, it would be ideal if the First Circuit would choose one of the undue hardship tests. However, …


The Changing Practice Of Bankruptcy Law: An Analysis Of How Bankruptcy Practice Has Changed In The Last Decade, Michael Goldstein, Samantha Einhorn, Jill L. Phillips Dec 2014

The Changing Practice Of Bankruptcy Law: An Analysis Of How Bankruptcy Practice Has Changed In The Last Decade, Michael Goldstein, Samantha Einhorn, Jill L. Phillips

University of Massachusetts Law Review

The practice of bankruptcy law has changed drastically over the last decade. An attorney starting out in the field in 2009 faces different issue than one who began in 1999. However, it’s not just the issues that come up with clients that make the practice so different, but the law of bankruptcy itself has changed. The economic downturn of the last eighteen months has changed the way the public views bankruptcy. The Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2005 and In re Bateman, a case decided in 2008, altered the landscape of bankruptcy practice forever. This article will walk through a …


House Swaps: A Strategic Bankruptcy Solution To The Foreclosure Crisis, Lynn M. Lopucki Mar 2014

House Swaps: A Strategic Bankruptcy Solution To The Foreclosure Crisis, Lynn M. Lopucki

Michigan Law Review

Since the price peak in 2006, home values have fallen more than 30 percent, leaving millions of Americans with negative equity in their homes. Until the Supreme Court’s 1993 decision in Nobelman v. American Savings Bank, the bankruptcy system would have provided many such homeowners with a remedy. They could have filed bankruptcy, discharged the negative equity, committed to pay the mortgage holders the full values of their homes, and retained those homes. In Nobelman, however, the Court misinterpreted reasonably clear statutory language and invented legislative history to resolve a three-to-one split of circuits in favor of the minority view …


A Capital Market, Corporate Law Approach To Creditor Conduct, Mark J. Roe, Frederico Cenzi Venezze Oct 2013

A Capital Market, Corporate Law Approach To Creditor Conduct, Mark J. Roe, Frederico Cenzi Venezze

Michigan Law Review

The problem of creditor conduct in a distressed firm—-for which policymakers ought to have the distressed firm’s economically sensible repositioning as a central goal—-has vexed courts for decades. Because courts have not come to coherent, stable doctrine to regulate creditor behavior and because they do not focus on building doctrinal structures that would facilitate the sensible repositioning of the distressed firm, social costs arise and those costs may be substantial. One can easily see why developing a good rule here has been hard to achieve: A rule that facilitates creditor intervention in the debtor’s operations beyond the creditor’s ordinary collection …


The Law Of Ponzi Payouts, Spencer A. Winters Oct 2012

The Law Of Ponzi Payouts, Spencer A. Winters

Michigan Law Review

When a Ponzi scheme collapses, there will typically be net winners and net losers. The bankruptcy trustee will often seek to force the net winners - those who received more money back from the Ponzi scheme than they invested - to disgorge their profits. Courts diverge on whether they should compel disgorgement in this instance. This Note argues that under prevailing fraudulent transfer law, net winners in a Ponzi scheme need not disgorge their profits. This is because the investor's dollar-for-dollar discharge of a preexisting debt constitutes the transfer of value in exchange for the payout. There are two exceptions …


Undocumented Debtors, Chrystin Ondersma Apr 2012

Undocumented Debtors, Chrystin Ondersma

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Undocumented immigrants in financial distress are barred from seeking many forms of assistance. Bankruptcy is one tool that is, in theory, available to undocumented debtors because legal status is not a prerequisite to bankruptcy relief. This Article explores undocumented debtors' interactions with the bankruptcy system. Undocumented debtors face both formal and informal barriers to bankruptcy filing, including fear of deportation, misinformation, and the legal requirement that the debtor produce financial records. It is both possible and desirable to ease many of these barriers. Bankruptcy relief facilitates the rehabilitation of debtors in financial distress, contributes to the economic well-being of the …


Considerations For Private Equity Firms When Utilizing Chapter 11 New Value Deals, Alexandra Wilde Jan 2012

Considerations For Private Equity Firms When Utilizing Chapter 11 New Value Deals, Alexandra Wilde

Michigan Business & Entrepreneurial Law Review

The new value exception to the Chapter 11 absolute priority rule provides a narrow avenue for equity holders to retain an equity interest in a reorganized company over the objections of senior creditors and interest holders. With the increasing number of Chapter 11 reorganization filings by private equity owned companies, private equity firms may be interested in exploring ways to retain their equity ownership in the debtor company. This Note explores the unique implications a private equity firm may encounter when attempting to utilize the new value exception as a last resort to maintain ownership in a debtor company. Part …


A New Approach To Section 363(F)3, Evan F. Rosen Jun 2011

A New Approach To Section 363(F)3, Evan F. Rosen

Michigan Law Review

Section 363(f) of the Bankruptcy Code provides five circumstances in which a debtor may be permitted to sell property free of all claims and interests, outside of the ordinary course of business, and prior to plan confirmation. One of those five circumstances is contained in § 363(f)(3), which permits such a sale where the "interest is a lien and the price at which such property is to be sold is greater than the aggregate value of all liens on such property." While it is far from certain whether § 363(f)(3) requires a price "greater than the aggregate [face value] of …


Bankruptcy Vérité, Lynn M. Lopucki, Joseph W. Doherty Feb 2008

Bankruptcy Vérité, Lynn M. Lopucki, Joseph W. Doherty

Michigan Law Review

In the empirical study we report in Bankruptcy Fire Sales, we compared the recoveries from the going-concern bankruptcy sales of twenty-five large, public companies with the recoveries from the bankruptcy reorganizations of thirty large, public companies. We found that, controlling for the asset size of the company and its presale or pre-reorganization earnings ("EBITDA"), reorganization recoveries were more than double sale recovenes. We are honored that Professor James J. White has chosen to comment on our study. White is an eloquent defender of the status quo, pulls no punches, and always has something interesting to say. Bankruptcy Noir is …


Contract As Statute, Stephen J. Choi, G. Mitu Gulati Mar 2006

Contract As Statute, Stephen J. Choi, G. Mitu Gulati

Michigan Law Review

The traditional model of contract interpretation focuses on the "meeting of the minds." Parties agree on how to structure their respective obligations and rights and then specify their agreement in a written document. Gaps and ambiguities are inevitable. But where contract language exists for the point in contention and a dispute arises as to the meaning of this language, courts attempt to divine what the parties intended. Among the justifications for deferring to the intent of the parties is the assumption that parties know what is best for themselves. Deference also arguably furthers autonomy values. Not all contracts and contract …


Reply To Elizabeth Warren, F. Stephen Knippenberg Jan 2006

Reply To Elizabeth Warren, F. Stephen Knippenberg

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.


Bankruptcy Law, Richard C. Maxwell, B. Webb King Nov 2005

Bankruptcy Law, Richard C. Maxwell, B. Webb King

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.


Can The Sauvegarde Reform Save French Bankruptcy Law?: A Comparative Look At Chapter 11 And French Bankruptcy Law From An Agency Cost Perspective, Robert Weber Jan 2005

Can The Sauvegarde Reform Save French Bankruptcy Law?: A Comparative Look At Chapter 11 And French Bankruptcy Law From An Agency Cost Perspective, Robert Weber

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Note will attempt to explain the intersection of agency costs and bankruptcy law, looking first to general agency problems involved when firms are insolvent and moving next to discussions of how U.S. Chapter 11 and French bankruptcy laws attempt to address these problems. First, I will attempt to articulate the relationship between agency costs and (1) debtor control over the firm during Chapter 11 reorganizations and (2) deviations from the absolute priority rule in Chapter 11. Specifically, I will argue that creditors voluntarily accede to plans proposed by management that impair the same creditors' legal entitlements, and that this …


Rethinking The Discharge Of Pre-Petition Attorney Fees In Chapter 7 Bankruptcy: A Debtor Oriented Perspective, James L. Neher Sep 2001

Rethinking The Discharge Of Pre-Petition Attorney Fees In Chapter 7 Bankruptcy: A Debtor Oriented Perspective, James L. Neher

University of the District of Columbia Law Review

The courts are split over a provision of the Bankruptcy Code,' in which the majority courts hold that upon the filing of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, 2 unpaid attorney fees, for pre-petition work in connection with preparing and filing bankruptcy, are discharged. In contrast, the minority view holds that attorney fees in connection with preparing and filing a bankruptcy are not dischargeable whether prepaid or not, as long as they are not excessive.4 The problem with the majority view is that indigent debtors may be deprived of access to legal counsel unless they can pay all or most of their …


The Political Economy Of The Bankruptcy Reform Act Of 1978, Eric A. Posner Oct 1997

The Political Economy Of The Bankruptcy Reform Act Of 1978, Eric A. Posner

Michigan Law Review

These are the goals of this article. In particular, this article analyzes the legislative history of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 19783 and related materials, in the hope of describing the influence of interest groups on the final statute. It has, of course, long been assumed that certain narrow provisions of the 1978 Act reflect the influence of interest groups - for example, the section that gives special protection to security and lease interests in aircraft. This article goes farther and argues that fundamental elements of the 1978 Act reflect political compromises among competing interest groups. In particular, I claim …


Setoff And Bankruptcy, Lawrence Kalevitch Jan 1993

Setoff And Bankruptcy, Lawrence Kalevitch

Cleveland State Law Review

The code treats liens and setoffs as secured claims. A lienor under §506 receives a secured claim in the face amount of the debt secured only if the collateral has at least that value. Section 506(a) requires collateral valuation to determine the amount of the secured claim. Setoff in the face amount of a creditor's claim likewise requires valuation. Part II discusses §506(a) and §553 and how they may limit, in appropriate cases, the setoff right to less than the face amount of a creditor's claim. Part II shows that this reading of the Bankruptcy Code is not only consistent …


Mediation In Debtor/Creditor Relationships, Edward A. Morse Jan 1987

Mediation In Debtor/Creditor Relationships, Edward A. Morse

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Two states that have substantial interests in agricultural debtor/creditor relationships have attempted to limit the social and economic costs of prematurely terminating the debtor/creditor relationship. Iowa and Minnesota have adopted a statutory requirement that the creditor offer to submit to mediation prior to taking any debt collection action against an agricultural borrower. This Note argues that requiring creditors to offer mediation as a statutory prerequisite to debt collection is an effective means of reducing the social and economic costs of the premature termination of a debtor/creditor relationship in business contexts. Part I examines the conceptual foundations of the mediation process …


Estates By The Entirety In Bankruptcy, Frank J. Spivak Jan 1982

Estates By The Entirety In Bankruptcy, Frank J. Spivak

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Note argues that the exemption for entirety property should be abolished. Part I examines the treatment of entirety property under the Code and illustrates the conflict between the entirety exemption and ·federal bankruptcy policy. Part II discusses procedural devices that creditors employ to subject entirety property to bankruptcy distribution.


The Labor-Bankruptcy Conflict: Rejection Of A Debtor's Collective Bargaining Agreement, Michigan Law Review Nov 1981

The Labor-Bankruptcy Conflict: Rejection Of A Debtor's Collective Bargaining Agreement, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note examines the courts' accommodation of the labor and bankruptcy policies when a debtor in possession or trustee seeks to reject a collective bargaining agreement. Part I criticizes a series of recent cases that failed to confront the statutory conflict. If these courts had recognized the conflict between the language of the Bankruptcy Act (now the Code) and the Labor Act, they would have been forced to consider whether the labor and bankruptcy policies actually clashed. Part II finds that in most instances they do not, and argues that requiring the debtor in possession to bargain with the union …


Bankruptcy Court Jurisdiction To Modify Alimony Payments Of Chapter 13 Debtors, Peter Swiecicki Apr 1981

Bankruptcy Court Jurisdiction To Modify Alimony Payments Of Chapter 13 Debtors, Peter Swiecicki

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This article examines a bankruptcy court's power to modify a chapter 13 debtor's alimony payments. Part I discusses the bankruptcy court's jurisdiction in chapter 13 cases and the connection between the chapter 13 case and alimony modification proceedings. It then outlines the domestic relations limitation and the resulting conflict between bankruptcy courts and state courts with respect to alimony modification. Part II analyzes various arguments for and against allowing bankruptcy courts to hear alimony modification requests in chapter 13 cases. This analysis reveals that any state interests are far outweighed by the substantial benefits to be gained from consolidating the …


Filing For Personal Bankruptcy: Adoption Of A "Bona Fide Effort" Test Under Chapter 13, Stephan M. Vidmar Jan 1981

Filing For Personal Bankruptcy: Adoption Of A "Bona Fide Effort" Test Under Chapter 13, Stephan M. Vidmar

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Part I discusses the history and current application of the Chapter 13 wage earner relief provisions, focusing on the present "good faith" controversy. Part II analyzes the "bona fide effort" test and examines its current congressional status. Part III suggests that more specific statutory guidance is necessary in order to effectively apply the "bona fide effort" test and recommends specific guidelines for its use. The article concludes that by following such a set of standard guidelines when applying the "bona fide effort" test, bankruptcy courts would promote uniform treatment of debtors, enhance judicial economy, and facilitate appellate review of Chapter …


Consumer Warranty Claims Against Companies In Chapter 11 Reorganizations, Elizabeth Warner Jan 1981

Consumer Warranty Claims Against Companies In Chapter 11 Reorganizations, Elizabeth Warner

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This article examines the rights of individuals who have purchased warranted goods from a business that subsequently undergoes reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978. Part I establishes that warranty rights are claims in bankruptcy and outlines the procedure that must be followed by a creditor for distribution from the debtor's estate. Part II focuses on how warranty claims are treated in Chapter 11. Part III discusses ways to alleviate the warranty creditor's representational burden, particularly through the intervention and aid of public interest groups. This article concludes that . warranty creditors will receive favorable treatment …


Homestead And The Process Of History: The Proposed Changes In Article X, Section 4, Dennis J. Wall Jul 1978

Homestead And The Process Of History: The Proposed Changes In Article X, Section 4, Dennis J. Wall

Florida State University Law Review

No abstract provided.


The Automatic Stay In Bankruptcy, Frank R. Kennedy Jan 1978

The Automatic Stay In Bankruptcy, Frank R. Kennedy

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The filing of a petition under the Bankruptcy Act constitutes an automatic stay of all litigation against the debtor and most acts and actions against the debtor's property. The stay is one of the most notable features of the Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure promulgated by the Supreme Court. The constitutional and statutory basis for the automatic stay has been challenged, and the propriety and the scope of the stay have been contested and ruled on, in many reported opinions. The need and justification for an automatic stay in bankruptcy and debtor relief cases have been widely acknowledged, and an automatic …