Law Commons^™

Paying Paul And Robbing No One: An Eminent Domain Solution For Underwater Mortgage Debt, Robert C. Hockett

Robert C. Hockett

In the view of many analysts, the best way to assist “underwater” homeowners — those who owe more on their mortgages than their houses are worth — is to reduce the principal on their home loans. Yet in the case of privately securitized mortgages, such write-downs are almost impossible to carry out, since loan modifications on the scale necessitated by the housing market crash would require collective action by a multitude of geographically dispersed security holders. The solution, this study suggests, is for state and municipal governments to use their eminent domain powers to buy up and restructure underwater mortgages, …

Statutory Liens And The Bankruptcy Act: U.C.C. § 2-702 And Section 67(C), Robert Green

Robert A. Green

Ending The Nonsense: The In Pari Delicto Doctrine Has Nothing To Do With What Is § 541 Property Of The Bankruptcy Estate, Jeffrey Davis

Jeffrey Davis

The recent wave of disregard for corporate fiduciary responsibilities has provided numerous opportunities for courts to consider whether the corporations bankrupted by the unlawful acts of their principals should be prohibited by the in pari delicto doctrine from pursuing liability claims against third parties who contributed to the harm. In an array of recent cases, courts have reluctantly and apologetically, yet uniformly, permitted third parties who contributed to the demise of these corporations to escape liability because they felt § 541 of the Bankruptcy Code (the "Code") left them no other choice. Section 541 provides that the filing of a …

Florida's Beefed-Up Assignment For The Benefit Of Creditors As An Alternative To Bankruptcy, Jeffrey Davis

Jeffrey Davis

Two new corporate clients have been referred to you. The owners of both corporations have consulted lawyers about their struggling businesses and now seek second opinions. The first was advised by its attorney to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition, the second was advised to file a Chapter 11 petition. You think both should consider an assignment for the benefit of creditors. Why? Stated simply, an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or an ABC, is normally much simpler and almost always less expensive than a comparable bankruptcy proceeding.' The substantial savings in expense results in larger payouts to both …

Fixing Florida's Execution Lien Law Part Two: Florida's New Judgment Lien On Personal Property, Jeffrey Davis

Jeffrey Davis

Under both the prior and current laws, a creditor seeking to satisfy a judgment out of property of the judgment debtor obtains a writ of execution from the clerk of the court that issued the judgment and then delivers the writ to a sheriff in one of Florida's sixty-seven counties. The writ commands the sheriff to levy on property of the debtor until the amount stated in the writ is satisfied. Under the prior law, delivery of the writ to the sheriff not only initiated the execution process, but under the seminal case of Love v. Williams, it also created …

Water Bankruptcy, Christine A. Klein

Christine A. Klein

Many western states are on the verge of bankruptcy, with debts exceeding assets. And yet, they continue to take on additional debt through contracts and other commitments. Although this distress sounds like an outgrowth of the 2008 recession, this crisis involves water, not money. In particular, the problem concerns the western prior appropriation system of water law, which allocates the right to use water under the priority principle of “first in time, first in right.” In many states, the system is so “over-allocated” that it promises to deliver annually much more water than nature provides. The crisis will deepen as …

Chapter 9 Plan Confirmation Standards And The Role Of State Choices, Juliet Moringiello

Juliet M Moringiello

Because so few municipalities have ever filed for bankruptcy, none of the Chapter 9 confirmation standards have benefitted from extensive judicial scrutiny. The standards are particularly undeveloped as applied to cities and counties, whose debt structure and service obligations are more complicated and diverse than those of the special purpose districts whose cases generate the vast majority of Chapter 9 judicial opinions. The lack of clarity is not only bad for distressed cities and their creditors, it is undesirable from a public policy standpoint. States can choose whether to permit their municipalities to file for bankruptcy, and clear plan confirmation …

The Myths Of Going Concern Valuations, Jack F. Williams

Jack F. Williams

No abstract provided.

National Bankruptcy Review Commission Tax Recommendations: Notice, Jurisdiction, And Corporate Debtors, Jack F. Williams

Jack F. Williams

Pursuant to congressional mandate, the National Bankruptcy Review Commission (NBRC) reported its recommendations for modification of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, as amended (the Bankruptcy Code), to the President, Congress, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on October 20, 1997. This Article, the second and final installment analyzing the tax recommendations of the NBRC, focuses on the proposed revisions relating to, among other things, taxation of corporate and partnership debtor estates. In particular, this Article discusses the requirement of reasonable notice to the government, bankruptcy court jurisdiction over tax controversies, bankruptcy administration affecting tax matters, chapter 11 plan …

Daubert And Financial Expert Testimony In Bankruptcy Courts, Jack F. Williams

Jack F. Williams

No abstract provided.

Sale Of Property Of The Estate Free And Clear Of Restrictions And Covenants In Bankruptcy, Basil Mattingly

Basil H. Mattingly

No abstract provided.

Re-Establishment Of Bankruptcy Review Of Oppressive Foreclosure Sales: The Interaction Of Avoidance Powers As Applied To Creditors Bid-Ins, Basil Mattingly

Basil H. Mattingly

No abstract provided.

The Bankruptcy Reform Process: Maximizing Judicial Control In Wage Earners' Plans, Marjorie L. Girth

Marjorie L. Girth

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Empirical Data In Developing Bankruptcy Legislation For Individuals, Marjorie L. Girth

Marjorie L. Girth

Symposium: As We Forgive Our Debtors

Reward The Stalking Horse Or Preserve The Estate: Determining The Appropriate Standard Of Review For Awarding Break-Up Fees In § 363 Sales, Zachary Frimet

Zachary Frimet

Following the surge of bankruptcies in the wake of the Great Recession, a growing and somewhat controversial trend has emerged whereby companies seeking to purchase a debtor’s assets in bankruptcy frequently make use of Section 363 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (“§ 363”). In general, § 363 sales are accomplished via public auction. This aspect of § 363 exposes initial bidders, known in bankruptcy as “stalking horses bidders”, to the risk that they will commit time and resources in pursuit of the acquisition and yet fail to succeed as the prevailing bidder. To hedge against this risk, stalking horse …

Litigating For The Future Of Public Pensions, Paul Secunda

Paul M. Secunda

Public pensions are horribly unfunded, millions of public employees are being forced to make greater contributions to their pensions, retirees are being forced to take benefit cuts, retirement ages and service requirements are being increased, and the list goes on and on. These alarming developments involve all level of American government, from the recent move to require new federal employees to contribute more to their pensions, to the significant underfunding of state and local public pension funds across the country, to the sad spectacle of the Detroit municipal bankruptcy where the plight of public pensions plays a leading role in …

Seeking Solutions To Financial History Discrimination, Lea Krivinskas Shepard

Lea Krivinskas Shepard

Employers’ use of credit reports to evaluate prospective job applicants has generated considerable scrutiny in the popular press and academic literature, but few proposals for reform. This Article explores three possible ways of reducing the risk of financial history discrimination in the employment setting.

First, imposing inquiry limits on employers’ use of credit reports, a policy recently adopted or under consideration in the majority of states, is unlikely to be effective, since states’ inquiry limits are currently narrowly drafted and therefore advance few anti-discriminatory objectives. In addition, inquiry limits cannot prevent self-interested individuals from voluntarily revealing their credit histories and …

Oral History: The Honorable J. Rich Leonard, Retired, J. Rich Leonard

J. Rich Leonard

This is part one of a video featuring Dean Leonard giving an oral history of his tenure as United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Oral History: The Honorable J. Rich Leonard, Retired (Part 2), J. Rich Leonard

J. Rich Leonard

Part two of Dean Leonard's oral history video.

How Ideas Turn Into Law: Abi Review Commission; Bankruptcy Code At 30; Sausage-Making 101, Ingrid Hillinger

Ingrid Michelsen Hillinger

No abstract provided.

The Value Of Soft Variables In Corporate Reorganizations, Michelle M. Harner

Michelle M. Harner

When a company is worth more as a going concern than on a liquidation basis, what creates that additional value? Is it the people, management decisions, the simple synergies of the operating business, or some combination of these types of soft variables? And perhaps more importantly, who owns or has an interest in these soft variables? This article explores these questions under existing legal doctrine and practice norms. Specifically, it discusses the characterization of soft variables under applicable law and in financing documents, and it surveys related judicial decisions. It also considers the overarching public policy and Constitutional implications of …

Peticion De Quiebra Directa Por El Acreedor, Carlos Molina Sandoval

Carlos Molina Sandoval

El pedido de quiebra por el acreedor es una vía sumaria, rápida, en la cual el juez, sin que medie una amplia etapa cognitiva, determina la acreditación de ciertos supuestos y procede a la declaración de la quiebra -y a la posterior orden de subasta de los bienes que integran la masa falencial-. Pero esta sumariedad procesal no tiene entidad suficiente para sustentar la naturaleza ejecutiva del juicio de quiebra.

Case In Brief Against Chapter 14, Bruce Grohsgal

Bruce Grohsgal

No abstract provided.

Keeping Current: The Trustee Fought Law (With Equity) And Law Won: The U.S. Supreme Court’S Recent Decision In Law V. Siegel, Juliet M. Moringiello

Juliet M. Moringiello

No abstract provided.

Exploring Chapter 11 Reform: Corporate And Financial Institution Insolvencies; Treatment Of Derivatives -, Michelle Harner

Michelle M. Harner

No abstract provided.

Debt-Buyer Lawsuits And Inaccurate Data, Peter A. Holland

Peter A. Holland

Pursuant to secret purchase and sale agreements (also known as forward flow agreements), the accounts that banks sell to debt buyers are often sold “as is,” with explicit and emphatic disclaimers that the debts may not be owed, the amounts claimed may not be accurate, and documentation may be missing. Despite their full knowledge that the accuracy and completeness of the data has been specifically disclaimed by the bank, when they sue consumers, debt buyers tell courts that the information obtained from the bank is inherently reliable and accurate. In order to avoid a fraud on the courts, the contents …

Bankruptcy Revision: Process And Procedure, Doug Rendleman

Doug Rendleman

None available

Liquidation Bankruptcy Under The '78 Code, Doug Rendleman

Doug Rendleman

None available

Honesty Is The Best Policy: Why Good Faith Should Be Required In Chapter 7 Bankruptcies Under § 707(A), Justin Forcier

Justin Forcier

A circuit split exists in today’s bankruptcy courts over whether § 707(a) of the Code requires a debtor to file his Chapter 7 petition in good faith. Some courts have failed to recognize that allowing bad faith petitions to move forward does not align with the spirit of the bankruptcy system and creates a greater and unnecessary burden on those courts and creditors. Therefore, courts should find there is a good-faith requirement in the Code under § 707(a), because finding so will promote continuity, allow those debtors who did file in good faith to receive a faster resolution, and promote …

The Privilege Against Self-Incrimination In Bankruptcy And The Plight Of The Debtor, Timothy R. Tarvin

Timothy R Tarvin