Law Commons^™

Cleaning Up Bankruptcy: Limiting The Dischargeability Of Environmental Cleanup Costs, Sonali P. Chitre

Sonali P Chitre

This article reconciles the joint aims of environmental and bankruptcy law after Judge Posner’s myopic opinion in the Seventh Circuit’s resolution of U.S. v. Apex Oil. These two areas of law represent alternative means to the same end—the equitable distribution of limited resources—and share equity’s traditional emphasis of function over form. Ignoring these principles, Judge Posner ruled in Apex that a cleanup order constitutes a dischargeable “claim” when styled as a legal judgment but not when styled as an equitable injunction. This despite the fact that in either case the liability amounts to the same thing-payment must be made for …

Interpreting The Supreme Court’S Treatment Of The Chrysler Bankruptcy And Its Impact On Future Business Reorganizations, Fred N. David

Fred David

On June 9, 2009, the Supreme Court terminated its stay of Chrysler’s sale of substantially all of the company’s assets to a new entity, dubbed “New Chrysler” with the backing of European automaker Fiat. The effect of that ruling was to permit the sale to close the next day and bring to an end a chaotic period that determined Chrysler’s future. However, critics of the sale to Fiat argued that the Supreme Court’s ruling would also have a detrimental effect on secured credit and undermined the creditor protections normally afforded by Chapter 11 going forward.

But the Supreme Court was …

Trends In Distressed Debt Investing: An Empirical Study Of Investors' Objectives, Michelle M. Harner

Michelle M. Harner

Increased creditor control in chapter 11 cases has generated considerable debate over the past several years. Proponents of creditor control argue that, among other things, it promotes efficiency in corporate reorganizations. Critics assert that it destroys corporate value and frequently forces otherwise viable entities to liquidate. The increasing involvement of professional distressed debt investors in chapter 11 cases has intensified this debate. In this article, I present and analyze empirical data regarding the investment practices and strategies of distressed debt investors. Based on this data and actual case reports, I reach two primary conclusions. First, although relatively few in number, …

The Corporate Governance And Public Policy Implications Of Activist Distressed Debt Investing, Michelle M. Harner

Michelle M. Harner

Activist institutional investors traditionally have invested in a company's equity to try to influence change at the company. Some of these investors, however, are now purchasing a company's debt for this same purpose. They may seek to change a company's management and board personnel, operational strategies, asset holdings or capital structure. The chapter 11 bankruptcy cases of Allied Holdings, Inc. and its affiliates exemplify the strategies of activist distressed debt investors. In the Allied cases, Yucaipa Companies, a distressed debt investor, purchased approximately 66% of Allied's outstanding general unsecured bond debt. Yucaipa used this debt position to exert significant influence …

Bankruptcy Reorganizations And The Troubling Legacy Of Chrysler And Gm, Ralph E. Brubaker, Charles J. Tabb

Ralph E. Brubaker

BANKRUPTCY REORGANIZATIONS AND THE

TROUBLING LEGACY OF CHRYSLER AND GM

Ralph Brubaker

University of Illinois College of Law

Charles Jordan Tabb

University of Illinois College of Law

Abstract:

The Chrysler and General Motors bankruptcy reorganizations represent the culmination of a sea-change in corporate restructuring practice that has occurred largely over the course of just the past decade. A bankruptcy reorganization has traditionally been effectuated though a chapter 11 plan of reorganization, with elaborate requirements for disclosure, creditor voting, and allocation of stakes in the reorganized debtor entity’s new capital structure among creditors and owners. Such an internal boot-strap reorganization, though, …

Bankruptcy Reorganizations And The Troubling Legacy Of Chrysler And Gm, Ralph E. Brubaker

Ralph E. Brubaker

BANKRUPTCY REORGANIZATIONS AND THE

TROUBLING LEGACY OF CHRYSLER AND GM

Ralph Brubaker

University of Illinois College of Law

Charles Jordan Tabb

University of Illinois College of Law

Abstract:

The Chrysler and General Motors bankruptcy reorganizations represent the culmination of a sea-change in corporate restructuring practice that has occurred largely over the course of just the past decade. A bankruptcy reorganization has traditionally been effectuated though a chapter 11 plan of reorganization, with elaborate requirements for disclosure, creditor voting, and allocation of stakes in the reorganized debtor entity’s new capital structure among creditors and owners. Such an internal boot-strap reorganization, though, …

Glamis Gold Ltd. Vs United States Of America Award And Its Implication On The Scope Of Article 1105 Minimum Standard Of Treatment., Pravesh M. Gungah

Pravesh M. Gungah

The note is a guide to understand the latest NAFTA Chapter 11 award- the Glamis Gold award. The award rendered in June 2009 is made up of 360 pages, probably the thickest Chapter 11 award. The facts, points of law, and special emphasis on the fair and equitable treatment claim are covered in 13 pages. The note ends with a critical analysis of the Tribunal’s stance on fair and equitable treatment, and places it in the jurisprudential context.