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Bankruptcy Law, Hon. Kevin R. Huennekens, Nathan Kramer

University of Richmond Law Review

This article will cover both consumer and business bankruptcy issues, and is limited primarily to decisions by courts within the Fourth Circuit since mid-2012. Despite these general parameters, because bankruptcy is federal law, there are some cases outside the Fourth Circuit that are included due to their influential and instructive nature. The intention of this update is to provide bankruptcy practitioners in Virginia with concise, yet compre-hensive, case summaries that will prove to be a valuable researchtool.

Felonious, Erroneous, It’S All Odious: A Story Of Debt Gone Wrong, Virginia M. Brown

Fordham Law Review

Iraq is paying off debt from Saddam Hussein’s rule. South Africa is paying off debt obligations incurred under apartheid rule. Argentina is renegotiating debts that can be traced back to a de facto military-civilian regime that was ousted in 1976. There are numerous examples in which sovereigns are paying off debts that previous governing regimes incurred while oppressing their citizens. Should sovereigns be obligated to pay these debts? Were the debts really incurred by the sovereign or were they incurred by the governing regime in question? What if the lender knew in advance what the proceeds would be used for? …

Table Of Contents: Annual Survey 2015

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Secured Party And His Nemesis, The Trustee In Bankruptcy: After-Acquired Property, Unidentified Proceeds, And Selected Preference Problems, John P. Finan

Akron Law Review

A trustee in bankruptcy, in addition to succeeding to the rights of the bankrupt,' has several avoiding powers. Some of these avoiding powers are based on practices which, like vice, are of "so frightful mien that to be hated [need] but to be seen." Preferences may not be included among such practices. Indeed, the English view exhibits ambivalence towards preferences. At one time it regarded "preferences [as] the good fortune of the creditor." A later view was "that the preferring of one creditor over others within a short time of bankruptcy and in contemplation thereof, was a 'fraud on the …

Access To Civil Courts - Indigents - Filing Fee; United States V. Kras, William I. Arbuckle

Akron Law Review

Robert William Kras presented his voluntary petition in bankruptcy to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in May of 1971. With the petition his Legal Aid Society Attorneys filed a motion for leave to proceed without prepayment of any of the filing fees required as a prerequisite to discharge. Kras alleged that he was unable to pay the fees, even in installments, and that they should not be required of him either because (1) he was entitled to proceed in forma pauperis under the Federal Statute, or (2) because the provisions of the Bankruptcy …

The Timing Of Perfection Of Security Interests Under The Uniform Commercial Code And The Bankruptcy Reform Act, Richard A. Mann, Michael J. Phillips

Akron Law Review

This article will examine this new relationship as it applies to a specific problem created by the interaction between Article 9 and bankruptcy law: the timing of a "transfer" when a security interest is challenged as preferential in a bankruptcy proceeding. Resolution of this question is often critical for determining the secured party's ability to recover assets pledged as collateral when the debtor goes into bankruptcy. The article will begin by explaining the "timing of transfer" problem as it arose under Article 9 and the Bankruptcy Act. Then it will describe and evaluate the new solution provided by the Bankruptcy …

The Rejection Of Collective Bargaining Agreements Within Bankruptcy Reorganization: Reconciling A Legislative Dilemma, Gust Goutras

Akron Law Review

In 1981, a Dallas based conglomerate, LTV Corporation, spun-off a subsidiary known as Wilson Foods. The purpose for this action was that Wilson Foods, the nation's fifth largest meat packer was suffering from financial difficulties. Shortly after the spin-off, Wilson Foods entered into a collective bargaining agreement with its unionized employees, initiating a wage freeze through 1985. Under this arrangement, Wilson Foods' losses continued to escalate.

Adequate Assurance Of Payment Under Section 366 Of The Bankruptcy Code: A Term For Interpretive Flexibility Or Judical Confusion?, Veryl Victoria Miles

Akron Law Review

This article will focus on the interpretive struggle that the courts have encountered in making determinations of what constitutes adequate assurance of payment under section 366 and how this struggle might be eliminated so as to make compliance with the requirements of adequate assurance of payment less of a problem for the utility and bankrupt debtor. It is the thesis of this article that section 366 determinations of adequate assurance have resulted in interpretive confusion, leaving debtors and creditors with little guidance as to what criteria should be considered in negotiating an adequate assurance of payment. The recommended solution to …

Section 542(C) Of The Bankruptcy Reform Act Of 1978 And Section 4-303 Of The Ucc: A Less Than Perfect Fit?, John P. Finan

Akron Law Review

The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) 4-303 addresses two areas where the UCC and the Bankruptcy Code intersect. The first relates to the vulnerability of drawee banks that honor checks after their customer has taken bankruptcy (has filed a voluntary petition or is the defendant in an involuntary case); the second relates to the timing of transfers made by check under 547 of the Bankruptcy Code (the preference section). In both areas there is a less than perfect fit between the Bankruptcy Code and UCC 4-303. The first area poses problems for practitioners whose clients have received notice of bankruptcy in …

Section 547(C)(2) Of The Bankruptcy Code: The Ordinary Course Of Business Exception Without The 45 Day Rule, David J. Desimone

Akron Law Review

This article will look at some of the principles set forth by case law and provide a more structured method of analyzing cases under section 547(c) (2). In addition, it will examine a few problem areas that are certain to arise in section 547(c) (2) litigation in the near future: (1) Does section 547(c) (2) now protect principal payments on long term debt?; and, (2) will section 547(c) (2) protect a payment to one creditor when all or nearly all other creditors were not paid during the preference period? But before doing so, a short explanation of the Code's definition …

Not So Secure: Should Social Security Benefits Be Considered In The Good Faith Analysis Under 11 U.S.C. § 1325(A)(3)?, Casey J. Davis

Akron Law Review

Part II of this Comment provides background information about Chapter 13 bankruptcy. This section is important because it provides a foundation for the remainder of this Comment. Part III of this Comment explores the source of this split and how the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (“BAPCPA”) has affected this issue. Within Part III, this Comment will discuss why Congress enacted BAPCPA, the largest overhaul of bankruptcy law since its origin, and why BAPCPA did not affect the good faith requirement under § 1325(a)(3) even though BAPCPA drastically altered bankruptcy law. In addition, this section also …

Are They Or Aren’T They “Retirement Funds”? The Case For Including Funds From An Inherited Ira In A Debtor’S Bankruptcy Estate, Jennifer Salisbury

Missouri Law Review

This Note first discusses the subsequent history of Clark. Next, it discusses the legal history of both non-inherited and inherited IRAs leading up to the Clark decision. Then, it details the Court’s decision in Clark. Finally, it concludes with a comparison of state and federal exemption schemes, using Missouri as an example, calling for reform of Bankruptcy Code Section 522(b)(3).

Reflections Of The World Bank’S Report On The Treatment Of The Insolvency Of Natural Persons In The Newest Consumer Bankruptcy Laws: Colombia, Italy, Ireland, Jason J. Kilborn

Pace International Law Review

In 2011, the World Bank initiated its first-ever examination of the policies and characteristics of effective insolvency systems for individuals (natural persons). This paper describes the two-year process that led to the publication of the World Bank’s landmark Report on the Treatment of the Insolvency of Natural Persons. After examining the key content and three major themes of the Report, three of the most recent new personal insolvency regimes are introduced with an eye to identifying the ways in which the themes of the Report are reflected in these new laws. The personal insolvency provisions in Colombian law most directly …

Time For An Update: A New Framework For Evaluating Chapter 9 Bankruptcies, Michael J. Deitch

Fordham Law Review

Municipal bankruptcies have been making national news since the “Great Recession.” Municipalities like Stockton, Vallejo, and Jefferson County gained notoriety for the record scale of their bankruptcy filings, only to be surpassed by Detroit shortly thereafter as the largest and most populous municipal bankruptcy filing. Historically, municipal bankruptcy occurred infrequently, leaving the nuances of many critical issues, including insolvency, asset utilization, and good faith, unexplored in case law. For example, how should a bankruptcy court analyze Detroit’s cityowned art museum that houses billions of dollars of art when bondholders, pensioners, and other unsecured creditors have unpaid claims? And how should …

Unlimited Liability In The Modern Context: An Examination Of Shareholder Liability In Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Companies, Sarah P. Bradley

Dalhousie Law Journal

For over 30 years, unlimited liability companies have been ubiquitous in USCanadian M&A transactions. Typically interposed between a US parent company and a Canadian operating company, these entities quietly function to make such structures more tax efficient. They are facilitated by Nova Scotia's venerable Companies Act, which has allowed for the incorporation of corporations with unlimited liability for over a hundred years. Unlimited liability of shareholders is the singular defining characteristic of the ULC, but the precise nature of ULC shareholder liability was apparently regarded as something of a technicality and rarely, if ever, closely examined in the professional or …

The Geography Of Bankruptcy, Laura N. Coordes

Vanderbilt Law Review

Companies routinely file bankruptcy cases in venues that have no meaningful connection to the company, its operations, or its stakeholders. This practice (1) divorces bankruptcy and venue from their ties to location; (2) disrupts the fundamental balance underlying the Bankruptcy Code by shifting the focus exclusively to the needs of sophisticated parties; and (3) shuts out parties who have a right to participate in bankruptcy proceedings, which contravenes due process and raises fairness concerns. To solve these problems, this Article proposes new procedures that mandate a thorough discussion of venue considerations in bankruptcy cases. By requiring parties to justify their …

Municipal Bonds In Bankruptcy § 902(2) And The Proper Scope Of “Special Revenues” In Chapter 9, Alexander D. Flachsbart

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Tools Of Ignorance: An Appraisal Of Deficiency Judgments, Alan M. Weinberger

Washington and Lee Law Review

While achieving success as a major league catcher, Mike Matheny was preparing for a post-baseball career in real estate development. He could not have picked a worse time to pursue his aspiration. Matheny lost his accumulated savings and his family’s home after being held personally liable for a $4.2 million deficiency judgment following foreclosure of property he was unable to develop or market during the Great Recession. Matheny’s failure to succeed in real estate was the proximate cause of his return to baseball as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Matheny’s story provides the backdrop for examining the methods by …

Betting On The Upside: Why Affirming River Road Favors Distressed Debt Speculators Over The Rehabilitation Of Businesses, Julia L. Onorato

Northwestern University Law Review

The Chapter 11 bankruptcy process demands a careful balance between protecting the creditors’ rights to be repaid and allowing a failing entity the ability to restructure. The Supreme Court in RadLAX Gateway Hotel affirmed the Seventh Circuit’s holding in River Road and interpreted the Bankruptcy Code in a way that improperly shifts this balance towards the most senior creditors at the expense of business. This Note will analyze the circuit disagreement over the cramdown provision in the Bankruptcy Code and the Supreme Court’s ultimate resolution. It will argue that in light of recent trends in the credit markets - including …

Choosing The "Per-Debtor" Approach To Plan Confirmation In Multi-Debtor Chapter 11 Proceedings, Suzanne T. Brindise

Northwestern University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Fraud And Defalcation By A Fiduciary: The Amorphous Exception To Bankruptcy Discharge, H.C. Jones Iii

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Lost In Translation: Till V. Scs Credit Corp. And The Mistaken Transfer Of A Consumer Bankruptcy Repayment Formula To Chapter 11 Reorganizations, Mark J. Thompson, Katie M. Mcdonough

Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law

This Article argues that courts overseeing chapter 11 cases have been mistakenly invoking the Supreme Court’s 2004 decision in Till v. SCS Credit Corp.—which specified a consumer-friendly formula for setting the interest rate on the remaining payments on a loan that financed a used pickup truck—at the expense of over a century of Supreme Court precedents that established the contrastingly creditor friendly “fair and equitable” standard for repayment of business debts, as well as disregarding a clear statutory distinction between the present value tests in chapters 11 and 13. This Article also discusses the controversial 2014 decision in Momentive Performance …

The Least “Constructive” Provisions?: Analyzing The Bankruptcy Code’S Codified Canons, Asher Hawkins

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Pbgc Wins A Case Whenever The Debtor Keeps Its Pension Plan, Israel Goldowitz, Garth Wilson, Erin Kim, Kirsten Bender

Marquette Benefits and Social Welfare Law Review

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the federal agency charged with insuring private-sector defined benefit pension plans, has long had a prominent role in corporate bankruptcies. PBGC focuses its effort on the continuation of pension plans, in true reorganizations and in sales of businesses. To this end, ERISA has made it more difficult for a sponsor to terminate a plan in its own economic interest. For example, a sponsor’s latitude to terminate an underfunded plan was limited to circumstances involving the sponsor’s financial distress. Likewise, the termination premium, which was added to ERISA in recent years, is an obligation that survives …

Recent Developments In Estoppel And Preclusion Doctrines In Consumer Bankruptcy Cases; Volume Ii Of Ii: Preclusion, Kevin M. Lewis, Paul M. Lopez, Scott Lawrence, Tim Springer

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Chapter 13 Debtor's Absolute Right To Dismiss, Daniel J. Sheffner

Cleveland State Law Review

This Article discusses the current state of the Chapter 13 dismissal circuit split, providing an overview of 1307(b) and other relevant sections of the Bankruptcy Code, illustrative pre Marrama case law on either side of the divide, and the Marrama decision itself. This Part examines Marrama’s role in shifting the debate from one based primarily on 1307’s text to that of the bankruptcy courts’ general powers to sanction bad faith conduct, as well as lower courts’ responses to that decision. Part III examines Law, paying special attention to the Court’s discussion of the limitations placed on bankruptcy courts’ statutory and …