Bankruptcy Law Commons^™

Adequate Protection And Administrative Expense: Toward A Uniform System For Awarding Superpriorities, Julia A. Goatley

Michigan Law Review

Part I of this Note reviews the legislative history of relevant Code sections and the Code language that pertain to the granting of adequate protection. Section 361 of the Code provides for three types of adequate protection. Sections 362, 363, and 364 set out instances when actions by the trustee that result in a decrease in the value of a secured party's interest require the provision of adequate protection. Finally, sections 503 and 507 designate circumstances when prepetition secured creditors are eligible to receive administrative expenses. Section 507(b) authorizes allowance of an administrative expense claim when the adequate protection provided …

Re-Vision Of The Bankruptcy System: New Images Of Individual Debtors, Karen Gross

Michigan Law Review

A Review of As We Forgive Our Debtors: Bankruptcy and Consumer Credit in American by Teresa A. Sullivan, Elizabeth Warren, and Jay Lawrene Westbrook

Rethinking Absolute Priority After Ahlers, John D. Ayer

Michigan Law Review

There was no evident reason why the Supreme Court granted certiorari in Norwest Bank Worthington v. Ahlers. It can be conceded that the issue was important: in the midst of an agricultural depression, a farmer was trying to hang onto his farm without paying the full amount of his bank debt. The farmer argued that he ought to be able to do so because he was offering to contribute "new value" beyond what he was obliged to contribute - specifically, his efforts as a farmer.

For Ahlers is a case with a past, as well as a future. Thus, in …

Philosophy In Bankruptcy, David Gray Carlson

Michigan Law Review

A Review of The Logic and Limits of Bankruptcy Law by Thomas H. Jackson

The Transformation Rule Under Section 522 Of The Bankruptcy Code Of 1978, Raymond B. Check

Michigan Law Review

This Note rejects the statutory arguments that have been advanced in favor of the transformation rule, and argues that the rule is inconsistent with both the policies motivating section 522 of the Bankruptcy Code and the overall purposes of the U.C.C. priority system. Part I examines the treatment of purchase money security in the U.C.C. scheme. It also describes the exemption provisions of the 1978 Bankruptcy Code and the legislative concerns that shaped those provisions. Part II summarizes the judicial adoption of the transformation rule and the statutory basis relied upon by courts in applying it. Part III argues that …

Exemption Of Erisa Benefits Under Section 522(B)(2)(A) Of The Bankruptcy Code, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note argues that the two federal statutes are exempting statutes under section 522(b)(2)(A), and thus BRISA funds should be exempt in a bankruptcy action when the debtor uses the state exemption scheme. Part I argues that standard principles of statutory interpretation, as applied to the language of the bankruptcy statute, refute the possibility that Congress intended the list of statutes in the legislative history to be exclusive. Having established that statutes other than those listed may be included under section 522(b )(2)(A), Part II first refutes the argument that the absence of BRISA from the list of exempting statutes …

Tax Treatment Of Previously Expensed Assets In Corporate Liquidations, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note argues that although the Tennessee-Carolina majority adopts overbroad language and ignores established tax principles, a more careful refinement of its theory will yield the same proper result, without, in most situations, departing from accepted principles. The proper inquiry must focus first on whether the corporation has received any benefit, and then on whether that gain should be exempted by the nonrecognition provisions of section 336, or on any other basis. Part I of this Note examines these questions from a theoretical perspective, and concludes that expensed assets remaining at the time of liquidation give rise to corporate income, …

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 …

Abandoning Bankruptcy Law's "Identity Of Interest" Exception, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Section I of this Note discusses the goals and weaknesses of the identity of interest exception; Section II explains the advantages of consolidation and novation; and the final Section suggests a way to separate cases where novation is appropriate from those where consolidation is the preferred remedy.

Creditor Setoffs In Bankruptcy Reorganizations: An Analysis Of Baker V. Gold Seal Liquors, Inc., Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

In an action between a debtor and a creditor, the debtor may seek to reduce his liability by pleading counterclaims. A permissive counterclaim-any claim against the creditor not arising out of the transaction or occurrence that is the subject matter of the creditor's claim--is typically termed a "setoff" to the extent that it does not involve affirmative relief. If the debtor is insolvent and seeks bankruptcy relief, setoffs may result in priorities whereby one creditor gains preference in the distribution of the debtor's estate over other creditors of the same class or even of a superior class. For example, if …

The Tax Recommendations Of The Commission On The Bankruptcy Laws--Income Tax Liabilities Of The Estate And The Debtor, William T. Plumb Jr.

Michigan Law Review

The Commission on the Bankruptcy Laws of the United States (Commission), pursuant to congressional mandate, has reported its recommendations for the first comprehensive revision of the bankruptcy laws since the Chandler Act of 1938. This Article deals with the proposals concerning the obligation of the trustee in bankruptcy to file returns of income and to pay federal and state taxes on the income, and concerning the calculation of the taxable incomes of the bankrupt estate and the debtor (including their rights to utilize each other's carryovers), as well as with certain problems in those areas in which the Commission has …

Treatment Of Income Tax Refunds In Bankruptcy After Lines V. Frederick, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Under section 70a(5) of the Bankruptcy Act, the bankruptcy trustee is entitled to take the debtor's interest in "property" that "prior to the filing of the petition [the debtor] could by any means have transferred or which might have been levied upon and sold under judicial process against him." The Act does not, however, specifically define the term "property," and, as a result, the Supreme Court has developed its own definition. No problem has been presented by money or assets held by the bankrupt at the time of filing; such items are uniformly considered to be property. Nor has a …

Federal Income Taxation--Section 165 (C) Loss Allowed For Securities Loaned To Brokerage Firm That Subsequently Became Insolvent And Sold The Securities To Meet The Claims Of Creditors--Stahl V. United States, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

It is frequently said that there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes. The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit recently upheld a district court decision that considerably eased the latter burden for plaintiff-taxpayer in Stahl v. United States. On April 12, 1962, Mrs. Stahl, a widowed musician and music teacher, reached an agreement with Balough & Company (Balough), a Washington securities firm, under which she was to surrender to it control of securities with a market value of approximately $210,000. Balough used the securities to meet the minimum capital requirements for brokerage firms established …

Bankruptcy--1970 Amendments To The Bankruptcy Act--An Attempt To Remedy Discharge Abuses, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

December 18, 1970, marked the end of a fifteen-year chapter in the history of American legislative proceedings dealing with "personal'' bankruptcy. On that date Public Law Number 91-467 took effect and thereby instituted changes in the Bankruptcy Act designed to "effectuate more fully the discharge in bankruptcy by rendering it less subject to abuse by harrassing creditors." The legislative steps leading to the 1970 amendment began with the introduction of the first "dischargeability" bill in 1955. This initial effort at reform stimulated a continuing flow of similar proposals leading to the ultimate acceptance of new substantive and procedural rules for …

Labor Law--Bankruptcy--The Effect Of The Bankruptcy Of An Employer On The Employment Relationship And On Jurisdiction Over Labor Disputes Involving The Employer, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Litigation arising in connection with the recent bankruptcy of Turney Wood Products, Inc., has brought into issue the general problem of the operation of a bankrupt employer under the federal labor laws. The provisions of both the federal labor laws and the Bankruptcy Act are clear in purpose, but in areas of their interaction they have produced jurisdictional confusion. The situation presented to a single court by the cases arising from the Turney Wood Products bankruptcy provided an ideal vehicle to resolve much of that confusion; in fact, the parties involved viewed it as a test-case situation. But the resulting …

Bankruptcy--Stay Of Bankruptcy Proceedings Denied To Creditor Seeking Lien On Exempt Property--Harris V. Hoffman, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

The appellants, husband and wife, executed a promissory note to the appellee-bank. Thereafter, they purchased real property which they occupied as a homestead. Acting pursuant to an Iowa statute which subjects a homestead to debts contracted before the homestead was acquired, the bank commenced a suit on the note in state court, but this proceeding was stayed when appellants filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy. After the trustee in bankruptcy set the homestead apart as property exempt under Iowa law, the bank sought a stay of discharge in bankruptcy for a reasonable period of time so that it could obtain …

Security Aspects Of The Abc Transaction, John T. Schmidt

Michigan Law Review

In recent years, investments in subterraneous oil and gas have become a common addition to the investment portfolios of national financial institutions. Relying on the assurances of reputable geological studies, traditionally conservative financers have invested amounts ranging up to several hundred million dollars against collateral once accepted only by speculators and a few adventurous oil-country bankers. The increased interest in these investments is in part attributable to the development of the ABC method of financing the purchase of producing oil and gas properties. This method offers unique tax advantages, which have been discussed elsewhere, but also creates problems for the …

Bankruptcy Preferences-Secured Transactions-Security Interest In After-Acquired Property Is Voidable Preference If Received Within Four Months Of Bankruptcy-In Re Portland Newspaper Publishing Co., Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

In an effort to provide employment for several hundred workers who had lost their jobs in an unsuccessful strike against Portland's two largest newspapers, the local printers' unions and several civic leaders organized the Portland Reporter Publishing Co. (Reporter) to publish a rival newspaper. The unions also formed the Rose City Development Co. (Rose City), which leased facilities and equipment to Reporter and subsequently made several emergency operating loans to it. These loans were secured by an agreement designating as collateral all of Reporter's previously unsecured accounts receivable, both present and after-accruing. This type of agreement -securing after-acquired property of …

The Trustee In Bankruptcy As A Secured Creditor Under The Uniform Commercial Code, Frank R. Kennedy

Michigan Law Review

The thesis of this article is that a trustee cannot exploit the advantage of the lien or security of any creditor unless he can avoid it and displace a creditor. Moreover, when he can and does avoid a lien and displace a creditor, he can enforce the rights of that creditor as against any lien or interest otherwise indefeasible in bankruptcy only to the extent of the lien or security of the creditor he displaces.

Reclamation Of Goods From A Fradulent Buyer, Robert Braucher

Michigan Law Review

Sections 2-702(2) and (3) of the Uniform Commercial Code (Code), defining the right of a seller to reclaim goods from an insolvent buyer, have for years been the subject of controversy. The sponsors of the Code have stood firm on the basic policy of these sections for more than twenty-five years, but, in its 1966 Official Recommendations for Amendment of the Uniform Commercial Code, the Permanent Editorial Board includes an amendment striking the words "or lien creditor" from section 2-702(3). That change has already been made in six states: California, Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, and New York. In …

The Relative Priority Of Small Business Administration Liens: An Unreasonable Extension Of Federal Preference?, Ronald L. Olson

Michigan Law Review

During the past three decades, the priority of the federal government as against state and private creditors competing for the assets of debtors has been greatly strengthened. In terms of relative growth, the expansion of federal priority has been comparable to the increased commercial involvement of the United States. In more recent years, Congress and the judiciary have recognized that this increased governmental commercial activity necessitates a restriction in sovereign prerogatives. However, contrary to this general trend toward the contraction of sovereign prerogatives and for reasons appearing unsatisfactory to most commentators, the "sovereign prerogative" of priority to the assets of …

Bankruptcy--Bank Paying Depositor's Check After His Adjudication In Bankruptcy Is Liable To Trustee For Amount Of Check--Bank Of Marin V. England, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Prior to filing a voluntary petition in bankruptcy, which is an automatic adjudication of bankruptcy, depositor delivered five checks to Eureka Fisheries drawn upon depositor's account in appellant Bank of Marin. Six days after the filing, Eureka Fisheries presented the checks to appellant and received payment. Appellee, depositor's trustee in bankruptcy, did not notify appellant of the bankruptcy proceedings until after appellant had honored the checks. An order was sought by appellee from the referee in bankruptcy requiring appellant, or in the alternative Eureka Fisheries, to return the amount of the honored checks to the bankrupt's estate. The referee issued …

The Problem Of Consumer Bankruptcy: Is Amendment Of The Bankruptcy Act The Answer?, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

The question of whether the current frequency of consumer bankruptcy is a necessary function of consumer credit remains unanswered. The burgeoning number of consumer bankruptcies in a period of unparalleled national prosperity suggests fundamental weaknesses in the credit-oriented economy. Bankruptcy filings, now numbering nearly 172,000 annually, have trebled over the past decade. For twelve consecutive years the number of petitions filed has exceeded that of the prior year. Nonbusiness bankruptcies, most of which offer no assets for distribution, constitute ninety per cent of all filings.

Withholding Taxes On Wage Dividends For Pre-Bankruptcy Wages Assigned To Fourth Priority In Distribution Of Bankrupt's Estate-In Re Connecticut Motor Lines, Inc., Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Among claims against a bankrupt estate were those for unpaid wages and vacation pay earned within three months of the bankruptcy of the employer. The referee ordered distribution of the amount of the claims, assigning them second priority, but he refused to authorize deduction of income withholding tax and social security taxes from these payments as requested by the Government. The district court reversed, holding the trustee in bankruptcy liable for the taxes as a first priority administrative expense. On appeal, held, reversed. Taxes based on wage claims accruing prior to bankruptcy but paid during bankruptcy are section 64a(4) …

Federal Priority Statute Gives United States Nontax Priority In Chapter X Corporate Reorganizations-United States V. Anderson, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

In a proceeding under Chapter X of the Bankruptcy Act for the reorganization of an insolvent corporation, the United States claimed first priority for nontax debts under the federal priority statute, Revised Statutes § 3466. The trustee of the corporation contested the claim to priority on the ground that section 199 of Chapter X, which in effect provides the United States in Chapter X proceedings with priority only for tax and customs claims, is exclusive and therefore R.S. § 3466 does not apply. The district court denied the claim to priority. On appeal to the Court of Appeals for the …

Bankruptcy-Prior Discharge Within Six Years As Bar To Wage Earner's Extension Plan, Anthony Lynch

Michigan Law Review

Appellant, a debtor, sought confirmation of a wage earners' extension plan pursuant to Chapter XIII of the Bankruptcy Act. Section 656 prohibits confirmation of a plan under Chapter XIII if the debtor would have been denied an ordinary discharge in bankruptcy had he been seeking one. A discharge within six years prior to the date of filing constitutes a bar to such discharge. The referee, finding that the debtor had obtained a discharge within six years, dismissed the proceedings. On appeal from the district court's affirmance, held, affirmed. Since a wage earner's extension plan clearly contemplates a discharge of …

Bankruptcy-Proof And Allowance Of Claims-Reopening Of Estate To Allow Creditors To Reach Tenancy By The Entirety, Robert V. Seymour

Michigan Law Review

Husband (H) and wife (W) executed joint, unsecured promissory notes to each of two creditors, a realty company, and a bank. H, in default on both notes, filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy. The petition listed both noteholders as creditors; in addition, the schedule of assets noted that an interest in an estate by the entirety held by the bankrupt was not an asset of the bankrupt estate, since under state law it was not subject to the claims of creditors of only one spouse. After the first meeting of creditors, an order of discharge …

Bankruptcy-Fradulent Transfers-Venue For Plenary Actions Under Section 70(E), Martin B. Dickinson Jr.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff trustee in bankruptcy brought a plenary action under section 70(e) of the Bankruptcy Act in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for recovery of fraudulently transferred property located within the district. The defendants were citizens of Illinois, except the bankrupt's daughter, a California citizen. The district court granted the daughter's motion to dismiss for lack of venue. On appeal, held, reversed and remanded. Sections 23(b) and 70(e)(3) of the Bankruptcy Act exclude actions under section 70(e) from the requirements of the general venue provision of Title 28, U.S.C.; in all cases under section 70(e) …

Insurance Law - Recovery - Action For Wrongful Refusal To Settle Claim Precluded By Bankruptcy Of Insured, James A. Mcdermott

Michigan Law Review

The plaintiff, as trustee in bankruptcy of the insured, sued the defendant insurer to recover damages resulting from a judgment entered against the insured in a personal injury suit. This judgment subjected the insured to a liability of 89,000 dollars in excess of the 10,000 dollar automobile liability_ coverage carried with the insurer. The insurer, pursuant to its policy, had undertaken the insured's defense and had failed, allegedly in bad faith, to settle the suit for an amount within the limits of its coverage. Before judgment was entered in the personal injury suit the insured was insolvent; six months following …

Bankruptcy-Federal Tax Claims-Accrual Of Post-Petition Interest, Robert Lane

Michigan Law Review

In 1953 taxpayer filed a petition and was discharged in bankruptcy owing federal withholding and social security taxes for 1951. In 1958 taxpayer became entitled to a refund on his 1953-1954 taxes. The Commissioner applied a portion of this ·refund against the balance of the tax for the year 1951, plus accrued interest to 1958. Taxpayer claimed that he was not liable for the interest which had accrued during the period between the date of petition in bankruptcy and the date of refund. When the Commissioner disallowed his claim, the taxpayer brought an action in district court to recover the …