BankruptcyLawInsights

LightSquared Judge to Charles Ergen, Philip Falcone: A Plague on Both Your Egos

05/14/14

For the past two years, Charles Ergen, chairman and co-founder of Dish Network, and Philip Falcone, manager of Harbinger Capital Partners, have been doing battle in the Chapter 11 case of mobile communications company LightSquared Inc.  LightSquared, primarily owned by Harbinger and controlled by Falcone, holds spectrum rights potentially worth billions of dollars, but was forced to seek bankruptcy protection in 2012 following its failure to obtain crucial FCC approvals. 

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Loan to Moan? Judge Limits Right to Credit Bid in Chapter 11 Case of Free Lance-Star Publishing Co.

04/21/14

A few months ago, a ruling in the Chapter 11 case of Fisker Automotive narrowed a secured creditor’s right to credit bid its debt in connection with a sale of the debtor’s assets.  The decision surprised many observers and resurrected uncertainty about a debtor’s ability to limit a secured lender’s credit bidding rights (a dispute that appeared to have been firmly resolved in favor of secured creditors only two years ago by the

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Sbarro and Quiznos Serve Up Prepackaged “Cramdown” Plans

03/28/14

The chapter 11 filings this month of Sbarro and Quiznos share many similarities.  Both companies are looking to survive in a difficult sector of a tough industry.  Both were forc

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Fisker Automotive Chapter 11 Case: a Two-Headed Stalking Horse and a New Credit Bidding Controversy

01/31/14

Fisker Automotive’s chapter 11 case began in what has become a depressingly familiar fashion – a fast-tracked sale to a secured lender.  However, two rulings by Judge Kevin Gross of the U.S.

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Judge Slams Bankruptcy Trustee’s Suit to Recover Parochial School Tuition Payments

01/14/14

A parochial elementary school and high school were recently sued in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York by Robert Geltzer, a bankruptcy trustee.  The suits, Geltzer v. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel-St. Benedicta School and Geltzer v. Xavarian High School, were brought in an effort to recover tuition payments made by a student’s parents who had later filed for bankruptcy. (Kelley Drye & Warren LLP represented Our Lady of Mt. Carmel-St.

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Interesting ResCap FactOID – Court Rejects Effort to Disallow Portion of Bond Claims Based on “Original Issue Discount”

12/03/13

In an opinion that will have a significant impact on the viability of debt for debt exchanges and out of court restructurings, Judge Martin Glenn of the U.S.

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Stockton Bankruptcy Settlement Preserves Pensions

11/12/13

The Chapter 9 bankruptcy case of Stockton, California has come to an unexpectedly quick and consensual resolution. The outcome here, which will see the city’s pension obligations maintained, is particularly surprising given the vehement opposition of Stockton’s bond insurers at the outset of the case.

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