Chapter 11

No Honor Among Creditors: Delaware Judge Issues Important Ruling On “Uptier” Transaction

07/27/22

Intercreditor disputes in bankruptcy are common.  Typically, however, they center around predictable disagreements between senior or junior classes of creditors such as valuation battles or lien perfection challenges.  A recent decision in the Delaware chapter 11 case of TPC Group has highlighted a new trend of “intra-creditor class warfare,” involving, in the understated words of

[more]

Second Circuit Split Resolved: No PPP Loans for Debtors in Bankruptcy

04/11/22

In March, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit joined a growing majority of courts with Springfield Hospital, Inc. v. Administrator for the U.S.

[more]

Preoccupied Congress Fails to Act, Sending Debt Limit Back Down to $2.7 Million and Reducing Availability of Subchapter V Protection for Small Businesses

03/30/22

For now, the Subchapter V debt limit is back down to $2.7 million.  Overshadowed by the contentious confirmation hearings for historic Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, the Senate Judiciary Committee failed to act on proposed legislation that would have made permanent the increased $7.5 million debt limit and allowed more small businesses to file for bankruptcy protection under Subchapter V of Chapter 11.  Because of this congressional inaction, the legislation that temporarily increased the debt limit to $7.5 million expired on March 27, 2022.

[more]

Does a Declaration of Independence Suffice? A New Study Raises Significant Questions About “Independent Directors” of Large Distressed Companies

03/24/22

A paper to be published soon in the University of Southern California Law Review, “The Rise of Bankruptcy Directors,” is sharply critical of the increased use of supposedly “independent directors” by distressed companies, often in anticipation of filing for bankruptcy, and the related adverse impact on creditor recoveries.  Although the appointment of what the authors, Jared A.

[more]

$7.5 Million Increased Debt Limit For Small Business Debtors May Become Permanent

03/17/22

The law that temporarily increased the maximum amount of debt a company may have to qualify as a small business under Subchapter V – the cheaper, easier, and faster version of Chapter 11 – from $2.7 million to $7.5 million, is about to expire.  A bill introduced in the Senate this week by a bipartisan group of senators led by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), however, would make the $7.5 million debt limit permanent.

[more]

Driving While Unimpaired – Delaware Judge Issues Important Ruling in Hertz Chapter 11 Case on Allowance of Make-Whole Premiums, Treatment of Unimpaired Creditors, and Postpetition Interest (Part 2)

02/09/22

The allowance of postpetition interest in solvent debtor chapter 11 cases has become an important issue in recent years for corporate issuers, bondholders and other creditors.  This post will examine a recent decision in the Hertz case by Judge Mary Walrath of the U.S.

[more]

Driving While Unimpaired – Delaware Judge Issues Important Ruling in Hertz Chapter 11 Case on Allowance of Make-Whole Premiums, Treatment of Unimpaired Creditors, and Postpetition Interest (Part 1)

01/28/22

The treatment of make-whole premiums in chapter 11 cases in solvent debtor cases has become an important issue in recent years for corporate issuers and bondholders.  This post will examine a recent decision in the Hertz case by Judge Mary Walrath of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on the allowance of such claims.  (Judge Walrath also addressed other topics in her decision pertaining to the treatment of unimpaired creditors and postpetition interest, which will be examined in a separate post.)

[more]

Beware of Post-Confirmation Bar Dates In Chapter 11 Plans

12/22/21

A recent decision reminds creditors of the harsh consequences of failing to comply with a court imposed deadline for filing claims in a bankruptcy case. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit recently held in Ellis v. Westinghouse that claims accruing after confirmation of a chapter 11 plan, but  before the plan goes effective, are subject to the administrative claim deadline established by the plan.

[more]