Large Cap
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November 12, 2024
Holding Co.'s $6B CMBS Exposed By Bankruptcy, Report Says
Franchise Group Inc.'s $6.18 billion worth of commercial mortgage-backed securities are at risk of exposure after the retail-focused holding company declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which has caused the company to close down more than 300 store locations, according to a report from the analytics team of credit ratings agency KBRA released Tuesday.
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November 12, 2024
Celsius Judge Rejects Pro Se Creditor's $206,000 Fee Bid
The woman who chaired an ad hoc committee of corporate creditors in Celsius Network's Chapter 11 case lost her bid Tuesday to be paid $206,300 for her work, with a New York bankruptcy judge denying her application after finding that her efforts were primarily self-interested and potentially duplicative.
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November 12, 2024
Former FTX Top Atty Joins Lowenstein Sandler In NY
Lowenstein Sandler LLP announced Tuesday that the former general counsel at crypto exchange FTX will join the firm's New York office as a partner and chair of its new commodities, futures and derivatives practice group.
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November 12, 2024
Judge Will OK Final True Value Ch. 11 Sale
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Tuesday said she would approve bankrupt hardware store supplier True Value's asset sale to its stalking horse bidder, member-owned hardware brand Do It Best Corp., once the final version was on the docket.
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November 12, 2024
FTX Sues Binance, Former CEO Zhao Seeking $1.8B Clawback
The estate of fallen cryptocurrency exchange FTX has sued Binance and its former CEO Changpeng Zhao to recover $1.76 billion it says the defunct company illegally transferred prior to its collapse two years ago, alleging FTX used customer money to complete a share repurchase that it couldn't otherwise afford.
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November 12, 2024
Prison Healthcare Co. Wellpath Hits Ch. 11 With Sale Plans
Prison healthcare provider Wellpath has filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Texas bankruptcy court, saying it has an agreement with the majority of its secured lenders for a sale plan that will trim $500 million of its more than $644 million in funded debt.
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November 12, 2024
DLA Piper Bolsters Restructuring Practice With Dechert Pro
DLA Piper has hired an experienced restructuring expert from Dechert LLP to its practice in London, as the firm braces for continued global financial distress driven by geopolitical turmoil and macroeconomic headwinds.
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November 18, 2024
Davis Polk Hires Sidley Restructuring Heads In London
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP has hired two restructuring experts as partners in its London office, where they will advise a wide range of clients on financially troubled companies.
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November 08, 2024
5th Time Not The Charm For 'Stale' Dow Implant Check Fight
The Sixth Circuit has again rejected an appeal from South Korean claimants who sought replacement checks from a Dow Corning breast implant settlement fund, finding in claimants' fifth trip to the appeals court that they missed their window to cash their duly disbursed settlement checks.
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November 08, 2024
J&J Talc Unit Must Revise Ch. 11 Plan, Insurers Say
A group of Johnson & Johnson insurance carriers urged a Texas judge to reject the Chapter 11 plan disclosure statement for the company's Red River Talc unit as unconfirmable, saying J&J "made it clear that it intends to saddle its insurers with responsibility to pay" for the bankruptcy-related claims.
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November 08, 2024
Under The Radar: Bankruptcy News You May Have Missed
The U.S. Trustee's Office took aim at the U.S. ties and motivations of a bankrupt defense contractor in Abu Dhabi, creditors of Eletson Holdings said they were still skeptical of Reed Smith LLP's work in the company's contentious Chapter 11 case and a Navajo Nation-owned energy company argued that a reorganized coal miner is trying to use a typo to boost royalty payments.
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November 08, 2024
Genesis Forging Different Path In Crypto Ch. 11 Recoveries
Cryptocurrency lender Genesis Global has knocked another few hundred million dollars off the obligation it took on when it set off down the unusual track in the crypto bankruptcy sphere of returning every digital coin to its creditors, one for one, no matter how pricey its value.
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November 08, 2024
Sullivan & Cromwell Fees Questioned In Kidde-Fenwal Ch. 11
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and the attorney general of California clashed in Delaware bankruptcy court over the firm's interim fee requests for its representation of debtor chemical company Kidde-Fenwal Inc., with the state alleging overbilling and Sullivan & Cromwell claiming California is seeking "payback" for the results of a recent mediation.
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November 08, 2024
FTX Investment Firm Seeks Return Of $11M In Crypto Assets
Alameda Research, an investment arm of the now-bankrupt FTX digital asset empire, has filed a lawsuit against cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com in Delaware bankruptcy court, seeking the return of $11.4 million in assets still held on the platform despite multiple requests from the debtor.
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November 07, 2024
Ex-Celsius CEO OK'd To Seek Testimony From Abroad
A New York federal judge Thursday gave former Celsius Network CEO Alex Mashinsky the green light to seek deposition testimony from witnesses reading abroad that he claims is crucial to his defense, but declined to narrow the case against the founder of the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency-lending platform.
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November 07, 2024
Teamsters Tell 10th Circ. To Nix Yellow's Contract Claims
The Tenth Circuit must uphold a district court's decision to dismiss Yellow Corp.'s $137 million lawsuit against the Teamsters, the union said, arguing the business didn't exhaust the grievance process under a contract and can't claim that making such an effort would have been pointless.
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November 07, 2024
Meet The Attys Guiding Vitamin Shoppe Owner Through Ch. 11
A team of attorneys from Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP are representing Franchise Group Inc., the owner of Vitamin Shoppe and other franchise brands, in Chapter 11 as it seeks to restructure its nearly $2 billion of debt.
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November 07, 2024
Boy Scouts Judge OKs Incarcerated Survivor's Late Claim
A Delaware bankruptcy judge said Thursday she will allow a Boy Scouts sexual abuse survivor, who missed a claims bar cutoff and a deadline to apply to a trust set up for abuse claimants, to file a late claim in the Boy Scouts' Chapter 11 case because he had limited access to information at the prison where he's serving an 18-year sentence.
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November 07, 2024
Firm That Took Hurricane Victim Cases Wants Out Of Fee Row
A Louisiana law firm that took over now-bankrupt Houston plaintiffs firm MMA Law's hurricane victim cases is appealing a Houston bankruptcy's court's decision not to free it from a lawsuit claiming that it cut MMA out of its share of settlement fees.
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November 07, 2024
Del. Atty Will Co-Lead Lewis Brisbois' Bankruptcy Practice
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP recently announced that a partner who joined its Delaware office late last year has been appointed to co-chair the firm's bankruptcy and insolvency practice.
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November 06, 2024
FTX Exec Looks To Avoid Prison For 'Smallest Share' Of Crime
Former FTX technology chief Zixiao "Gary" Wang on Wednesday asked a Manhattan federal judge not to give him prison time for his part in the $11.2 billion fraud case, calling himself "the one who stands convicted of the smallest share of misconduct" among former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried's lieutenants.
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November 06, 2024
Vitamin Shoppe Owner Gets OK For Trimmed Ch. 11 Loan
The owner of the Vitamin Shoppe retail chain and other businesses received interim approval Wednesday from a Delaware bankruptcy judge for a slimmed-down Chapter 11 loan after the lenders agreed to more favorable financing terms.
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November 06, 2024
Texas' MMA Sues Firm That Took Over Its Hurricane Cases
The bankrupt Houston plaintiffs' firm MMA Law has sued Daly & Black PC, the law firm that took over its clients, in Texas bankruptcy court seeking to claw back a cut of attorneys' fees from thousands of lawsuits it launched on behalf of hurricane victims in Louisiana.
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November 06, 2024
3rd Circ. Mulls Mootness In Boy Scouts Ch. 11 Plan Appeals
Questions over whether equitable and statutory mootness foreclose challenges to the Boy Scouts of America's bankruptcy took center stage Wednesday during arguments before the Third Circuit, with the judges and parties involved noting the impact that changing the Chapter 11 plan that's already in effect could have on thousands of sexual abuse survivors.
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November 06, 2024
Conn's Gets OK For $360M Asset Sale To Debt Collector
A Texas bankruptcy judge Wednesday approved the sale of most of retail chain Conn's assets to debt collector Jefferson Capital Systems for $360 million after hearing all objections had been resolved.
Expert Analysis
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Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.
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Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing
Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Chapter 11 Ruling Signals Emphasis On Lockup Provisions
A New York bankruptcy court's recent ruling in GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes’ Chapter 11 case provides creditors with a strong basis for resisting requests to lock up or otherwise limit their voting rights, say Dania Slim and Andrew Alfano at Pillsbury.
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Vendor Rights Lessons From 2 Chapter 11 Cases
A Texas federal court’s recent critical vendor order in the Zachry Holdings Chapter 11 filing, as well as a settlement between Rite Aid and McKesson in New Jersey federal court last year, shows why suppliers must object to critical vendor motions that do not recognize creditors' legal rights, says David Conaway at Shumaker.
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Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?
A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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3rd Circ. Ruling Shows Benefits Of IP Licenses In Bankruptcy
The Third Circuit’s recent ruling in Mallinckrodt’s Chapter 11 filing, which held that Mallinckrodt could sever its obligations to pay Sanofi royalties on sales of an autoimmune disease drug, highlights the advantages of structuring transactions as nonexclusive licenses for developers of intellectual property, say Gregory Hesse and Kaleb Bailey at Hunton.
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Congress Must Increase Small Biz Ch. 11 Debt Cap
Congress must act to reinstate Subchapter V, which recently sunsetted when the debt threshold to qualify reverted from $7.5 million to just over $3 million, meaning thousands of small businesses will no longer be able to use the means of reorganization, says Daniel Gielchinsky at DGIM Law.
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How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market
Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.
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Justices' Ch. 11 Ruling Is A Big Moment For Debtors' Insurers
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Truck Insurance v. Kaiser Gypsum ruling upends decades of Chapter 11 bankruptcy jurisprudence that relegated a debtor’s insurer to the sidelines, giving insurers a new footing to try and avoid significant liability, say Stuart Gordon and Benjamin Wisher at Rivkin Radler.
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SVB Ch. 11 Shows Importance Of Filing Proof Of Claim Early
After a New York bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in SVB’s Chapter 11 case denied late claims filing requests related to post-bar date events, parties with potential claims against a debtor may need to seriously consider filing protective proofs of claim, says Kyle Arendsen at Squire Patton.
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High Court Made Profound Mistake In Tossing Purdue Deal
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to throw out Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 plan jeopardizes a multistate agreement that would provide approximately $7 billion in much-needed relief to help fight the opioid epidemic, with states now likely doomed to spend years chasing individual defendants across the globe, says Swain Wood at Morningstar.
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What FTX Case Taught Us About Digital Asset Recoverability
FTX's Chapter 11 plan has drawn lots of attention, but the focus should be on the anticipated outcome for investors, which counters several myths about digital currencies, innovation and recoverability, says Kyla Curley at StoneTurn.