Large Cap
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November 22, 2024
Under The Radar: Bankruptcy News You May Have Missed
Troubled nursing home operator Petersen Health Care reached a settlement with the former owner of one of its properties, a Chapter 11 examiner urged mediation in the bankruptcy of New York hedge fund Weiss Multi-Strategy Advisers and the liquidating trust for Residential Capital LLC was given a two-year extension to continue insurance coverage litigation.
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November 22, 2024
Big Lots Can Close On $760M Asset Sale, Judge Says
A Delaware bankruptcy judge Friday approved the $760 million sale of bankrupt discount retail chain Big Lots to a private equity group and told creditors they were out of time to challenge the company's Chapter 11 financing.
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November 22, 2024
Judge Garrity Will Leave SDNY Bankruptcy Bench In 2025
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, one of the nation's busiest bankruptcy venues, has announced that it will be losing one of its longest-serving judges next year.
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November 22, 2024
Latham Adds 4 Restructuring Attys From Weil And Paul Weiss
Latham & Watkins LLP announced Thursday that it has tapped four restructuring practice leaders from two rival BigLaw shops to join its New York office.
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November 22, 2024
Snack Maker Hearthside Files For Ch. 11 To Shed $1.9B Debt
H-Food Holdings LLC, which makes granola bars, pretzels and other snacks under the name Hearthside Food Solutions for major brands, filed for bankruptcy protection in Texas on Friday, with a restructuring agreement that would allow it to wipe out more than $1.9 billion of debt.
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November 22, 2024
Hodgson Russ Adds Bankruptcy Talent To Buffalo Team
Hodgson Russ LLP has added an attorney who focuses on complex commercial insolvency matters to its team in Buffalo to work as a partner with its bankruptcy, restructuring and commercial litigation practice.
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November 21, 2024
Franchise Group Lenders Want End To Debtor's Ch. 11 Rights
Lenders of bankrupt retail-focused holding company Franchise Group Inc., including Pacific Investment Management Co. and private equity firm Irradiant Partners, have urged a Delaware bankruptcy judge to end holdco debtor Chapter 11 exclusivity restrictions, arguing that the move offers the best escape from a near-inescapable "Gordian knot" entangling all their claims.
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November 21, 2024
Big Lots Seeks To Include Claims Against Execs In Asset Sale
Discount retailer Big Lots on Thursday asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge to approve a $760 million asset sale to a private equity group and override creditor objections to the inclusion of potential litigation claims against company insiders in the package.
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November 21, 2024
Judge Undecided On Ch. 15 Nod For 2 InterCement Debtors
A New York bankruptcy judge on Thursday said he would accept filings seeking recognition of the Brazilian insolvencies of two of four debtors in the corporate family of concrete supplier InterCement, but wouldn't yet weigh in on the others.
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November 21, 2024
American Tire Gets $250M In DIP Funds, Dodging Lender Row
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Thursday approved American Tire Distributors Inc.'s $250 million Chapter 11 loan after the company resolved a lender group's challenge to the financing that threatened to upend the case.
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November 21, 2024
Swedish EV Battery Co. Files For Ch. 11 With $5B Of Debt
Swedish electric vehicle battery maker Northvolt AB filed a Chapter 11 case in Texas bankruptcy court Thursday, saying it wants to find a partner to enable the company's innovation to continue in the burgeoning space while it addresses a significant liquidity shortfall.
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November 21, 2024
Yellow Corp. Approved For Ch. 11 Plan Disclosures
Bankrupt trucking firm Yellow Corp. said it had resolved all objections to its Chapter 11 plan disclosure statement Thursday, and a Delaware judge agreed to approve the document once it was updated to reflect the changes.
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November 21, 2024
Mayer Brown Practice Co-Head To Lead Linklaters Team
Following a series of high-level corporate and finance hires this year, Linklaters announced Thursday that it is hiring the former co-leader of Mayer Brown LLP's infrastructure mergers and acquisitions practice as its head of U.S. infrastructure and private capital M&A.
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November 20, 2024
FTX Examiner Wraps Probe, Clawback Try Goes Forward
A Delaware bankruptcy judge Wednesday gave an examiner in the Chapter 11 case of FTX Trading permission to wind down his investigation and for discovery to continue in an attempt to undo a $240 million payment FTX made just before it went under.
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November 20, 2024
Pitney Bowes Unit's Ch. 11 Plan Hits Creditor Pushback Snag
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Wednesday pushed a decision on the Chapter 11 plan for the former e-commerce unit of shipping group Pitney Bowes to Monday after the U.S. trustee and Trilogy Leasing Co. LLC, the debtor's longtime equipment finance and leasing partner, flagged issues with liability releases.
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November 20, 2024
Girardi Pushes For New Trial Over Competency Claims
Counsel for Tom Girardi told a federal judge the disbarred attorney is plainly mentally incompetent and deserves a new trial over charges he defrauded clients of $15 million worth of settlement money.
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November 20, 2024
Lawyers In Purdue Bankruptcy Get OK For Millions In Fees
More than 150 lawyers, investment bankers and financial advisers representing the creditors committee of bankrupt OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP billed $21.2 million as the high-stakes case reignited this summer, according to a Law360 tally of interim fee applications.
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November 20, 2024
Beasley Allen And J&J Tussle Over Atty Sanctions Bid
Beasley Allen Law Firm accused a Johnson & Johnson talc unit of using "deposition notices as weapons" in its quest to sanction a firm lawyer, while the company said the firm "refused to meaningfully subject itself or its members to any discovery" in its bankruptcy case.
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November 20, 2024
Bankman-Fried Tech Deputy Who Parsed Code Avoids Prison
A Manhattan federal judge allowed tech expert Zixiao "Gary" Wang to avoid jail Wednesday for his role in the $11 billion FTX fraud, crediting his effort to detail programming "back doors" that enabled Sam Bankman-Fried to loot the bankrupt crypto exchange.
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November 19, 2024
How Spirit Airlines Landed In Bankruptcy Court
Ultra-low-cost airline Spirit has always been more susceptible to inflationary pressures than its costlier competitors, but its failed merger earlier this year with JetBlue left it drifting toward a prearranged Chapter 11 on Monday to trim its $3.6 billion in funded debt.
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November 19, 2024
CareMax Can Tap $122M In Ch. 11 Funds Amid Sale Efforts
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved embattled medical system CareMax's bid to borrow a share of the $122 million in Chapter 11 financing its senior lenders have extended to help fund the company's operations and its ongoing sale efforts.
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November 19, 2024
True Value Can Reject Leases Following $153M Ch. 11 Sale
A Delaware bankruptcy judge signed off Tuesday on procedures that hardware store supplier True Value proposed for ending its leases and contracts, as the company prepares to close on a Chapter 11 sale of the business later this week.
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November 19, 2024
Catching Up With New Bankruptcy Case Action
Spirit Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing $3.6 billion in funded debt and unveiling a preapproved restructuring plan to convert $795 million of debt into equity. Dormify, Cosmed Group and PetroQuest Energy also sought bankruptcy protection, largely due to litigation-related challenges. Meanwhile, companies like Swedish debt collector Intrum and heat sealing equipment manufacturer SWC Industries blamed their financial struggles on rising interest rates, inflation, and broader macroeconomic pressures.
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November 19, 2024
J&J Wants Beasley Allen Atty Sanctioned For Depo No-Show
Johnson & Johnson's talc unit called on a Texas bankruptcy court to sanction a Beasley Allen Law Firm attorney for "unilaterally" deciding not to attend a scheduled deposition in the company's bankruptcy case.
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November 19, 2024
Alex Jones Seeks To Stop The Onion From Buying Infowars
Right-wing media fabulist Alex Jones asked a Texas bankruptcy judge to stop the sale of his Infowars website to satirical news publisher The Onion, arguing that the winning bid violated the court's bidding procedures order.
Incora Uptier Fight Lays Bare Risks For Private Equity Backers
In the bruising battles for position among lenders to debt-laden companies, private equity firms often remain relatively unscathed. But a case in Texas federal court over so-called creditor-on-creditor violence now threatens to punish buyout shop Platinum Equity for orchestrating an ill-fated debt exchange, potentially sending a chill over the market for liability management deals.
The Onion's Infowars Bid Rests On Whether Highest Is Best
As satirical media company The Onion prepares to defend its offer to buy Alex Jones' right-wing conspiracy show, Infowars, it is relying on the idea that sometimes, the highest offer is not the best one for creditors, experts told Law360.
Diamond Sports Restructuring May Fail As Goalposts Move
Regional sports network owner Diamond Sports Group touted its recently confirmed Chapter 11 plan as a "miracle" that restructured billions of dollars of debt and positioned it well for post-bankruptcy success, but industry analysts say the challenges facing the business could be insurmountable.
Expert Analysis
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Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer
Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.
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When Investigating An Adversary, Be Wary Of Forged Records
Warnings against the use of investigators who tout their ability to find an adversary’s private documents generally emphasize the risk of illegal activity and attorney discipline, but a string of recent cases shows an additional danger — investigators might be fabricating records altogether, says Brian Asher at Asher Research.
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3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less
Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.
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The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule
Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.
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So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?
Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.
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A Strategic Checklist For Bankruptcy Motion Objections
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Hewing to a set of best practices for objecting to a motion in bankruptcy cases can help creditors’ counsel stay on track as they juggle deadlines and jurisdictions, determine whether filing will help or harm the client, and negotiate with the debtor.
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The 3rd-Party Bankruptcy Release Landscape After Purdue
In its Purdue Pharma ruling prohibiting nonconsensual third-party releases, the U.S. Supreme Court did not comment on criteria to render a third-party release consensual, opening a debate in the bankruptcy courts on the permissibility of opt-out versus opt-in releases, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being
As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.
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Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.
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Bankruptcy Decision Exemplifies Venue Issue For Franchisees
A California bankruptcy court's decision earlier this month in Pinnacle Foods and a lingering circuit split on assumption of executory franchise contracts highlights the issue of whether franchisee debtors can qualify for case venue in friendlier circuits, says David Gamble at Parkins Rubio.
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Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity
Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.
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Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules
The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.
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The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO
The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.