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Bankruptcy
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August 29, 2024
SunPower Eyes Sept. Auction As IP Objection Nixed For Now
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Thursday overruled an objection to bidding procedures for the assets of residential solar technology company SunPower Corp. from a former subsidiary, finding the dispute over use of the SunPower brand should be heard later.
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August 29, 2024
Bankruptcy Judge Allows Red Lobster To Reject 23 Leases
Troubled seafood chain Red Lobster gained a Florida bankruptcy judge's approval for its proposal to reject leases of an additional 23 restaurant locations slated to close at the end of the month.
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August 28, 2024
Fla. Bank City National Says Applebee's Franchisees Owe $8M
City National Bank of Florida sued a Louisiana-based Applebee's franchisee and three of its subsidiaries for $8.3 million, saying in a complaint filed Wednesday in Florida federal court that the companies defaulted on a federal COVID-19-era loan and then transferred control of their restaurants without consent.
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August 28, 2024
Jazz, Hikma Must Face Bulk Of Xyrem Antitrust Suit
Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Hikma Pharmaceuticals appear bound for trial against most solo insurer and class action antitrust claims over alleged efforts to block generic competitors to Jazz's Xyrem narcolepsy drug, under a newly unsealed California federal court order largely rejecting competing motions for summary judgment.
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August 28, 2024
Calif. Debt Relief Firm Ran Criminal Enterprise, Judge Says
A California bankruptcy judge ruled Tuesday that the defunct Orange County debt relief law firm Litigation Practice Group operated a "criminal enterprise" and possibly a Ponzi scheme, a finding that representatives for the firm's court-appointed bankruptcy trustee say they will use to claw money back from investors.
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August 28, 2024
Justices Won't Revive Student Debt Relief Plan Right Now
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to reinstate President Joe Biden's latest student loan debt relief program, leaving the $475 billion plan on ice until the Eighth Circuit decides whether the administration has the authority to continue its new push to reduce student loan bills for millions of people.
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August 28, 2024
Farella Braun Can Pursue Unpaid SVB Fees From FDIC
Farella Braun & Martel LLP can go after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. for $49,000 in legal fees owed by Silicon Valley Bank's parent after the agency was appointed as the bank's receiver, a California federal judge ruled Wednesday.
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August 28, 2024
Boy Scout Abuse Trust Art Sales To Start In November
An auction house announced Wednesday that parts of the Boy Scouts of America's former art collection, including a number of Norman Rockwell pieces, will go on the auction block in November to pay for claims by sexual abuse survivors.
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August 27, 2024
Guo Trustee Says Trump Aide Must Face $353K Clawback Suit
The Chapter 11 trustee for Miles Guo has urged a Connecticut bankruptcy judge to preserve an adversary action seeking to claw back more than $353,000 that he alleged the Chinese exile fraudulently gave to Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Donald Trump and founder of conservative social media platform Gettr, saying Miller's bid to ax the case was flimsy.
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August 27, 2024
Chancery Voids Bank Board Picks In Scheduling Suit
A Delaware Chancery Court judge on Tuesday invalidated an annual meeting where a board election was held by directors of Golden Mountain Financial Holdings, restoring the preelection boards of the venture, which emerged from the bankruptcy of First NBC Bank Holding Co.
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August 27, 2024
Asbestos Claimants Tell 4th Circ. Bestwall Isn't Distressed
The official committee of asbestos claimants in the Chapter 11 case of Georgia-Pacific unit Bestwall told the Fourth Circuit that the company's bankruptcy should be tossed because commitments to fund asbestos liabilities by the parent mean the debtor isn't facing financial distress.
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August 27, 2024
Madison Ave. Condo Owners File New Ch. 11
The corporate owner of a luxury Manhattan condominium complex has filed for Chapter 11 in a New York bankruptcy court in what it says is an attempt to resolve the disputed bankruptcy filing of the partnership that owns the corporation.
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August 27, 2024
Tobacco Co-Op's $10M Insurance Suit Headed To Mediation
Tobacco grower cooperative U.S. Tobacco Cooperative Inc. will go into mediation with Axis Specialty Insurance Co. as part of a lawsuit brought by the grower alleging the insurer has refused to pay $10 million in excess coverage.
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August 27, 2024
Jackson Walker Is Trying To 'Revise History,' US Trustee Says
Jackson Walker LLP told a Houston judge Tuesday that the U.S. Trustee's Office "wants everyone to play by the rules except for [itself]" in a discovery dispute connected to a former Texas bankruptcy judge's secret relationship, as the bankruptcy watchdog simultaneously accused the firm of chasing down rumors to "revise history" through overbroad discovery requests.
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August 27, 2024
Disbarred Atty Tom Girardi Convicted Of Defrauding Clients
A California federal jury on Tuesday convicted disbarred attorney Tom Girardi on all four counts of wire fraud, finding that the former titan of the plaintiffs bar misappropriated $15 million of his clients' settlement funds.
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August 26, 2024
Girardi Lied 'Over And Over,' Jury Told As Fraud Trial Wraps
A federal prosecutor told a California federal jury during closing arguments in Tom Girardi's criminal fraud trial Monday that the now-disbarred attorney lied to his clients "over and over and over again" in order to misappropriate millions of their settlement money as part of a yearslong Ponzi scheme.
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August 26, 2024
Pool Co. Secures $1.1M In Fees For False Ad Trial Win
A North Carolina federal judge has granted $1.1 million in fees for attorneys from McCarter & English LLP and Womble Bond Dickinson who represented a swimming pool salt system supplier in a trial against a competitor, finding the case qualifies as exceptional since the opposing company acted "unreasonably."
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August 26, 2024
US Trustee Raises Release Concerns With FTX Ch. 11 Plan
The U.S. Trustee's Office has lodged an objection to FTX's Chapter 11 plan with 10 reasons why the proposed resolution for the mammoth crypto bankruptcy is flawed, including releases that are overbroad and don't carve out a high-profile data breach from their terms.
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August 26, 2024
Conn. Diocese Seeks Mediation Over Competing Ch. 11 Plans
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, told a bankruptcy judge that a Chapter 11 plan proposed by unsecured creditors is unconfirmable and fighting over competing plans will drain estate resources, and that renewed mediation over how to address childhood sexual abuse liability is the only path forward.
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August 26, 2024
Judge Won't Eject Trustee From Irish Developer's $942M Ch. 7
A Connecticut bankruptcy judge has denied a nearly two-and-a-half-year-old motion to remove a Chapter 7 trustee from an Irish developer's $942 million bankruptcy, saying the developer's appellate losses and a recent U.S. Supreme Court certiorari denial, ultimately favoring the trustee, left the motion finally ripe for a decision.
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August 26, 2024
Texas Cases To Watch In Last Half Of 2024
Courts across the state are poised to make decisions in several high-stakes cases over the next several months, including ruling on whether Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton can be deposed in a long-running employment retaliation suit and whether a challenge to Texas' floating Rio Grande barrier must be tried before a jury.
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August 26, 2024
Texas Bitcoin Miner Hits Ch. 11 With More Than $50M In Debt
Cryptocurrency miner Rhodium filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Texas bankruptcy court with more than $50 million in debt.
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August 23, 2024
Girardi Says High Court Holding Should Gut His Fraud Case
Tom Girardi has urged a California federal judge to toss the majority of the wire fraud charges he is facing ahead of closing arguments in his trial, saying a 1960 U.S. Supreme Court case demonstrates he was charged for nothing more than receiving legally required wire transfers.
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August 23, 2024
Fed. Judge Affirms $37M Escrow, Yacht Rulings In Guo Ch. 11
A Connecticut federal judge on Friday upheld bankruptcy rulings placing a $37 million escrow account and a $23 million yacht under the control of Chinese exile and convicted fraudster Miles Guo's Chapter 11 trustee, agreeing that a holding company was Guo's alter ego and approving the trustee's veil piercing maneuver.
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August 23, 2024
Split 9th Circ. Says Ponzi Schemes Don't Need Proof Of Intent
A split Ninth Circuit panel affirmed Friday a jury's finding in a fraudulent-transfer fight that a now-bankrupt company was a Ponzi scheme, with the majority writing that jurors didn't need to find an intent to defraud, while a dissenting judge slammed the majority's reasoning as "circular."
Expert Analysis
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This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener
As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.
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What Bankruptcy Deadline Appeal May Mean For Claimants
If the Third Circuit reverses a recent appeal made in In re: Promise Healthcare, litigation claimants within the circuit will not be able to rely on the proof of claim process to preserve the claim — but if the court affirms, the U.S. Supreme Court may need to step in to resolve the circuit split on this issue, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
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Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease
This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.
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Series
Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.
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For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill
A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.
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Bankruptcy Courts' Role In Shaping Crypto's Legal Framework
Massive financial and criminal liability has led to the recent collapse of major cryptocurrency companies and put bankruptcy courts in the spotlight, underscoring the urgent need for a comprehensive regulatory framework, say Tara Pakrouh and Eric Monzo at Morris James.
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Opinion
Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.
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4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.
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Conn. Bankruptcy Ruling Furthers Limitation Extension Split
A recent Connecticut bankruptcy court decision further solidifies a split of authority on whether Bankruptcy Rule 9006(b) may be used to extend the limitations period, meaning practitioners seeking to extend should serve the motion on all applicable parties and, where possible, rely on the doctrine of equitable tolling, says Shane Ramsey at Nelson Mullins.
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How Purdue Pharma High Court Case May Change Bankruptcy
The U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling in Purdue Pharma may be the death of most third-party releases in Chapter 11 cases, and depending on the decision’s breadth, could have much more far-reaching effects on the entire bankruptcy system, say Brian Shaw and David Doyle at Cozen O'Connor.
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Series
Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer
Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.
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Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.
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A 5th Circ. Lesson On Preserving Indemnification Rights
The Fifth Circuit's recent decision in Raymond James & Associates v. Jalbert offers an important lesson for creditors and parties to indemnification agreements: If a debtor has indemnified a creditor, the creditor should consider participating in the bankruptcy case to avoid being deemed to have forfeited its indemnification rights, say Dania Slim and Alana Lyman at Pillsbury.
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
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What Rescheduling Could Mean For Cannabis Bankruptcies
Bankruptcy courts have historically been closed for cannabis-related businesses, but recent case law coupled with a possible reclassification of cannabis provides cautious optimism, say attorneys at Duane Morris.