We have blogged previously about the intersection of fraud and bankruptcy. A recent decision from the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California justifies an addition to that series of posts.
Thomas...more
Publicly, Diamond Finance Co. (“Diamond”) provided car loans to individuals with less-than-stellar credit. While Diamond did have “some actual business,” its purpose “quickly became a front to lure unsuspecting investors.”...more
Judge Jacqueline P. Cox recently found that three Illinois attorneys violated their ethical obligations by failing to return their client’s phone calls. She thus ordered the attorneys to return half of their...more
After years of litigation involving state, federal, Irish, and (to a lesser extent) Swiss law; transfers of numerous assets, including Ireland’s priciest-personal residence; a jury trial; and extensive post-trial briefing,...more
Bankruptcy Judge James J. Tancredi appeared to give a chapter 7 debtor one last chance to avoid being incarcerated.
In adversary proceedings arising out of the bankruptcy of a thrice-convicted former stockbroker, In re...more
When he was appointed by the Eleventh Circuit, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Peter D. Russin probably did not expect to have to decide who has rights to the Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok handles associated with social-media-forward...more
6/27/2023
/ Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inventions ,
Marketing ,
Personal Brands ,
Social Media ,
Social Selling ,
Summary Judgment ,
Vital Pharmaceuticals
Although in the Ninth Circuit the decision to revisit an order under FRCP 60 is “highly discretionary,” judges still must explicitly grapple with the relevant factors. That was the clear message sent by Judge Haywood Gilliam...more
5/2/2023
/ Appeals ,
Bankruptcy Court ,
California ,
Chapter 11 ,
Class Action ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Investors ,
PG&E ,
Remand ,
Securities Litigation
In a recent per curium opinion, the Fifth Circuit recommitted to its practice of dismissing claims against court-appointed fiduciaries when plaintiffs fail to obtain permission before bringing suit. The court rested its...more
Medibank, one of Australia’s largest private health insurers, detected a ransomware attack in October 2022. The attackers, believed to be part of a criminal organization based in Russia, exfiltrated approximately 9.7 million...more
The ramifications of uneven increases to fees in chapter 11 bankruptcies continue to ripple through federal courts.
As we discussed previously, Congress enacted legislation in 2017 that temporarily increased U.S....more
The owners of an ambitious Hawaiian golf project in the Makaha Valley of Oahu said Aloha (hello) to new owners, and Aloha (goodbye) to old debt obligations...more
A Delaware bankruptcy court recently held that Texas’s “trust fund doctrine” remains applicable for companies that have not availed themselves of Texas’s formal dissolution process. Nonetheless, fiduciary claims by a...more
6/30/2022
/ Bankruptcy Court ,
Breach of Duty ,
Business Litigation ,
Chapter 7 ,
Debtors ,
Delaware ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Texas ,
Trust Funds ,
Trustees ,
TX Supreme Court
“[E]nsnared between his involvement in a business that is legal under the laws of Arizona but illegal under federal law,” one debtor’s chapter 13 petition was recently dismissed due to his undisputed violations of the...more
“Messrs. Woods and Wu are fraudsters,” Judge Christopher S. Sontchi declared in the opening salvo of his scathing opinion. According to the former Chief Judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Woods...more
11/29/2021
/ Bankruptcy Court ,
CARES Act ,
Civil Contempt Orders ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Debtors ,
Delaware ,
Evidence ,
Fraud ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Relief Measures
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, we have focused on the significant uptick in ransomware attacks. Government agencies such as OFAC, CISA, and New York’s DFS have updated their guidance on how to prepare for and respond to...more
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Craig A. Gargotta rejected a debtor’s attempt to use “CARES Act” funds, which it did not actually qualify for, to pay creditors in its chapter 11 case.
BR Healthcare Solutions (the “Debtor”)...more
10/20/2021
/ Bankruptcy Court ,
CARES Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Creditors ,
Debtors ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Healthcare ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Small Business
Judge Stacey Jernigan did not mince words in a recent opinion sanctioning the former CEO of Highland Capital Management, LP. Entities related to the former CEO brought suit against Highland (the debtor in a Chapter 11...more
As we reported, on June 21, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to revisit the rigid Brunner standard for determining “undue hardship” capable of discharging student debt. The same day, United States Bankruptcy Judge...more
United States Bankruptcy Judge Harlin Hale recently dismissed the National Rifle Association’s Chapter 11 petition as not filed in good faith. The decision leaves the 150-year-old gun-rights organization susceptible to the...more
The recent SolarWinds attack alerted the world to the risk of a cyber supply chain attack—an attack through or on your company’s vendors or suppliers. It is increasingly clear that even if you take all the right steps to...more
When serving pleadings in an adversary proceeding, you may want to skip the certified option and go with regular first-class mail, or do both.
Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 7004 governs service of process in...more
Last November, California voters approved Proposition 24, enacting the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”). The CPRA amends the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which was already the most sweeping consumer data...more
3/24/2021
/ California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) ,
Consent ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Sellers ,
Information Governance ,
Notice Requirements ,
Opt-Outs ,
Personal Data ,
Personal Information
Perfect your liens on time or you may lose them. That’s the painful lesson U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Karen B. Owens taught Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. in her recent decision.
Ruling on plaintiff-debtor Southland Royalty...more
On December 13, the software and service provider SolarWinds announced that its Orion software platform had been the target of a sophisticated cyber-attack that may have resulted in malicious code being pushed to as many as...more
On November 30, 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a new right of publicity statute into law, which will take effect 180 days after enactment. The law allows successors in interest of deceased “performers” and...more