Large Cap
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April 25, 2024
3rd Circ. Lets Mallinckrodt Off Sanofi's Royalty Hook
A Third Circuit panel said Thursday that Mallinckrodt PLC's Chapter 11 bankruptcy could sever its obligation to pay Sanofi-Aventis US LLC royalties on sales of an autoimmune disease drug, finding that Sanofi's contract to sell Mallinckrodt the rights to the drug created a claim ripe to be extinguished.
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April 25, 2024
DOJ Still Owes Victims After $139M Nassar Settlement
The federal government's $139 million settlement for victims of convicted sexual abuser Larry Nassar goes a long way toward holding the FBI responsible for its egregious mishandling of the victims' allegations, but gives no assurance that such complaints in the future will be handled properly, legal experts say.
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April 25, 2024
Express Inc. Bankruptcy Tests Once And Future Mall 'Darling'
Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Express Inc. made a fateful decision to invest more in its retail clothing stores despite dwindling profits as consumers increasingly embraced online shopping. That left the company ill-prepared for the e-commerce boom to come in 2020 — and set it on a path that culminated in its bankruptcy filing this week.
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April 25, 2024
Labcorp Makes $239M Bid In Invitae's Ch. 11 Auction
SoftBank-backed genetic testing company Invitae has informed a New Jersey bankruptcy judge that its asset sale auction resulted in a successful $239 million cash bid, along with other noncash considerations, from laboratory services giant Labcorp.
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April 24, 2024
Jury Must Decide Law Firms' Fee Dispute Over Nassar Suits
A jury will need to decipher the terms of an agreement in a fee dispute between Andrus Wagstaff PC and Lipton Law Center PC for joint representation of the survivors of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, a Michigan federal judge ruled Wednesday, partially rejecting Andrus Wagstaff's summary judgment bid.
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April 24, 2024
Kwok Jurors To Be Anonymous Amid Harassment Concerns
Jurors who will decide the criminal fraud and racketeering case against exiled Chinese billionaire Ho Wan Kwok will be anonymous and partially sequestered, a New York federal judge said on Wednesday, ruing that if their identities are revealed they could face the same harassment that befell Kwok's bankruptcy trustee.
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April 24, 2024
Nuclear Fuel Co. Investor Sues Over Hair-Trigger 'Poison Pill'
A Centrus Energy Corp. stockholder on Wednesday hit the company, as well as current and former directors, with a proposed class action in Delaware Chancery Court, challenging allegedly hair-trigger shareholder rights "poison pill" restrictions that activate anti-takeover measures based on a relatively low share ownership percentage.
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April 24, 2024
Meet The Team Guiding Retailer Express Inc. Through Ch. 11
Fashion retailer Express Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection Monday in Delaware with more than $1 billion in debt, saying it has an offer from a group of buyers for the majority of its assets, including its stores.
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April 24, 2024
Noteholders Say Chilean Telecom Lacks US Ties For Ch. 11
A group of WOM SA noteholders asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge to dismiss the Chilean cellphone network operator's Chapter 11 case, saying the company has no connections with the United States and courts here don't have jurisdiction over the company's assets.
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April 24, 2024
Oligarch's Family Can't Nix €1.5B Bankruptcy Bid
The widow and a daughter of the late Russian cement oligarch Oleg Bourlakov stumbled in their global legal battle with relatives over his fortune after a London judge declined to stop €1.48 billion ($1.59 billion) bankruptcy proceedings in St. Petersburg.
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April 24, 2024
7th Circ. Revives Suit Over Paper Co.'s ESOP Valuation
The Seventh Circuit reopened a suit claiming executives at a defunct paper company and financial advisers overvalued the business to persuade workers to put retirement savings into an employee stock ownership plan, saying a lower court viewed the allegations too narrowly when it tossed the case.
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April 23, 2024
WeWork Urged To Add Info Ahead Of Ch. 11 Plan Doc Hearing
Bankrupt flexible office space company WeWork Inc. will present its Chapter 11 plan disclosure statement for court approval April 29 in New Jersey, but a judge there urged the debtor to add significant information to the document ahead of that hearing, which the court scheduled on shortened notice.
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April 23, 2024
Del. Atty Tapped To Probe Oakland Diocese's Ch. 11 Fees
A California bankruptcy judge Tuesday gave his blessing to appoint a fee examiner in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland despite his initial trepidation over hiring a Delaware lawyer with potential connections to the lawyers whose bills will be under the microscope.
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April 23, 2024
Retailer Express Inc. Gets OK To Tap $35M In DIP Financing
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Tuesday said she would approve Express Inc.'s request to borrow $35 million in debtor-in-possession financing and to roll up other debt so that the apparel retailer can stay afloat during its Chapter 11 proceedings and a planned sale of assets.
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April 23, 2024
ABI Names Christopher Ward President, Elects New Directors
Christopher A. Ward of Polsinelli LLP will lead the American Bankruptcy Institute as president for a one-year term, the organization said Tuesday, and U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Bruce Harwood will succeed him next April.
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April 23, 2024
DOJ Unveils $139M Deal For Larry Nassar Victims
The U.S. Department of Justice will pay $138.7 million to settle 139 tort claims accusing the Federal Bureau of Investigation of not doing enough to stop the sprawling, decades-long sexual abuse of hundreds of victims at the hands of USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar, according to a Tuesday announcement.
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April 22, 2024
Alex Jones' InfoWars To Have Key Ch. 11 Plan Hearing In June
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Monday rescheduled to June 14 a key hearing on how the court should handle Alex Jones' media company Free Speech Systems LLC's Chapter 11, adding that he plans to keep the separate but interwoven bankruptcies of Jones and his company moving forward.
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April 22, 2024
Subchapter V Report, Express Hits Ch. 11, NY Diocese Fallout
The American Bankruptcy Institute held its annual spring meeting last week, where a task force on Subchapter V presented its report and recommendations on small-business bankruptcy filings, and clothing retailer Express Inc. landed in Chapter 11 with more than $1 billion in debt.
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April 22, 2024
Endo Creditor Trust Asks For $50M In Litigation Financing
The committee of unsecured creditors in the Chapter 11 case of pharmaceutical company Endo International asked a New York bankruptcy judge Monday for permission to enter into a $50 million secondary financing facility to help the creditor trust created under the company's bankruptcy plan pursue litigation and settlements of potential claims.
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April 22, 2024
Ebix Can Use Proceeds Of $386M Sale To Pay Down Debt
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Monday agreed to grant insurance software provider Ebix's request to tap a portion of the $386 million sale of its North American life and annuity assets to repay its prepetition lenders' secured claims.
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April 22, 2024
Clothing Retailer Express Inc. Hits Ch. 11 With Sale Offer
Fashion retailer Express Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection Monday in Delaware to help tame roughly $1.2 billion in debt, saying it has an offer from a group of buyers for the majority of its assets, including its retail store locations.
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April 19, 2024
SBF Inks Deal To Help FTX Investors Go After Promoters
Investors who launched multidistrict litigation over cryptocurrency exchange FTX's collapse asked a Florida federal judge Friday to bless their settlement with founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who has agreed to assist in their case against celebrities who promoted the platform and other defendants alleged to be part of the fraud scheme.
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April 19, 2024
Creditor Committee Backs Yellow In Pension Fund Fight
The official committee of unsecured creditors in Yellow Corp.'s Chapter 11 bankruptcy has largely backed an objection from the debtor to several pension plans' claims for retirement-fund withdrawal liability, while saying it hopes the issues can be resolved quickly to reduce costs.
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April 19, 2024
NY Diocese Claims Rep Warns Of 'Disaster' If Ch. 11 Scrapped
The future claims representative for sex abuse victims in the bankruptcy case of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre told a New York judge Friday he could not "stand mute while this case barrels on toward disaster," after the organization moved to dismiss its case earlier this month.
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April 19, 2024
Bankruptcy Sets Stage For Big Healthcare Buying Frenzy
The recent surge of healthcare bankruptcy cases has created an environment where Chapter 11's unique rules make it a prime vessel for larger enterprises to gobble up the foundering healthcare businesses of a post-pandemic world, experts say.
Expert Analysis
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Co. Directors Must Beware Dangers Of Reverse Factoring
New accounting requirements governing the disclosure of so-called reverse-factoring programs have revealed billions of dollars worth of hidden liabilities on companies’ ledgers, and directors of corporate boards should review their companies’ books for this hidden danger, say Garland Kelley at Looper Goodwine, Amin Al-Sarraf at Locke Lord and Jill Basinger at Discovery Land.
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Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence
Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Why 7th Circ. Libel Ruling Is Crucial For The Media
As more defamation plaintiffs attorneys argue that allowing a published statement to remain online after additional evidence of falsity emerges equates to actual malice, the Seventh Circuit's recent National Police Association v. Gannett opinion should be lauded by the media and online publishers as a favorable decision, say attorneys at Vedder Price.
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Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes
Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.
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3 Cases Show Tensions Between Arbitration And Insolvency
The intersection of international arbitration and insolvency may influence the formulation of litigation strategy on a global scale, and several recent cases illustrate the need for counsel to understand how courts are varying in their approaches, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Air Ambulance Ch. 11s Show Dispute Program Must Resume
Air Methods’ recent bankruptcy filing highlights the urgent need to reopen the No Surprises Act’s independent dispute resolution program for air ambulances, whose shutdown benefits insurance companies and hurts providers, says Adam Schramek at Norton Rose.
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Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys
Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.
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Why Delaware ABCs Are No Longer As Easy As 1-2-3
In light of the Court of Chancery's recent focus on additional disclosures, the assignment for the benefit of creditors process in Delaware may no longer be as efficient as it once was, and companies should be prepared to provide significantly more information leading up to an ABC, say attorneys at Goodwin.
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Diamond Sports Cases Shed Light On Executory Contracts
Recent Texas bankruptcy cases involving telecast fees payable by Diamond Sports to certain Major League Baseball teams provide a window into the dynamic relationship that can develop between debtors and counterparties under some executory contracts, say Joseph Badtke-Berkow and Robin Spigel at Allen & Overy.
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Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Performing in a classic rock cover band has driven me to hone several skills — including focus, organization and networking — that have benefited my professional development, demonstrating that taking time to follow your muse outside of work can be a boon to your career, says Michael Gambro at Cadwalader.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'
The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.
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Balancing Justice And Accountability In Opioid Bankruptcies
As Rite Aid joins other pharmaceutical companies in pursuing bankruptcy following the onslaught of state and federal litigation related to the opioid epidemic, courts and the country will have to reconcile the ideals of economic justice and accountability against the U.S. Constitution’s promise of a fresh start through bankruptcy, says Monique Hayes at DGIM Law.
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SVB Bankruptcy Case Raises Asset Control Questions
The initial disputes in Silicon Valley Bank's bankruptcy case between the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the debtor over tax refunds and deposits are likely to signal the rekindling of old battles for limited assets last fought during the Great Recession, say Jeffrey Rothleder and Maura McIntyre at Squire Patton.