Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy

In PC P.R., LLC v. Empresas Martínez Valentín Corporation (In re: Empresas Martínez Valentín Corporation), the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit addressed whether a creditor’s appeal from a merits ruling by the bankruptcy court in an adversary proceeding was timely when the creditor only appealed after the bankruptcy court decided a long-pending motion for attorney’s fees and costs. The court dismissed the appeal because the time limit in which the appeal had to be made under Fed. R. App. P. 4 and Fed. R. Bankr. P. 8002(a)(1) starts running even if the lower court still has before it a request for attorney's fees or costs. (January 28, 2020)

In In re: Financial Oversight & Management Board, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit addressed whether bondholders had a valid claim on the assets of Puerto Rico’s public employee pension system. The court found that pension contributions are not a fee and that Puerto Rico's Employees Retirement System did not have a pre-bankruptcy right to them, and therefore post-bankruptcy contributions are shielded from bondholder claims. (January 30, 2020)

In Ritzen Group, Inc. v. Jackson Masonry, LLC, the United States Supreme Court addressed the finality of a bankruptcy court order denying relief from an automatic stay on a creditor’s separate debt-collection case. The state court debt-collection litigation was put on hold by 11 U.S.C. §362(a), which provides that filing a bankruptcy petition automatically stays creditors’ debt-collection efforts outside the umbrella of the bankruptcy case. Reasoning that the automatic stay presents a discrete dispute qualifying as an independent “proceeding” under 28 U.S.C. §158(a), the Court held that a bankruptcy court’s order unreservedly denying relief from the automatic stay constitutes a final, immediately appealable order(January 14, 2020)

In HomeBanc Mortgage v. Bear Stearns, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed the permissibility of a non-breaching party’s liquidation of defaulted mortgage-backed securities subject to repurchase agreements where the breaching party had declared bankruptcy. The court held that the liquidation was exempt from the automatic bankruptcy stay because the non-breaching party had not sought any legal claim for damages and had no excess proceeds from the liquidation. The court upheld the bankruptcy court’s finding that the non-breaching party acted in good faith in its post-default valuation of the securities through an auction. (December 24, 2019)

In In re Tribune Company Fraudulent Conveyance Litigation, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit addressed whether a safe harbor provision codified in the Bankruptcy Code preempted creditors’ claims for constructive fraudulent transfer against former stockholders who had their shares purchased by the debtor in a pre-bankruptcy leveraged buyout. The court found that the safe harbor provision preempted the fraudulent transfer claims because the stock sale was made by a financial institution and concerned securities, namely the stocks. (December 19, 2019)

In In re: Joy Denby-Peterson, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals addressed whether, upon notice of the debtor’s bankruptcy, a secured creditor’s failure to return collateral that was repossessed pre-bankruptcy petition is a violation of the automatic stay. The court held a secured creditor does not have an affirmative obligation under the automatic stay to return a debtor’s collateral to the bankruptcy estate immediately upon notice of the debtor’s bankruptcy because the failure does not constitute an act to exercise control over the property. (October 28, 2019)

In Darr v. Dos Santos (In re TelexFree, LLC), the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit considered whether, in a bankruptcy involving a Ponzi scheme wherein some subscribers directly paid their membership fees and others paid it to the member who recruited them, the debtor had a property interest in the payments made by the new members to existing members. The court found that a property interest did exist because the membership fees were functionally equivalent to the fees paid directly to the debtor. (October 29, 2019)

In Hackler v. Arianna Holdings Company, LLC, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit found that the transfer of real estate title under New Jersey’s tax foreclosure procedures may be voided as “preferential” under § 547(b) of the United States Bankruptcy Code. The court found the transfer was “preferential” as it was made for the benefit of the creditor defendant for an antecedent debt, while the plaintiff’s debtors were insolvent and within 90 days of their bankruptcy, and allowed the defendant debt to recover more funds than it would have under a Chapter 7 proceeding. (September 12, 2019)

In Wolfington v. Reconstructive Orthopaedic Associates II, P.C., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed the requirements of the “written agreement” as delineated in Regulation Z, the implementing regulation of the Truth in Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. §1 et seq. The court found that Regulation Z does not necessarily require a written agreement meet all the formalities of a contractual agreement, but requires, at least, that the agreement be executed or signed by the customer. (August 20, 2019)

In Taggart v. Lorenzen, Executor of the Estate of Brown, the United States Supreme Court held that a creditor may be held in civil contempt for violating a bankruptcy court’s discharge order if there is “no fair ground of doubt” as to whether the order barred the creditor’s conduct. This case centered on arguments over whether the debtor “returned to the fray” of pre-petition litigation which would thereby make him liable for attorneys’ fees. In the alternative, if the debtor had not “returned to the fray,” the creditor would be in violation of the bankruptcy court’s discharge order for attempting to collect such fees. The Court found that civil contempt sanctions are appropriate when there is “no objectively reasonable basis for concluding that the creditor’s conduct might be lawful under the discharge order.” (June 3, 2019)

In Mission Product Holdings, Inc. v. Tempnology, LLC, the United States Supreme Court addressed whether a bankrupt trademark licensor’s rejection of a trademark license terminates the licensee’s right to use the licensed mark. The Court held that a debtor’s rejection of an executory contract under the Bankruptcy Code has the same effect as a breach of that contract outside bankruptcy, and that such an act cannot rescind rights that the contract previously granted. (May 20, 2019)

In Obduskey v. McCarthy & Holthus LLP, the United States Supreme Court addressed the meaning of a “debt collector” under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The Court held that a business engaged in only a nonjudicial foreclosure proceeding is not a debt collector within the meaning of the FDCPA, except for the limited purpose of enforcing security interests as set forth in the FDCPA. (March 20, 2019)

In Shearer v. Titus, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed how courts should measure liability when faced with an account owned by spouses as tenants by the entireties that contain deposits consisting of both fraudulent wages and non-fraudulent other sources, and from which cash is spent on both permissible household necessities and impermissible expenditures. The court held that when an insolvent spouse’s wages are deposited into the entireties account, both spouses are fraudulent transferees. The court additionally determined that courts should generally presume that wage deposits were spent on non-necessary expenditures in proportion to the overall share of wages in the account as a whole instead of requiring a trustee to trace how wage deposits were expended. (February 20, 2019)

In Vargas v. Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, the Supreme Court of New York, Appellate Division, 1st Department, considered whether there was any basis for finding that discontinuance of the prior foreclosure action constituted an affirmative act by the defendant to revoke the acceleration of the plaintiff’s debt. Here, the court concluded that in view of the defendant’s continued efforts to accelerate the plaintiff’s debt, including sending letters attempting to collect from the plaintiff the accelerated debt and stating that any payments made “will not be deemed a waiver of the acceleration of the plaintiff loan,” there was no basis to find that the defendant revoked the acceleration of the plaintiff’s debt. (January 31, 2019)

In Schultz, Jr. v. Midland Credit Management, Inc. the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit considered whether a statement in a debt collection letter—falsely indicating that debt forgiveness under $600 could be reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)—violated the broad-sweeping Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The FDCPA’s § 1692e states that “[a] debt collector may not use any false, deceptive, or misleading representation or means in connection with the collection of any debt.” Under the low “least sophisticated debtor” objective standard, the court determined that the statement could present a false or misleading view of the law and be designed to scare or intimidate debtors to pay outstanding debts (even as the creditor knew that a forgiven debt under $600 could not be reported to the IRS). (September 24, 2018)

In In Re Tribune Media Company, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether the Bankruptcy Court has statutory and constitutional authority to decide a litigant’s employment discrimination claims. The court found that, where the litigant fails to object to the Bankruptcy Court’s authority during the bankruptcy proceedings, the litigant voluntarily submits to the court’s jurisdiction. (September 5, 2018)

In In Re Arctic Glacier International, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit considered whether a shareholder who purchased shares in a bankrupt company could bring a claim against the company and its officers arising out of post-confirmation acts to carry out the bankruptcy plan. The court held that, because the shareholder was a post-confirmation transferee who was aware of the bankruptcy plan at the time of purchase and who had representation in the purchase, the shareholder was a transferee who was bound by the plan including the liability releases therein, and could not bring suit. (August 20, 2018)

In Person v. Dedvukaj, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 1st Department, addressed whether an attorney could bring claims in state court to recover legal fees relating to a state foreclosure action of entities that had already filed bankruptcy petitions. Considering that the claims arose only in connection with the plaintiff’s employment as special litigation counsel to the debtors in the bankruptcy action, the court held that the claims had to be raised in the bankruptcy court, even if some work postdated the confirmation of the reorganization plan. (July 10, 2018)

In US Bank v. The Village at Lakeridge, the United States Supreme Court addressed which standard of review - clear-error or de novo - should apply to an appeal of a bankruptcy court’s determination of “insider” creditor status. Under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, a bankruptcy court may confer “insider” status on any creditor whose transactions with a debtor were not at arm’s length. Importantly, once branded as an “insider,” the creditor is shorn of its voting rights on any court-approved reorganization plan for the debtor. Ultimately, the court held that the deferential clear-error standard of review applies to these determinations. (March 5, 2018)

In Merit Management Group v. FTI Consulting, the United States Supreme Court considered how the securities safe harbor of the Bankruptcy Code operates when a transfer was executed via one or more transactions. The court concluded that the relevant transfer is the transfer that the bankruptcy trustee seeks to avoid. If an entity covered by the exception is only a component part of the transaction, the safe harbor does not apply. (February 27, 2018)

In New Gold Equities Corporation v. Jaffe Spindler Company, the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, addressed whether the miscalculation of the amount owed in a payoff statement by an indenture trustee-bank was a ministerial task that required due care. The court held when the payoff amount may be modified based on various circumstances and is not easily ascertainable; the task is not a ministerial task. Further, the indenture agreement did not explicitly require the indenture trustee to provide payoff figures, and the duties of indenture trustees are limited to those set forth in indenture agreements under the Trust Indenture Act. (February 28, 2018)

IJP Morgan Chase Bank v. Taggart, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania granted a petition for allowance of appeal on the following issue: whether a lender/mortgagee whose first complaint in mortgage foreclosure against a borrower/mortgagor was dismissed is required to send a new Notice of Intention to Foreclose pursuant to 41 P.S. § 403(a) (Act 6 Notice) prior to filing a second complaint in mortgage foreclosure. (February 22, 2018)

In re Old Cold LLC, f/k/a Tempnology, LLC, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit addressed the protections of §363(m) of the Bankruptcy Code to a purchaser of a bankruptcy estate and whether a company, who purchased the assets of a Chapter 11 debtor, lacked knowledge of an adverse claim thus fulfilling the requirements of a good faith purchaser under §363(m) of the Bankruptcy Code. Holding that the purchasing company did not have knowledge of an adverse claim, the court explained that there is a difference between knowledge of objections to the purchase and knowledge of an adverse claim. Thus, it mattered not that the purchasing company knew that another company would appeal the sale or that the other company had objections to the sale. (January 12, 2018)

In Philadelphia Entertainment & Development Partners, LP v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Court addressed whether a fraudulent transfer claim relating to a license revocation is barred by the Rooker-Feldman doctrine. The court found that the fraudulent transfer claim amounted to a challenge to the Commonwealth’s failure to return the value of the revoked license, and not a challenge to the legitimacy of the revocation as determined by state court. Accordingly, the court held that the Rooker-Feldman doctrine, which generally deprives federal courts of jurisdiction over claims that are “essentially appeals from state-court judgments,” did not bar the claim. (January 11, 2018)

In Crystallex International Corporation v. Petroleos De Venezuala, S.A, the United States Court of Appeal for the Third Circuit addressed whether a transfer by a non-debtor can be a fraudulent transfer under the Delaware Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act. Predicting how the Supreme Court of Delaware would answer the question, the court held that transfer by a non-debtor cannot be a fraudulent transfer under the Act. (January 3, 2018)

In Vaughan v. Standard General L.P., the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 1st Department, addressed a former shareholder of American Apparel Inc.’s ability to maintain a derivative action against the largest creditor of American Apparel at the time of its bankruptcy. The former shareholder’s claims were derivative in that they were based on allegations that the creditor controlled the board, permitted American Apparel to assume debt, and then later recovered that debt in the bankruptcy proceeding. The court held that the former shareholder could not maintain the derivate claims because the claims were released in the bankruptcy plan, he never made a demand to the board to pursue the claims, and he did not dispute that he was no longer a shareholder. (October 24, 2017)

In Lizbeth Vargas-Colon v. Fundacion Damas, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that, after a hospital operator filed for bankruptcy and failed to pay the entire agreed settlement amount to an injured child for alleged medical malpractice, the child and her family members failed to state a claim against a real estate holding company that owned the hospital facility and leased the premises to a separate operating entity. The court further held that the child and her family’s vicarious liability claims were precluded by a previous ruling in the bankruptcy court. (July 19, 2017)

In In re Ross, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether the Bankruptcy Code prohibits a bankruptcy court from issuing a filing injunction against a debtor who requests voluntary dismissal under 11 U.S.C. § 1307(b). The court held that, absent any prohibition in the Bankruptcy Code, a bankruptcy court has the authority to issue a filing injunction even in the context of approving a debtor’s § 1307(b) voluntary dismissal. (June 8, 2017)

In In Re Klaas v. Shovlin, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether bankruptcy courts in Chapter 13 proceedings have discretion to grant a brief grace period and discharge debtors who cure an arrearage in their payment plan shortly after the expiration of the plan term. The court held that the Bankruptcy Code does permit a bankruptcy court to grant such a grace period. (June 1, 2017)

In Midland Funding, LLC v. Johnson, the United States Supreme Court addressed whether a proof of claim in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy case, which is obviously barred by the statute of limitations, is a false, deceptive, misleading, unfair, or unconscionable debt collection practice under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The Court held that the fact that a claim is unenforceable does not make a proof of that claim false, deceptive, or misleading. Further, the Court did not find the practice unfair or unconscionable in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy case, as there is little concern that the consumer may unwittingly repay a time-barred debt. (May 15, 2017)

In Giacchi v. United States of America Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals considered whether an IRS 1040 form, filed after the IRS made an assessment of the taxpayer’s liability, constitutes a “return” for purposes of determining the dischargeability of tax debts in bankruptcy. The court held that the taxpayer’s debts to the IRS were not dischargeable in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceeding because the taxpayer failed to file tax returns for the years in question and belatedly-filed 1040s are not “returns” within the meaning of 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(1)(B). (May 5, 2017)

In In Re Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit confirmed the district court’s judgment that the claims of thousands of Lehman Brothers employees who held restricted stock units must be subordinated to the claims of general creditors because the former arose from the purchase or sale of securities. When Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, restricted stock awarded to employees between 2003 and 2008 was essentially rendered worthless. The court confirmed that the claims at issue must be subordinated under the relevant statute because, (1) restricted stock units are securities, (2) the claimants acquired them in a purchase, and (3) the claims for damages arise from that purchase or the asserted rescission thereof. (May 4, 2017)

In In Re Linear Electric Company, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether a supplier can file a construction lien under New Jersey law when the contractor has filed a petition for bankruptcy, which automatically stays any act to create or perfect any lien against the contractor’s property. The court held that the accounts receivable were part of the bankruptcy estate because the ability of a supplier to create a construction lien depended on the existence of the bankrupt contractor’s accounts receivable and therefore the automatic stay prevented the filing of the liens. (March 30, 2017)

In Motorworld, Inc. v. Benkendorf, the Supreme Court of New Jersey addressed whether a corporation’s release of a debt constituted a constructively fraudulent transfer under the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (UFTA), N.J.S.A. 25:2-20 to -34. The court, undertaking a fact-sensitive inquiry, held that the disputed transfer was not made for “reasonably equivalent value” and all of the elements of a constructively fraudulent transfer claim under the N.J.S.A. 25:2-27(a) provision of the UFTA had been established. (March 30, 2017)

In Goat Island South Condominium v. IDC Clambakes, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit reviewed whether two title-holding associations were entitled to equitable relief from the debtor’s in a bankruptcy case. The court held that the title-holding associations were not entitled to equitable relief because there was no implied-in-fact contract between themselves and the debtor, and they did not suffer a net loss from the debtor’s lease and operation of the property. (March 24, 2017)

In Carlyle CIM Agent, LLC. v. Trey Resources I, LLC, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 1st Department, addressed the enforceability of a forum selection clause between a lender and a borrower which required any cause of action against the lender to be commenced exclusively in New York state or federal court. The court held that the forum selection clause applied to counterclaims in Oklahoma brought by the borrower against the lender in a related foreclosure proceeding because “there is no distinction between a claim and a counterclaim” and because “the transactions upon which the counterclaim is based are inseparable from and may constitute a defense to the main claim.” The court therefore denied the borrower’s motion to dismiss the New York proceeding under CPLR 3211(a)(4)(March 23, 2017)

In Czyzewski v. Jevic Holding Corporation, the United States Supreme Court addressed whether a negotiated Chapter 11 bankruptcy settlement involving a structured dismissal in which lower-priority creditors would be paid ahead of individuals with a priority wage claim was appropriate. The court held that bankruptcy courts may not approve structured dismissals that provide for distributions that do not follow ordinary priority rules without the consent of affected creditors, and therefore proposed structure dismissal should not have been approved. (March 22, 2017)

In Knoll v. Uku, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania voided a debtor’s transfer of property from his name into a tenancy by the entirety with his wife. The transfers were fraudulent under the Pennsylvania Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act even though they occurred before a judgment was entered against the debtor because the creditor’s right to payment arose prior to the transfers. (January 12, 2017)

In Bates v. CitiMortgage, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit addressed whether an IRS Form 1099-A, alerting the homeowners about tax consequences of foreclosure, was a coercive attempt by the home loan company to collect on the mortgage debt. The court held that the form was not an objectively coercive attempt to collect the debt and, therefore, there was no violation of the discharge injunction provisions under the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. §524(a). (December 14, 2016)

In HSBC Bank, N.A. v. Lassman, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit addressed whether a certificate of acknowledgement for a mortgage was “materially defective.” The court held that the grantors made clear that they executed the mortgage as their “free act and deed” and, therefore, the certificate of acknowledgement was not materially defective. (December 13, 2016)

In Massachusetts Insurers Insolvency Fund v. Berkshire Bank, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts addressed whether an insolvency fund was permitted to recover workers’ compensation benefits that a bank paid to its employee. The Court held that the fund was allowed to recoup the amounts in question because they were paid by the fund on behalf of the bank within the meaning of the statute. (November 3, 2016)

In Parkview Adventist Medical Center v. U.S., the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit addressed whether the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) violated the Bankruptcy Code’s automatic stay and non-discrimination provisions when it terminated Parkview’s provider agreement two days after Parkview filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition. The court held that CMS did not violate the automatic stay provision because the termination of the provider agreement fell under the police and regulatory power exception of the code. Similarly, CMS did not violate the non-discrimination provision because CMS’ termination did not depend on Parkview’s insolvency or bankruptcy petition, but rather on Parkview’s decision to close its inpatient facilities and thereby cease to qualify as a hospital under the Medicare statute. (November 29, 2016)

In In Re Patrick Hannon, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit found that a bankruptcy petition was properly denied where the petitioner made false material statements with respect to disbursements made on his behalf during the bankruptcy proceeding. (October 10, 2016)

In Rosenberg v. DVI Receivables XVII, LLC, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit considered whether a tortious interference claim brought under state law, for damages allegedly caused by the filing of involuntary bankruptcy petitions against a businessman and his affiliated businesses, was preempted by the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. § 303(i). The court held that Bankruptcy Code § 303(i) does not preempt state law claims by non-debtors for damages based on the filing of an involuntary bankruptcy petition. (August 29, 2016)

In In re: John E. Hoover, III, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit addressed whether cause existed to convert the debtor’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The court concluded that cause existed because evidence of diminution of the bankruptcy estate was shown through the debtor’s records. Specifically, these records showed that the debtor’s business was selling inventory without replacing it with new inventory or retaining cash sufficient to offset the diminution. (July 7, 2016)

In Commonwealth of Puerto Rico v. Franklin California Tax-Free Trust, the United States Supreme Court held that Puerto Rico is a “State” for purposes of the pre-emption provision in Chapter 9 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code, and therefore the Code’s preemption provision bars Puerto Rico from enacting its own municipal bankruptcy scheme to restructure the debt of its insolvent public utilities companies. (June 13, 2016)

In Husky International Electronics, Inc. v. Ritz, the United States Supreme Court considered whether an intercompany-transfer scheme constituted “actual fraud” under the discharge exceptions of the Bankruptcy Code. The Bankruptcy Code specifically prohibits debtors from discharging debts “obtained by … false pretenses, a false representation, or actual fraud.” The Court held that the term “actual fraud” encompasses forms of fraud, including fraudulent conveyance schemes, even if those schemes do not involve “false representations.” (May 16, 2016)

In World Imports, LTD v. OEC Group New York,  the United States Court of Appeal for the Third Circuit addressed whether maritime liens on goods in a carrier’s possession for freight charges on those goods and for unpaid charges on prior shipments were unenforceable. The court held maritime liens remain in effect unless explicitly waived, even when the cargo is partially delivered. (April 20, 2016)

In Gil-De La Madrid v. Bowles Custom Pools & Spa, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit addressed whether an unsecured claim in bankruptcy court can be filed past the 90-day statutory deadline, calculated from the date of the initial creditors’ meeting. The court held that, because the 90-day deadline fell in a period between the dismissal and subsequent reinstatement of the case, the bankruptcy court was allowed to reset the deadline to account for the time the case was dismissed, and hence the claim was timely filed. (March 25, 2016)

In In Re Tribune Company Fraudulent Conveyance Litigation, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit addressed whether the automatic bankruptcy stay barred state-law claims brought by creditors of the Chapter 11 debtor against former shareholders of the debtor-in-possession. Finding that it did not, the court noted that shareholders, who cashed out in a leveraged buy-out at a premium, had been authorized by the bankruptcy court's prior orders to proceed with suit notwithstanding the stay. However, the court also found that the effect of section 546(e) precluded creditors' claims not brought by the trustee during its two-year window for bringing such claims; to hold otherwise, the court reasoned, would dilute the trustee's ability to litigate and settle claims if unable to preclude creditor's reversionary state-law claims, and would be inconsistent with the statutory intent of the bankruptcy code. (March 29, 2016)

In Verdini v. First National Bank of Pennsylvania, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania examined the legal consequences of a lender’s charge-off of a debt on the borrower’s responsibility to pay a remaining balance. The court held that where a lender issues an account statement to its borrower indicating that an outstanding loan has been charged off, such notice is not the legal equivalent of forgiving a debt and the borrower remains responsible for the balance due. Similarly, the Court concluded that the issuance of the required IRS Form 1099-C did not evidence cancellation of the borrower’s debt. (March 3, 2016)

In In re Wettach, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether the bankruptcy court appropriately allocated the burdens of persuasion and production on fraudulent transfer claims, and determined that depositing wages into an account held by the entireties constitutes the transfer of an asset under Pennsylvania law. The court held that the bankruptcy trustee or party opposing the transfer has the burden of persuasion to show the absence of reasonably equivalent value for the transfer. The court further held that the party opposing the fraudulent transfer claim must rebut the presumption against receipt of reasonably equivalent value. Finally, the court held that electing to place directly deposited wages in an entireties account can constitute a fraudulent transfer of assets under the Pennsylvania Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act. (January 20, 2016)

In In re Trump Entertainment Resorts, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether a Chapter 11 debtor-employer is able to reject the continuing terms and conditions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) after the CBA has expired. The court held that a Chapter 11 debtor-employer can reject continuing obligations under an expired CBA because it is consistent with the overarching purposes of the Bankruptcy Code. (January 15, 2016)

In Puerto Rico v. Franklin CA Tax-Free Trust, the United States Supreme Court granted a writ of certiorari to determine whether “Chapter 9 of the federal Bankruptcy Code, which does not apply to Puerto Rico, nonetheless preempts a Puerto Rico statute creating a mechanism for the commonwealth’s public utilities to restructure their debts.” (December 4, 2015)

In Forever Green Athletic Fields v. Dawson, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether an involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition may be dismissed as a bad faith filing where the statutory filing requirements had been met. The court held that where creditors’ interests in filing the involuntary petition “ran counter to the spirit of collective creditor action that should animate an involuntary filing,” the petition may be dismissed as a bad-faith filing even where the statutory filing requirements had been met. (October 16, 2015)

In Fell v. 340 Associates, LLC, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania addressed whether a  tortfeasor violated the Pennsylvania Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act when it transferred an asset shortly before judgment was entered. The court held the tortfeasor violated the statute because the plaintiff established the following badges of fraud: (1) the transfer was made shortly before the judgment, (2) the asset was substantially all of the tortfeasor’s assets, (3) the tortfeasor was insolvent shortly after the transfer, and (4) a loan from the tortfeasor to the purchaser used to finance the purchase was not a transfer of property from the purchaser or a satisfaction of an antecedent debt. (October 5, 2015)

In Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Company v. Keach, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit held that Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) did not govern the taking and perfection of a security interest in a right to payment arising under an insurance policy. The court held that the Article 9 exception for the “transfer of an interest in or an assignment of a claim under a policy of insurance” put the perfection of the rights to such insurance payments squarely outside the scope of the UCC and within the scope of Maine’s common law. (August 19, 2014)

In In Re Tribune Media Company, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reviewed the equitable mootness doctrine in appeals from a bankruptcy court’s order confirming a Chapter 11 plan of reorganization. The court found that, where the appellant sought to undo the critical component of the consummated plan, the appeal should be deemed moot. However, the court found, where the appellant sought disgorgement from other creditors of $30 million, the appeal was not moot because the relief requested would neither jeopardize the $7.5 billion plan of reorganization nor harm third parties who had justifiably relied on plan confirmation. (August 19, 2015)

In In Re: Steven S. Bocchino, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether a stockbroker’s gross recklessness constitutes knowledge and intent to deceive such that the resulting debt is nondischargeable through bankruptcy. The court ruled that gross recklessness constitutes intent to deceive, and therefore the debt incurred in that practice is nondischargeable through bankruptcy. (July 23, 2015)

In Evankavitch v. Green Tree Servicing, LLC, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit held that where a consumer sues a debt collector for violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1692, et seq., by improperly contacting third parties in pursuit of the consumer’s debt, the debt collector bears the burden of proving that the alleged improper communication falls within a statutory exception to the communication prohibition. (July 13, 2015)

In Sauer Incorporated v. Lawson, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit held that the “actual fraud” exception to discharge for bankruptcy under Chapter 13 is not limited to fraudulent misrepresentation, but also includes the knowing receipt of a fraudulent conveyance where such receipt constitutes actual, as opposed to constructive, fraud. To establish actual fraud, the debtor-transferee must be guilty of intent to defraud and not merely the passive recipient of a fraudulent conveyance. (July 1, 2015)

In Baker Botts L.L.P. v. Asarco LLC, the United States Supreme Court held that Section 327 of the Bankruptcy Code does not permit a court to award counsel fees for defending a fee application. The Court interpreted the Code as allowing only for the recovery of fees for “actual, necessary services” performed for another and held that time spent litigating a fee application does not meet the definition of “services.” (June 15, 2015)

In Aurora Loan Services, LLC v. Taylor, the New York Court of Appeals addressed whether an assignee of a mortgage had standing to commence a foreclosure action. At issue was whether the physical delivery of the note to the assignee prior to the commencement of the foreclosure action was sufficient to transfer the mortgage obligation and create standing to foreclose. The homeowner asserted that the assignee of the mortgage lacked standing because it did not possess a valid and enforceable mortgage as of the commencement of the action.  The court disagreed with the homeowner, holding that the assignee did have standing since the holder of the note is deemed the owner of the underlying mortgage loan. (June 11, 2015)

In Bank of America, N.A. v. Caulkett, the United States Supreme Court considered whether under §506(d) of the Bankruptcy Code, a Chapter 7 debtor may “strip off” a junior mortgage lien in its entirety when the outstanding debt owed to a senior lienholder exceeds the current value of the collateral. The court held the debtor may not void the junior mortgage lien if the creditor’s claim is both secured by a lien and allowed under §502 of the Bankruptcy Code. (June 1, 2015)

In CIFG Assurance North America, Inc. v. Credit Suisse Securities, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 1st Department, addressed whether claims for fraud and violations of certain provisions of Insurance Law were time-barred. At issue was whether the alleged fraud was, or could have been, discovered more than two years before the complaint was filed. Evidence was presented that showed that there was notice of the alleged fraud five years prior to the date the complaint was filed. Such notice included public reports and actions filed against the same party containing similar allegations. Since there was knowledge of possible fraud, there was a duty to conduct an inquiry at the time the information was acquired. The failure to conduct such an inquiry resulted in the court imputing knowledge of fraud from the time the information was acquired, and determining that the claims were time-barred. (May 28, 2015)

In In re: Jevic Holding Corp., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether a bankruptcy case arising under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code could be resolved with a “structured dismissal” (i.e., a dismissal of a bankruptcy petition that includes additional conditions and releases and therefore does more than merely reinstate the status quo ante) that deviates from the Bankruptcy Code’s priority system. The court held that a bankruptcy court may approve a “structured dismissal” if the court determines that there is no meaningful possibility of creating a reorganization plan or converting the claim to a Chapter 7 liquidation. The court further held that such “structured dismissal” settlements may skip a class of objecting creditors in favor of more junior creditors in the rare case when there are “specific and credible grounds to justify the deviation” and when the settlement serves the interests of the estate rather than one particular group of creditors. (May 21, 2015)

In Harris v. Viegelahn, Chapter 13 Trustee, the United States Supreme Court held that a debtor who, pursuant to section 1307(a) of the Bankruptcy Code, converts a Chapter 13 bankruptcy case to a Chapter 7 case is entitled to the return of any post-petition wages that have not yet been distributed by the Chapter 13 trustee. (May 18, 2015)

In Bullard v. Blue Hills Bank, the United States Supreme Court addressed when a debtor may appeal a bankruptcy court’s order. The Court held that a bankruptcy court’s order denying confirmation of a debtor’s proposed repayment plan is not a final order because the order does not fix the parties’ rights and obligations. Accordingly, the debtor cannot immediately appeal. (May 4, 2015)

In Christakis v. Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts addressed whether liens on real property remained valid after a bankruptcy court discharged the property owner from her debts. The bankruptcy court’s discharge, the court determined, only voided actions in personam and did not void actions in rem. Thus, the court held that under Federal and Massachusetts law the bankruptcy court’s discharge did not affect the liens on the real property. (May 6, 2015)

In In Re: Jeffrey J. Prosser, the United States Court of Appeal for the Third Circuit addressed the appropriateness of sanctions imposed on the debtor’s counsel for numerous and inflammatory submissions.  The court determined that because the filings “vexatiously and unnecessarily multiplied the bankruptcy proceedings” in bad faith, the Bankruptcy Court did not abuse its discretion in imposing sanctions. (January 26, 2015)

In re: Daniel W. Allen, Sr. v. Advanced Telecommunication Network, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for Third Circuit, considered the Bankruptcy Code’s provisions defining the property of a bankruptcy estate and determined what is required for a trustee to “recover” that property for the benefit of the estate, as provided in 11. U.S.C. § 550. The Court found that where a debtor avoids a fraudulent transfer and obtains a recovery order, it has sufficiently “recovered” those funds such that they are a part of that debtors estate under the Code. (September 26, 2014)

In Alabama Insurance Guaranty Association v. Reliance Insurance Company in Liquidation, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, determined that an insurance policy purchased by the Alabama Reinsurance Trust Fund (a fund formed under Alabama law by a group self-insured employers that provides excess coverage above the self-insured retention levels of the individual employer groups) was a policy of reinsurance rather than direct insurance and should be treated as reinsurance for purposes of claim administration.  The fact that an Alabama court held the policy to be direct insurance had no preclusive effect on the Liquidator as the Liquidator was not a party to that litigation and so neither Full Faith and Credit nor collateral estoppel applied to the Alabama court decision. (September 12, 2014)

In In re: Thelen LLP, the New York Court of Appeals addressed “whether, for purposes of administering a related bankruptcy, New York law treats a dissolved law firm’s pending hourly fee matters as its property.”  The court held that pending hourly fee matters are not partnership property or unfinished business within the meaning of New York’s Partnership Law because a law firm does not own a client or engagement, and is only entitled to be paid for services actually rendered. (July 1, 2014)

In Wirth v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania addressed whether nonresident passive investors in a limited partnership formed to purchase and manage a commercial building in Pennsylvania were subject to Pennsylvania personal income tax (PIT) when the Partnership defaulted on the mortgage and the lender foreclosed on the property. The court reasoned that the partners derived an economic benefit from the disposition of the property, namely, the cancellation of mortgage debt. Accordingly, the court held that the partners were subject to PIT for the amount of debt discharged commensurate with their proportionate share in the Partnership. (June 17, 2014)

In Weissberger v. Myers, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania held that a finding of fraud in Bankruptcy Court against the defendant which prevented the discharge of the plaintiffs’ claims did not serve as a finding of fraud under principles of res judicata or collateral estoppel in the court of common pleas because of a different burden of proof. (April 22, 2014)

In May v. SunTrust Mortgage, Inc., the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court addressed whether a borrower, who grants a mortgage in a consumer credit transaction may rescind the transaction under the Massachusetts Consumer Credit Cost Disclosure Act, defensively by way of common law recoupment after the expiration of the four-year statute of limitations for a rescission.  In noting that rescission and recoupment are distinct under Massachusetts common law, the court held that the borrower could not transpose its right to a rescission as a defensive recoupment. (April 14, 2014)

In Illinois Insurance Guaranty Fund v. Reliance Insurance Co. in Liquidation, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania considered whether expenses related to investments of guaranty fund assets should be assigned priority level (a) as administration costs and expenses under section 544 of The Insurance Department Act of 1921 (“Act”), 40 P.S. § 221.4.  A number of Guaranty Associations (GAs) argued that for priority purposes, their investment management costs should not be treated differently from other reimbursed expenses (e.g. bank costs) during liquidation proceedings. The court disagreed, reasoning that protecting investment income would be inconsistent with the Act’s primary policy objective of protecting innocent policyholders whose insurance carriers have become insolvent. Further, the Act’s language is clear that costs eligible for reimbursement are those reasonable and necessary to facilitate the GA’s duty to handle claims, and not investment expenses. (March 21, 2014)

In Pehoviak v. Deutsche Bank National Trust Co., the Massachusetts Court of Appeals considered whether the holder of the first mortgage on a property acted with good faith and reasonable diligence, where the holder of the mortgage sent a notice of foreclosure to junior lien holders in compliance with M. G. L. c. 244, § 14, but did not forward the notices to the prospective buyer after repeated requests for documentation.  The court rejected the mortgage holder’s argument that compliance with M. G. L. c. 244, § 14, satisfied its duty to act with good faith and reasonable diligence, and it held that sending notice and fulfilling its duty to the prospective buyer were two distinct issues. (March 11, 2014)

In U.S. Bank National Association v. Schumacher, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court addressed whether compliance of M. G. L. c. 244, § 35A, is part of the mortgage foreclosure process and whether the mortgagee’s failure to satisfy that statute’s requirements is an issue that may be heard in a summary process action to recover possession of land.  The court reasoned that, because it provides the mortgagor with the opportunity to cure a default in order to avoid future foreclosure proceedings, compliance with M. G. L. c. 244, § 35A is a pre-foreclosure process.  Thus, the court held that the mortgagee’s failure to comply with the statute’s requirements did not give rise to issues that were judiciable in the summary process proceeding. (March 12, 2014)

In In re: Paul Ruitenberg, III, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether a spouse’s interest in an equitable share of marital property, pending her divorce from the debtor,  is considered a pre-petition “claim” against the bankruptcy estate of the debtor-spouse for purposes of § 101(5) of the Bankruptcy Code. The court held that a non-debtor spouse has an allowable pre-petition claim against the spouse’s bankruptcy estate for equitable distribution of marital property because the contingent nature of the right to payment does not change the fact that the right to payment exists and thereby constitutes a claim. (March 13, 2014)

In Law v. Siegel, the United States Supreme Court addressed whether the Bankruptcy Court exceeded the limits of its authority when it ordered that money protected by the homestead exemption be made available to pay the defendant’s attorney fees.  The Court weighed whether the application of the plain language of the Bankruptcy Code (which would require it to reverse the Ninth Circuit)  outweighed the understandable impulse to affirm the capacity of the bankruptcy courts to punish an individual for deplorable conduct in attempting to hide income from creditors. The Court determined that while the plaintiff’s conduct was outrageous, the Court could not find a colorable basis for upholding the Ninth Circuit based on  a plain reading of the Bankruptcy Code providing the homestead exemption. (March 4, 2014)

In In re Nortel Networks Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld the denial of a motion to compel arbitration where the agreement did not reveal an intent to arbitrate in plain language.  The agreement at issue stated that the parties would “negotiate in good faith an attempt to reach agreement” as to allocation of the funds and use “dispute resolvers” if needed.  This language was not sufficiently clear to require arbitration as opposed to other forms of dispute resolution. (December 6, 2013)

In In re:  KB Toys Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit found that a trade claim that is subject to disallowance in the hands of the original claimant is similarly disallowable in the hands of a subsequent transferee.  Commonly, in bankruptcy, creditors against a debtor entity look to sell their claims as opposed to engaging in lengthy and risky litigation. Claim purchasers buy these claims and hope to receive a distribution.  The Third Circuit held that claim purchasers who purchase a claim from an entity who received a voidable preference that remains unreturned, purchases a claim that is subject to disallowance as a result of said voidable preference. (November 15, 2013)

In Munce’s Superior Petroleum Products, Inc. v. N.H. Department of Environmental Services, the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Circuit, affirmed the bankruptcy court’s decision to treat a post-petition contempt fine as an administrative expense priority under 11 U.S.C. § 503(b)(1)(A).  The contempt fine, ordered by a New Hampshire trial court against appellants for not complying with an earlier-issued state court order compelling appellants to take certain remedial measures to comply with New Hampshire environmental law, was issued after appellants filed its Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition.  The court held that, because the underlying violation of New Hampshire environmental law occurred pre-petition, the bankruptcy court was correct to rule that the automatic stay did not apply to the state court orders and to classify the fine as an administrative expense priority. (November 20, 2013)

In Simon v. FIA Card Services, N.A., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed the intersection of the Bankruptcy Code and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The court held that there was no preclusion of FDCPA claims where communications sent to a bankruptcy debtor were alleged to violate the Bankruptcy Code, but found that defendants could not comply with one law without violating the other. The debtor plaintiffs seeking Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection received a letter from defendant stating that defendant might challenge the dischargeability of the credit card debt, and including a notice of examination of the debtors’ records and offer of settlement. Since the plaintiffs received the letter through their counsel, and not directly, the court allowed the claims alleging violation of the Bankruptcy Code and civil rules governing subpoenas. The court affirmed the dismissal of plaintiffs’ claims that defendant violated the FDCPA because its requirements conflicted with a provision of the Bankruptcy Code. (October 7, 2013)

In In re AMR Corporation, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that ipso facto clauses in a nonexecutory contract are not unenforceable pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §365 (e) or any other Bankruptcy Code provision identified by the creditor, U.S. Bank Trust National Association. The court referred to the specificity of the cited provisions of the Bankruptcy Code in determining that Congress “clearly knows how to limit or negate the effect of ipso facto clauses when it wants to.” This preciseness, paired with an absence of textual support in the Code, was fatal to the creditor’s position. (September 18, 2013)

In In Re ABC Learning Centres Limited, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether an Australian insolvency proceeding should be recognized as a foreign main proceeding under Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. § 1502, and whether the debtor’s fully-encumbered property in the United States was subject to an automatic stay under 11 U.S.C. § 1520(a).  The court held that the debtor’s Australian liquidation proceeding was a foreign main proceedings pursuant to Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code and not manifestly contrary to U.S. public policy.  The court also held that, because the debtor maintained equitable interests in its U.S. property, it was considered “property of the debtor” and was subject to the automatic stay under Section 1520(a). (August 27, 2013)

In In Re Semcrude L.P., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether a creditor’s appeal challenging a bankruptcy plan was equitably moot. The court held that the appeal should not be considered equitably moot because the record did not support the debtors’ contentions that the relief requested would jeopardize the bankruptcy plan, and frustrate the public policy favoring finality of bankruptcy judgments. (August 27, 2013)

In In re: Lazy Days’ RV Center, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether a bankruptcy court had jurisdiction to rule on a post-settlement dispute involving a reorganized debtor’s assignment of a land lease after filing for bankruptcy. The court found that the bankruptcy court had jurisdiction because its opinion voiding the anti-assignment clause of a lease was not advisory. The bankruptcy court also had subject matter jurisdiction to resolve a dispute involving a settlement it had previously confirmed which would not involve it wading into the underlying state law. The court held that the bankruptcy court was not required to hold an adversary proceeding before reopening a case. (July 30, 2013)

In Law v. Siegel, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari on the following issue: 

Whether it is appropriate for the bankruptcy trustee to surcharge the debtor’s constitutionally protected homestead? (June 17, 2013)

In The Majestic Star Casino, LLC v. Barden Development, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether a debtor subsidiary’s tax status is “property” of the bankruptcy estate, and, if so, whether it is property belonging to that subsidiary or to its non-debtor corporate parent.  The debtor filed an adversary complaint, asserting that the revocation of its classification as a subchapter S corporation (QSub) by its non-debtor corporate parent caused an unlawful post-petition  forfeiture of pass-through tax benefits.  Finding that the debtor had no property interest in its QSub status, the court held that the debtor lacked standing to initiate an adversary proceeding to seek avoidance of the alleged “transfer” of its QSub status. (May 21, 2013)

In Schepisi & McLaughlin, P.A. v. Lofaro, et al., the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, reviewed a dispute between a creditor and the debtor’s former attorney over entitlement to funds held in a trust account.  The funds were recovered by the creditor in an action he brought in Florida against the debtor and a Florida corporation that owed the debtor money.  The court determined that the debtor’s former attorney failed to comply with the court rules governing charging liens and that the terms of the contingency fees may not provide the proper measure of his compensation.  As a result, an evidentiary hearing was required to ascertain what services the debtor’s former attorney performed that would warrant a fee, if any. (April 26, 2013)

In Consedine v. Penn Treaty Network America Insurance Company and American Network Insurance Company, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania addressed petitions seeking to convert the rehabilitations of two insurance company defendants into liquidations.  The court denied the request to convert the rehabilitations into liquidations since the rehabilitator failed to meet his burden of proving that continued rehabilitation would substantially increase the risk of loss to policyholders, creditors and the public, or would be futile. (December 28, 2012)

In Nuveen Municipal Trust v. Withumsmith Brown, P.C., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether the District Court had subject matter jurisdiction over a dispute arising from a loan transaction based on its relation to the bankruptcy proceeding of a non-party. The court held that federal “related to” jurisdiction exists under 28 U.S.C. § 1334(b) because the outcome of the action could conceivably affect the pool of assets available in the bankruptcy estate. The court also held that a federal court can apply the New Jersey Affidavit of Merit statute, but is not required to apply the procedural protections afforded to plaintiffs under the statute. (August 16, 2012)

In In re: Stergios Messina, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether a trustee has a duty to object to claimed exemptions within the 30-day limit imposed by Fed. R. Bankr. P. 4003(b). Under the recent United States Supreme Court decision in Schwab v. Reilly, such an objection need not be within the 30-day limit where it is based on a debtor’s market value estimation and the estate’s right to retain value in the property beyond the exempted interest.  Because the exemption at issue related to proceeds recovered by the trustee’s voidance of the debtor’s mortgage, the court held that, pursuant to Schwab, there was no 30-day time limit. (August 6, 2012)

In In re Bradley Orton, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed a debtor’s use of the “wildcard” exemption in 11 U.S.C. 522(d)(5).  The debtor had listed his interest in an oil/gas lease as $1.00 and claimed that any future appreciation was also exempt as the trustee had not objected.  In holding against the debtor, the court distinguished between claiming: (i) an asset itself or its fair market value and (ii) a specific dollar interest in an asset. (July 12, 2012)

In In re Michael Calabrese, Jr., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit considered whether retail sales taxes are excise taxes or trust fund taxes under the Bankruptcy Code.  Due to concern that failing businesses may attempt to discharge sales taxes owed to the government,  the court held that sales taxes are properly classified as estate taxes and never dischargeable. (July 20, 2012)

In In re American Capital Equipment, LLC, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed “whether a bankruptcy court can determine at the disclosure statement stage that a Chapter 11 plan is unconfirmable without first holding a confirmation hearing.  The court held that “a bankruptcy court has the authority to do so if it is obvious that the plan is patently unconfirmable, such that no dispute of material fact remain and defects cannot be cured by creditor voting.” (July 25, 2012)

In Federal Insurance Company v. DBSI, Inc., the Bankruptcy Court of Delaware decided whether the Trustee has standing to object to the payment of certain insurance policy proceeds in an interpleader action. The court found, where the debtor had no existing covered claims and there is no further possibility for coverage, the proceeds are not property of the estate; thus, the Trustee had no standing to object to the payment of insurance policy proceeds. (June 27, 2012)

In RadLAX Gateway Hotel, LLC v. Amalgamated Bank, the United States Supreme Court addressed whether a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan may be confirmed over the objection of a secured creditor pursuant to if the plan provides for the sale of collateral free and clear of the creditor’s lien, but does not permit the creditor to “credit-bid” at the sale. The Court held that such a plan may not be confirmed because the cash generated by the auction is not the “indubitable equivalent” of the creditor’s claim. (May 29, 2012)

In Wright v. Owens Corning, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit expanded the test for determining when a “claim” exists under the Bankruptcy Code as set out in the prior case of JELD-WEN, Inc. v. Van Brunt (In re Grossman’s Inc). The court held that a “claim” arises under the Code when an individual is exposed to a product or other conduct giving rise to an injury that underlies a “right to payment” under the Code. The court further held that, for persons who have “claims” under the Code based solely on the retroactive effect of the rule announced in JELD-WEN’s, those claims are not discharged when the notice given to those persons was with the understanding that they did not hold claims. (May 18, 2012)

In Dietz v. Chase Home Finance, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania affirmed the entry of judgment on the pleadings against home owners who brought negligence and defamation action against their mortgage holder. The Superior Court held that the Fair Credit Reporting Act preempted the Dietz’s claims. (April 2, 2012)

In In re Semcrude L.P., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether a creditor’s appeal challenging a bankruptcy plan was equitably moot. The court held that the appeal was equitably moot because the bankruptcy plan had been substantially consummated, the creditor had not obtained a stay, and the relief requested would have affected the rights of parties not before the court, jeopardized the plan, and frustrated the public policy favoring finality of bankruptcy judgments. (January 3, 2012)

In In re Machne Menachem, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether a corporate director’s advances to the corporation were loans entitling him to a bankruptcy claim. Because there was no documentation relating to loan terms and no intent to borrow shown on behalf of the corporation, the court held that there was insufficient evidence to characterize the advances as loans. (January 3, 2012)

In Reliance Insurance Co. in Liquidation v. Aramark Corp., the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania addressed whether the Liquidator stated a viable claim for reimbursement from Aramark for the claims paid by guaranty associations allegedly covered by a $25 million contingent liability policy under which Aramark was insured. The court dismissed the Liquidator’s Complaint for failure to exhaust statutory remedies under the Insurance Department Act and also found that the state guaranty associations must be joined as indispensable parties. (December 9, 2011)

In Tobyhanna Army Depot FCU v. Monroe County TCB, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania addressed the issue of a third-party non-debtor’s standing to assert an automatic stay under the Bankruptcy Code.  The court held that, absent a showing of unusual circumstances, the third-party non-debtor lacked standing. (November 1, 2011)

In In re: Niles C. Taylor, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether sanctions were appropriate against a creditor and its counsel for violations of Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9011.  The court held that the creditor and its counsel were subject to sanctions because they pursued a motion for relief based on claims known to be untrue, and failed to make a reasonable inquiry concerning the representations made in their motion papers. (August 24, 2011)

In IMO Gerald M. Saluti, the Supreme Court of New Jersey addressed whether disciplinary actions against lawyers fell within an exception to the Section 362 automatic bankruptcy stay.  The court held that the disciplinary sanctions fit within the governmental exception under U.S.C.A. 362(b)(4), and were enforced notwithstanding the attorney’s prior filing for bankruptcy. (August 25, 2011)

In In re: Marcal Paper Mills, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), as amended by the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act (MPPAA), the portion of withdrawal liability that is attributable to the post-petition time period constitutes an administrative expense entitled to priority under the Bankruptcy Code. The court held that withdrawal liability can be apportioned between pre- and post-petition time periods and the post-petition portion can be classified as an administrative expense. (June 16, 2011)

In In re: Stanley J. Caterbone, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether an untimely notice of appeal from a bankruptcy court ruling on a Chapter 11 petition deprives appellate courts of jurisdiction over the appeal. The court ruled that under 28 U.S.C. Section 158(c)(2) and the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, an untimely filing prevents the district and circuit court from reviewing the appeal and that such appeals are to be dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. (April 4, 2011)

In In re: Montgomery Ward, LLC, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether a plan administrator was precluded from bringing a second bankruptcy action by res judicata. The court held that because the plan administrator was not in privity with the first debtor, the second action was not barred. (March 9, 2011) 

In Commonwealth Financial Systems v. Smith, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania addressed an issue of first impression: whether computerized files of an original creditor are admissible as the business records of a successor-debt buyer. The court held that computerized business records of a predecessor company must be authenticated pursuant to Pennsylvania Rule of Evidence 803(6) which requires the proponent of documentary evidence to establish circumstantial trustworthiness. The court rejected the national trend in other federal and state courts which have held that a document prepared by a third party is properly admitted as part of the business records of the acquiring business if the business integrated the document into its records and relied upon it. (February 14, 2011)

In In Re: American Home Mortgage Holdings, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed an issue of first impression regarding the definition of "commercially reasonable determinants of value" (CRDV) in Section 562 of the Bankruptcy Code. The court held that the CRDV should be measured by the market price of the asset at issue if the market is functioning properly. The court further held that "[i]t is only when the market is dysfunctional and the market price does not reflect an asset's worth should one turn to other determinants of value." (February 16, 2011) 

In Ransom v. FIA Card Services, the Supreme Court of the United States addressed whether, under a Chapter 13 "means test" analysis, a debtor may take an ownership cost deduction for a car despite the fact that he did not make loan payments. The Court held that a debtor who does not make loan or lease payments may take an operating cost deduction, but not an ownership deduction. (January 11, 2011)

In In re: Francisco Rodriguez, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether the automatic stay provision of the Bankruptcy Code prohibits a lender from seeking to recoup unpaid pre-petition escrow payments from a bankruptcy debtor outside of the bankruptcy proceedings . Both the bankruptcy court and the district court determined that the lender was permitted to calculate the missed escrow payments outside of the bankruptcy proceeding. The Third Circuit disagreed and remanded the matter back to the district court, holding that the lender should have included its claim for unpaid escrow amounts as part of its proof of claim filed in the bankruptcy court. (December 23, 2010)

In Showalter v. Pantaleo, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania discussed whether the trial court erred in finding that the plaintiffs could not prove the continuity element of their adverse possession claim because the landowner filed for bankruptcy before the expiration of the 21 year period of occupancy. Affirming the trial court's decision, the Superior Court held that the plaintiffs could not establish that they possessed the subject property for 21 continuous years because, when the landowner filed for bankruptcy and the subject property became a part of the bankruptcy estate, their possession was interrupted. (November 18, 2010)

In Stern v. Marshall, the Supreme Court of the United States granted a Petition for Writ of Certiorari to decide questions relating to core jurisdiction in bankruptcy proceedings. In particular, the Court agreed to consider the following issues: "(1) Whether the [underlying circuit court] opinion, which renders §157(b)(2)(C) surplusage in light of §157(b)(2)(B), contravenes Congress' intent in enacting §157(b)(2)(C)"; (2) "[w]hether Congress may, under Articles I and III, constitutionally authorize core jurisdiction over debtors' compulsory counterclaims to proofs of claim"; and (3) whether the circuit court's decision creates "a circuit split ... by holding that Congress cannot constitutionally authorize non-Article III bankruptcy judges to enter final judgment on all compulsory counterclaims to proofs of claim." (September 28, 2010)

In IUE-CWA, et al. v. Visteon Corp., et al., the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit considered whether 11 U.S.C. §1114 limits a debtor's ability to unilaterally terminate or modify, during bankruptcy proceedings, those retiree benefits that it could-consistent with plan documents, collective bargaining obligations, and the prescriptions of the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974-unilaterally terminate or modify outside of bankruptcy proceedings. In relevant part, § 1114(e) restricts a trustee's ability to modify retiree benefits unless the bankruptcy court orders, or the trustee and the authorized representative agree to, the modification. The court found that § 1114 applies to all retiree benefits and restricts a debtor's ability to modify or terminate retiree benefits, regardless of whether the debtor can unilaterally terminate or modify those benefits outside of bankruptcy pursuant to language in the plan documents reserving that right. (July 13, 2010)

In Hamilton v. Lanning, the Supreme Court of the United States, addressing a Chapter 13 bankruptcy matter, considered the meaning of the term "projected disposable income," as stated in Section 1325(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005. The Court held that when considering a debtor's projected disposable income for purposes of the debtor's payments to creditors, courts must consider the debtor's actual income and use a forward-looking approach. In addition, the Supreme Court held that courts may go beyond mechanical calculations and account for changes in the debtor's income that are known, or virtually certain, at the time of confirmation. (June 7, 2010)

In Trevdan Building Supply v. Toll Brothers, Inc., the Superior Court of Pennsylvana considered whether an unpaid materialman's equitable claim was superior to a security interest possessed by an assignee of the contractor. In Trevdan, Houston Drywall, Inc. (HD) contracted with Toll Brothers, Inc. (Toll Brothers) to perform drywall work on several of Toll Brothers' residential construction projects. HD then entered into an agreement with Trevdan, the materialman, to supply the building materials for the project. Thereafter, HD sold its rights to unpaid present and future invoices to Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company (Gulf Coast). Gulf Coast sent notice of its assignment to Toll Brothers, and directed that all future payments to HD be made directly to Gulf Coast. After HD ceased operations on the project, Trevdan (the materialman) demanded payment from Toll Brothers for materials it had supplied to date. After Toll Brothers refused, Trevdan filed suit. Meanwhile, HD filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The trial court ultimately granted Gulf Coast's request for payment of all outstanding invoices and denied Trevdan's request for payment for the materials it had supplied. The Superior Court reversed, and held that "as an unpaid materialman, Trevdan holds an equitable lien against the funds Toll Brothers withheld during the construction project." The court reasoned that the contract between HD and Toll Brothers required HD to pay all outstanding liens and sums due for materials and to certify that all such payments had been made as a condition of payment under the contract. Because the contractor, HD, had breached its obligation under the agreement by not satisfying all liens and ensuring payment to its materialmen, the owner (Toll Brothers) was permitted to retain sufficient funds to satisfy HD's payment obligations. The court further held that the materialman's lien was not inferior to Gulf Coast's security interest because, among other things, "Gulf Coast's right to payment of [HD's] receivables never matured because [HD] failed to satisfy its contractual obligations." (May 28, 2010)  

In JELD-WEN v. Van Brunt, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit overruled the Frenville case and established a new test for determining when a party holds a "Claim" under the Bankruptcy Code. JELD-WEN was the successor-in-interest of a home improvement store that sold asbestos-containing products to Ms. Van Brunt in 1977. In 1997, the home improvement store filed a petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code and obtained confirmation of a Plan of Reorganization during that same year. Van Brunt first manifested symptoms of mesothelioma in 2006, and filed a complaint against JELD-WEN in 2008. JELD-WEN filed a Motion in the bankruptcy court to reopen the Chapter 11 case and sought a determination that Van Brunt's claims were discharged. Both the bankruptcy court and the district court concluded that Van Brunt's claims were not discharged because they arose after the effective date of the Plan. JELD-WEN appealed the ruling to the Third Circuit. The Third Circuit, sitting en banc, overruled its prior precedent and held that a claim arises "when an individual is exposed prepetition to a product or other conduct giving rise to an injury, which underlies a 'right to payment' under Bankruptcy Code." The court held that the prior Frenville test did not accurately determine the existence of a "Claim" under the Bankruptcy Code because it failed to account for the fact that a "Claim" can exist under the Bankruptcy Code before a right to payment exists under state law. The Third Circuit remanded the case for consideration of the facts under the new standard. (June 2, 2010)

In In re: Exide Technologies, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit addressed whether an agreement was an executory contract that could be rejected under the Bankruptcy Code. As the term is used in the Bankruptcy Code, an executory contract is one where the "obligation of both the bankrupt and the other party to the contract are so far underperformed that the failure of either to complete performance would constitute a material breach[,] excusing the performance of the other." Exide Technologies filed for bankruptcy and sought to reject an agreement with EnerSys Delaware, Inc. on the basis the it was an executory contract. The bankruptcy court held that the parties' agreement was an executory contract subject to rejection under 11 U.S.C. § 365(a). The Third Circuit reversed. The court found that EnerSys had substantially performed the contract in such a manner that none of its material obligations remained unperformed. Therefore, the contract was not executory, and Exide could not reject it. (June 1, 2010) 

In In re: Philadelphia Newspapers, LLC, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals considered the implications of section 1129(b)(2)(A) of the Bankruptcy Code on reorganization plans. Specifically, the court considered whether section 1129(b)(2)(A) requires a debtor, who proposes a sale of assets free of liens as part of a reorganization plan, to allow creditors whose loans are secured by those assets to bid their credit at the auction. The court held that section 1129(b)(2)(A) contains no statutory right to credit bidding, and that subsection (iii) unambiguously permits a debtor to proceed with any plan that provides secured lenders with the "indubitable equivalent" of their secured interest in the assets. Therefore, the Court affirmed the District Court's approval of the debtor's proposed bid procedures. (March 22, 2010)

In United Student Aid Funds, Inc. v. Espinosa, the Supreme Court of the United States considered whether a bankruptcy order that confirms the discharge of student loan debt without undertaking an undue hardship analysis and without the commencement of an adversary proceeding is a void judgment under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b)(4). In Espinosa, the debtor filed a bankruptcy petition under Chapter 13, and submitted a plan that proposed that he repay only the principal on his student loan debt, but not the interest. The creditor received notice of the plan, but did not object to the plan's proposed discharge of the student loan interest without a determination of undue hardship, nor did it object to the debtor's failure to initiate an adversary proceeding to determine the dischargeability of the debt. The bankruptcy court confirmed the plan and provided notice to the creditor, who did not respond to that notice. Some time later, the creditor sought to collect on the unpaid student loan interest that had been discharged during the bankruptcy proceedings. Although the Supreme Court found that the bankruptcy court's failure to undertake an undue hardship analysis before confirming the debtor's plan was "plain legal error," the Court held that the order was nonetheless enforceable and binding on the creditor because it had notice of the error and failed to timely appeal. Thus, the Court refused to find the judgment void under Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b)(4). (March 23, 2010)

In Official Comm. of Unsecured Creditors of Allegheny Health Educ. and Research Found. v. PriceWaterhouseCoopers, LLP, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania addressed questions of first impression under Pennsylvania law concerning the availability of an imputation-based in pari delicto defense in an auditor-liability scenario, where the plaintiff sought to recover for allegedly fraudulent conduct in which the auditor participated. Pursuant to the in pari delicto defense, where the plaintiff's culpability is at least as great as the defendant's, the action is barred. The court held that: 1) the proper test to determine the availability of defensive imputation in scenarios involving non-innocents depends on whether or not the defendant dealt with the principal in good faith; and 2) the in pari delicto defense is available in the auditor-liability setting where the auditor has materially dealt in good faith with the client-principal. (February 16, 2010) 

The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, in In re: W. R. Grace & Co., addressed a bankruptcy court's jurisdiction. W.R. Grace & Co. and the State of Montana appealed an order from the District Court for the District of Delaware that affirmed an order from the bankruptcy court denying W.R. Grace's motion to expand a preliminary injunction. The bankruptcy court's injunction applied to claims in a case involving asbestos litigation against W.R. Grace, who had sought Chapter 11 protection. The proposed expansion would have enjoined claims in a third-party lawsuit arising from W.R. Grace's mining operations. The Third Circuit affirmed, holding that a federal bankruptcy court does not have jurisdiction over a third-party lawsuit if that lawsuit would affect the bankruptcy proceeding only through the intervention of yet another lawsuit. (December 31, 2009) 

In In re: 15375 Memorial Corporation, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit considered whether the debtors' Chapter 11 bankruptcy petitions were filed in good faith. In concluding that the debtors' petitions were not filed in good faith and were, thus, properly dismissed, the court explained that the bankruptcy filings did not maximize the debtors' estate. As a result, the petitions failed to serve a valid bankruptcy purpose. The court also held that the timing of the petitions established that they were filed primarily as a litigation tactic in pending litigation in which the debtors faced substantial liability. The court reaffirmed the settled principle that "filing a Chapter 11 petition merely to obtain tactical litigation advantages is not within the legitimate scope of the bankruptcy laws. "The court also reasoned that where the timing of the Chapter 11 petition is such that "there can be no doubt that the primary, if not sole, purpose of the filing was a litigation tactic, the petition may be dismissed as not being filed in good faith." (December 22, 2009) 

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