Mid Cap
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August 21, 2025
Under The Radar: Bankruptcy News You May Have Missed
An appellate court dismissed an appeal California brought against 23andMe's bankruptcy sale after the parties agreed to end the case; Fannie Mae asked a New York bankruptcy judge to prevent the bankrupt owner of an apartment complex from using rent for Chapter 11 financing; and another New York bankruptcy judge ordered a law firm to return $30,000.
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August 21, 2025
Nikola Ch. 11 Plan Ignores Trump Pardon, Founder Says
Trevor Milton, the founder and former CEO of electric-truck maker Nikola who was convicted of securities fraud, has asked the Delaware bankruptcy court not to allow the company to subordinate his $69 million claim, saying its Chapter 11 plan doesn't accurately account for the full presidential pardon he received earlier this year.
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August 21, 2025
Pa. City Water Dept. Fights Bid To Sanction Counsel
The Chester Water Authority has urged a Pennsylvania bankruptcy court to reject the city's bid to recover about $140,000 in attorney fees as sanctions, arguing any delay in producing documents was necessary to comply with a state confidential information law.
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August 21, 2025
AmeriFirst's Global Creditor Settlement Approved In Ch. 11
Bankrupt mortgage lending company AmeriFirst Financial Inc. received court approval on Thursday in Delaware for a global settlement with creditors that resolves two years of legal disputes among the parties and opens a path for a Chapter 11 plan to be proposed by the debtor.
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August 21, 2025
Bankruptcy Trustee Axes RICO Claims Against BakerHostetler
The trustee for the Alliance Health Liquidating Trust has agreed to drop two remaining civil racketeering claims against BakerHostetler in an adversary case stemming from the law firm's representation of a bankrupt pharmacy company in 2017.
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August 21, 2025
Ore. Whiskey Distillery Asks To Add $500K To Ch. 11 Loan
Portland, Oregon-based whiskey producer House Spirits has asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge for permission to borrow an additional $500,000 in cash to finance its Chapter 11 case, raising the amount of its debtor-in-possession loan to more than $2 million.
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August 21, 2025
Meet The Attorneys Guiding Job.com's Ch. 11
A team of lawyers from Morris James LLP is leading the bankruptcy case of artificial intelligence-powered employment recruiting platform My Job Matcher Inc., which does business as Job.com, as the company plans to sell its assets through Chapter 11 proceedings.
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August 20, 2025
Meet The Acting US Trustee For Region Covering Fla., Ga.
A more than 30-year veteran of the U.S. Trustee's Office has been tapped to take over, at least for now, the bankruptcy watchdog's region covering Florida, Georgia and two U.S. territories, after the person who had been holding the post resigned last week.
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August 20, 2025
Tinkerbell Quarrel Helped Drive IMG Fragrance Co. To Ch. 11
A decadeslong dispute over a trademark for Tinkerbell fragrances and cosmetics played a major role in IMG Holdings Inc.'s decision to file for Chapter 11 earlier this month, as it now seeks to resolve the issue with a $3 million asset and trademark sale to creditor Fragrance Xtreme Inc.
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August 20, 2025
Hooters' Ch. 11 Plan's Approval Held Up By Lags Royalty Row
A Texas bankruptcy judge postponed a decision Wednesday on restaurant chain Hooters of America's Chapter 11 plan amid a dispute over whether creditor Lags Equipment holds a secured claim against the company, an issue Hooters said threatens to "imperil" its proposed restructuring.
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August 20, 2025
US Trustee Seeks Two-Year Bankruptcy Ban For NYC Pot Club
The U.S. Trustee's Office has urged a New York bankruptcy judge to block a self-described cannabis club from filing for bankruptcy for two years, saying the organization has filed a string of recent Chapter 11 petitions to thwart evictions.
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August 20, 2025
Spencer Fane Adds Hill Ward Bankruptcy Ace In Tampa
Spencer Fane has welcomed a longtime partner at Hill Ward Henderson to its Tampa, Florida, office, strengthening its bankruptcy, restructuring and creditors' rights practice, the firm announced Wednesday.
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August 20, 2025
NC Bankruptcy Atty Charged With 2nd-Degree Murder
A North Carolina bankruptcy attorney is facing murder charges after police said he shot and killed a 43-year-old man in a small town in the mountains over the weekend, court records show.
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August 20, 2025
IRS Lost Lien In Bankruptcy, Man Says In $28M Tax Battle
The Internal Revenue Service jettisoned any federal tax lien it claims to have against a man by filing an unsecured claim in his bankruptcy case, he told a Florida federal court Wednesday in response to the government's $28 million lawsuit against him.
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August 19, 2025
PE Firm Hit With Contempt, Receiver In Del. Over Legal Bills
A magistrate in the Delaware Chancery Court has entered an order for contempt and sanctions, as well as a receivership, against private equity firm 777 Partners in its former chief financial officer's suit seeking advancement of legal fees in connection with a fraud investigation and multiple lawsuits related to the company's business.
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August 19, 2025
Texas Recycling Biz Can Tap $52M In Ch. 11 Financing
A Texas bankruptcy judge Tuesday gave a company that recycles chemicals and batteries interim approval to use $52 million of debtor-in-possession financing to fund its Chapter 11 case, but pumped the breaks on approving a stalking horse bid at a first-day hearing.
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August 19, 2025
Family Alleging Firm's Girardi Conflict Denied Partial Win
A Los Angeles judge Tuesday denied a family's motion seeking judgment on declaratory relief claims in a $1.8 million malpractice lawsuit against a firm that represented it in recovering millions lost in Girardi Keese's embezzlement scandal, saying disputed facts remain in the "unusual" case.
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August 19, 2025
Judge To Confirm Scanrock's Ch. 11 Plan After Settlement
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Tuesday conditionally confirmed the Chapter 11 plan of hydrocarbon driller Scanrock Oil & Gas, after the debtor resolved objections from parties including an ad hoc group, certain creditors and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
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August 19, 2025
Solar Biotech Committee, Lender Get OK On Ch. 11 Claim Deal
A Delaware bankruptcy judge has approved a settlement between Solar Biotech's unsecured creditors committee and its largest secured creditor that the synthetic biological product maker said will allow it to get a Chapter 11 plan confirmed.
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August 19, 2025
Judge Keeps Dr. Phil Media Biz In Ch. 11, Is Up To Boost DIP
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Tuesday suggested he would approve more postpetition financing for a bankrupt broadcaster co-founded by Dr. Phil once an agreed upon order was before him, while also denying Sidley Austin's bid to stop representing the debtor and refusing to dismiss the case.
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August 19, 2025
Catching Up With New Bankruptcy Case Action
A Texas-based chemical recycling company filed bankruptcy papers, disclosing more than $400 million of debt. A Patriarch Partners-tied fragrance company is looking to sell its assets in a new Chapter 11. And a nursing home pharmacy business blamed industry consolidation for its bankruptcy filing.
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August 18, 2025
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Executives and board members of Cencora Corp. tentatively settled a stockholder derivative suit for $111.25 million, VectoIQ board members reached a $6.3 million deal on stockholder claims over electric carmaker Nikola's prospects, and class attorneys who secured a $50 million derivative suit settlement saw their proposed 25% attorney fee cut by almost half. Here's the latest from the Delaware Chancery Court.
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August 18, 2025
Major Lindsey Ex-Recruiter Can't Discharge Judgment In Ch. 7
A New York bankruptcy judge on Monday upheld the bulk of a $2.9 million award in favor of recruiting firm Major Lindsey & Africa LLC against its former employee, ruling she cannot discharge the penalty in her Chapter 7 case.
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August 18, 2025
Tax Court Finds Bankrupt Couple Owes Back Taxes
An Internal Revenue Service settlement officer didn't abuse her discretion by sustaining a tax levy against a Texas couple's abandoned assets, because the couple failed to file the correct paperwork, the U.S. Tax Court ruled Monday.
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August 18, 2025
Meet The Attorneys In Ohio Nursing Home Operator's Ch. 7
A team of lawyers from Ohio-based Allen Stovall Neuman & Ashton LLP is leading the bankruptcy case of nursing home operator Legacy North Royalton Operating Company LLC as it plans to liquidate its business through Chapter 7.
Expert Analysis
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Negotiating Triparty Hotel Agreements To Withstand Risk
Brewing economic uncertainty in the hospitality industry underscores the importance of subordination, nondisturbance and attornment agreements, and hotel managers should tightly negotiate these agreements to ensure remedies will not disturb key rights, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Enviro To Mid-Law
Practitioners leaving a longtime government role for private practice — as when I departed the U.S. Department of Justice’s environmental enforcement division — should prioritize finding a firm that shares their principles, values their experience and will invest in their transition, says John Cruden at Beveridge & Diamond.
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Addressing D&O Allocation Questions Amid Shifting Economy
As increasing global insolvency this year may lead to an increase in directors and officers insurance claims, businesses should review their policies' allocation provisions to avoid negotiating how coverage will apply to covered and uncovered claims during a suit, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
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Legal Ethics Considerations For Law Firm Pro Bono Deals
If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.
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Cannabis Deregulation Raises Bankruptcy Access Questions
Attorneys at Thompson Coburn explore why cannabis companies have been historically prohibited from filing for bankruptcy, certain exceptions to the general rule, and the potential effects of federal deregulation on such companies' bankruptcy eligibility.
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Playing Football Made Me A Better Lawyer
While my football career ended over 15 years ago, the lessons the sport taught me about grit, accountability and resilience have stayed with me and will continue to help me succeed as an attorney, says Bert McBride at Trenam.
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10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks
The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.
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Ch. 11 Free-And-Clear Sale Ruling Takes Pragmatic Approach
A recent ruling from a New York bankruptcy court in which the debtors were allowed to sell interests free and clear regardless of a lienholder's objection signals a practical approach and a recalibration of the balance between debtor flexibility and creditor protections, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.
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Power To The Paralegals: The Value Of Unified State Licensing
Texas' proposal to become the latest state to license paraprofessional providers of limited legal services could help firms expand their reach and improve access to justice, but consumers, attorneys and allied legal professionals would benefit even more if similar programs across the country become more uniform, says Michael Houlberg at the University of Denver.
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Administrative Disaster At Bankruptcy Courts May Be In Sight
If, as a result of voluntary resignations or terminations, the professional staff of the U.S. Trustee's Office is depleted, it will undoubtedly cause a slowdown in the administrative process for the significant majority of bankruptcy cases, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.
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An Unrestrained, Bright-Eyed View Of Legal AI's Future
Todd Itami at Covington offers a bright-eyed, laughing-all-the-way, skydive look at what the legal industry could look like after an artificial intelligence revolution, which he believes may happen much sooner and more dramatically than we expect.
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Tracking The Evolution In Litigation Finance
Despite continued innovation, litigation finance remains an immature market with borrowers recieving significantly different terms as lenders learn to value cases, which firms need a strong handle on to ensure lending terms do not overwhelm collateral value, says Robert Wilkins at Lightfoot Franklin.
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Law School's Missed Lessons: Preparing For Corporate Work
Law school often doesn't cover the business strategy, financial fluency and negotiation skills needed for a successful corporate or transactional law practice, but there are practical ways to gain relevant experience and achieve the mindset shifts critical to a thriving career in this space, says Dakota Forsyth at Olshan Frome.