Mid Cap
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May 22, 2025
5th Circ. Revives 'Unclean Hands' Defense In Ch. 13
A Louisiana homeowner can head back to bankruptcy court to try to discharge a $75,000 judgment against him from a contractor who said it was stiffed, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled.
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May 22, 2025
Paper Biz Royal Interco Cleared For $180M Ch. 11 Sale
Arizona-based Royal Interco LLC, a supplier of private-label paper products to grocery chains including Trader Joe's and Aldi, received the Delaware bankruptcy court's permission Thursday to sell its assets to an affiliate of an Italian tissue paper producer Sofidel for $180 million, an increase of more than $50 million from Sofidel's stalking horse bid.
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May 22, 2025
Under The Radar: Bankruptcy News You May Have Missed
Biotech company Molecular Templates defended its Chapter 11 plan against opposition from the U.S. Trustee's Office, paper product maker Royal Interco said its Chapter 11 asset auction has secured a $180 million bid, and insurers for a New Jersey Catholic diocese fought a bid from abuse victims and the diocese to lift a stay to reinvigorate settlement discussions. Here are the bankruptcy stories you may have missed this week.
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May 22, 2025
Meet The Attorneys Directing Genetics Co. Synthego's Ch. 11
A team of lawyers from Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP is guiding Synthego Corp. through its Chapter 11 case in Delaware, as the California-based biotechnology company pursues a sale of its assets to a prepetition lender during the proceedings.
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May 22, 2025
Servicer, BNY Seek Exit From Mortgage Statement Suit
Bank of New York Mellon and a mortgage servicing company have urged a Massachusetts federal court to permanently dismiss a proposed class action accusing them of trying to collect on post-bankruptcy liens, saying federal lending law does not obligate servicers to send mortgage statements to borrowers.
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May 22, 2025
Nostrum Cleared for $1.75M Sale Of Ohio Drug Facility
Bankrupt drugmaker Nostrum Laboratories received approval from a New Jersey court for a $1.75 million sale of an Ohio facility after reaching an agreement with the buyer and lenders over the costs of removing controlled substances at the property.
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May 22, 2025
Silvergate Estate To Chip In For $37.5M Investor Settlement
Silvergate Capital and investors suing over its collapse have reached a $37.5 million deal with a "rare" source of partial funding to resolve claims that the failed crypto-focused bank misrepresented its safeguards against onboarding customers like FTX, the fraud-ridden crypto exchange that made up roughly a sixth of the bank's deposit base.
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May 22, 2025
Procopio Expands In San Diego With Bankruptcy Specialist
Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP is expanding its team, bringing in a Henderson Caverly & Pum LLP bankruptcy pro as a partner in its San Diego office.
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May 22, 2025
Trustee Alleges Developer Sold Gas Rights To Avoid Creditors
A bankrupt developer sold its oil and gas rights to an affiliated company for only $100 per parcel in order to keep them from becoming part of the bankruptcy estate, the estate's trustee has claimed in an adversary complaint.
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May 22, 2025
US Trustee, Jackson Walker Might Mediate Fee Case
The U.S. Trustee's Office and Jackson Walker LLP told a Texas federal judge Thursday they are open to mediating the watchdog's bid to have the law firm forfeit fees from more than 30 cases overseen by a former bankruptcy judge who was romantically involved with a onetime firm partner.
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May 21, 2025
'Tough Luck' Case Law Cited In Refusal To Stop Summons
An Illinois federal judge on Tuesday grudgingly declined to issue an injunction to stop an arbitrator from dragging insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. into arbitration stemming from the bankruptcy of Cooks Venture, a startup that specialized in the production and processing of pasture-raised, slow-growth chickens.
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May 21, 2025
Vegan Restaurant Chain Planta To Tap $1.75M In DIP Funding
A Delaware bankruptcy judge Wednesday agreed to approve bankrupt vegan restaurant chain Planta's bid to access $1.75 million of its $3.5 million debtor-in-possession financing package, saying it needs funding to continue its efforts toward a sale.
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May 21, 2025
SC Justices Affirm Receivership Order In Asbestos Dispute
The South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously upheld a trial court's decision to appoint a receiver over a Canadian company's insurance assets as part of discovery sanctions in an asbestos injury lawsuit, despite the company's contention it possesses no property in the state.
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May 21, 2025
Sheppard Mullin Lands Alston & Bird, Dechert Attys
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP has brought on a former Alston & Bird LLP partner in its Dallas office and a former Dechert LLP partner in its San Francisco office, strengthening the firm's finance and bankruptcy practice and business trial practice.
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May 21, 2025
50 Cent Wants Ch. 11 Reopened To Fight Woman's $20M Suit
A Connecticut bankruptcy judge will review under seal a woman's $20 million New York injury suit against recording artist 50 Cent during an agreed-upon pause in the state court proceeding, helping her decide whether the rapper can use his Chapter 11 case to torpedo the woman's claims.
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May 21, 2025
Meet The Attys Helping Gov't IT Contractor Sysorex In Ch. 11
Sysorex Government Services Inc., a government information technology contractor, has tapped attorneys from Cullen and Dykman LLP to steer it through the Chapter 11 it began with over $30 million in debt, wracked by uncertainty over potential cuts from the White House's Department of Government Efficiency, a six-figure judgment and a long sale process.
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May 20, 2025
Crypto Co. Genesis Sues Parent Co. Over $1.2B In Transfers
Genesis Global Capital, a crypto lender that filed for bankruptcy in 2023, is now suing its parent company in bankruptcy court, seeking to recover more than $1.2 billion that the lender says was transferred to insiders while the company was insolvent and headed for Chapter 11.
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May 20, 2025
Creditors Win Fight Against Insider Releases In Azzur Ch. 11
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Tuesday sustained an objection to insider releases in the Chapter 11 liquidation plan of Azzur Group, finding the pharmaceutical services company had not justified the releases for prepetition conduct of current and former officers, directors, and equity holders.
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May 20, 2025
Catching Up With New Bankruptcy Case Action
Two Canadian companies, one a geothermal energy business and another that recycles batteries, sought Chapter 15 protection in the U.S. A biotechnology research company filed for Chapter 11 protection in Ohio after failing to generate enough revenue to maintain its capital-intensive operations. And a not-for-profit New York City private school launched a Chapter 11 case as it faces closure.
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May 20, 2025
Jailed Investor Puts Portfolio In Ch. 11 Ahead Of NY Auction
A group of companies owned by a real estate investor jailed last month for his role in a scheme defrauding Fannie Mae has filed for bankruptcy protection in New Jersey on a portfolio carrying at least $100 million in both assets and debt, ahead of a sheriff's sale in New York set for Tuesday.
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May 20, 2025
Disbarred Atty Turns Informant In Debt Firm Bankruptcy Battle
Two years after his debt relief law firm collapsed amid allegations he stole approximately $250 million from clients and investors, disbarred California attorney Tony Diab recently began telling a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee everything he did — and where the money went. The trustee has used this information to file dozens of lawsuits. But can Diab be trusted?
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May 20, 2025
Healthcare Spending Slowdown Sparked Accelerate's Ch. 11
Biotechnology company Accelerate faced regulatory challenges and weakened demand from hospitals for its diagnostics products before it filed for bankruptcy protection this month, and is now planning to sell its assets and wind down the business.
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May 20, 2025
Nursing Homes Facing 'Corporate Death Penalty' Owe $15.4M
The companies behind two Pittsburgh-area nursing homes convicted of falsifying staffing records were ordered Tuesday to pay a total of $15.35 million in restitution to the federal government, though the corporations' attorney told the judge that they had already received a "corporate death penalty" for their conviction.
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May 19, 2025
Whiskey Distillery Hopes To Beat COVID Hangover In Ch. 11
The Portland, Oregon-based distiller of Westward Whiskey was driven to bankruptcy by flagging demand for booze following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to its bankruptcy filings, but the liquor producer says it is not last call for the business.
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May 19, 2025
Heritage Coal's Ch. 11 Sale Timeline Approved In Del.
The proposed sale procedures for Heritage Coal, a bankrupt mining operation, received approval Monday from a Delaware bankruptcy judge, who overruled objections from the company's previous owners to certain deadlines.
Expert Analysis
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What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance
Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories
The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.
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Pa. Ruling Shows Why Term Sheet Can Be Worth The Wait
A Pennsylvania bankruptcy court’s recent In re: Legarde ruling, holding that a settlement term sheet was enforceable, reminds litigants that it’s crucial to draft a written agreement before leaving mediation in order to resolve potential evidentiary issues and protect against buyer’s remorse, says Brian Shaw at Cozen O'Connor.
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Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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Asserting 'Presence-Of-Counsel' Defense In Securities Trials
As illustrated by the fraud trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, defense attorneys in securities trials might consider arguing that counsel had some involvement in the conduct at issue — if the more formal advice-of-counsel defense is unavailable and circumstances allow for a privilege waiver, say Joseph Dever and Matthew Elkin at Cozen O'Connor.
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Crypto Has Democratized Trading In Bankruptcy Claims
Following the pandemic, there has been a wave of cryptocurrency bankruptcies and a related increase in access to information, allowing nontraditional bankruptcy investors to purchase claims and democratizing a once closed segment of alternative investing, says Joseph Sarachek at Strategic Liquidity.
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The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms
In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.
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5 Key Tips For Attorneys In The Subchapter V Arena
Subchapter V cases present unique challenges for the nondebtor parties-in-interest, and habits developed by attorneys in typical Chapter 11 cases do not necessarily translate, meaning creditors and their counsel should quickly take a proactive role in their cases to protect their interests, which can be done by attending the 341 meeting, analyzing the plan, and more, says Kelly Singer at Squire Patton.
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Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary
The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.
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Why The Debt Maturity Wall Is Still A Figment, For Now
While the phenomenon of the debt maturity wall — a growing wall of staggered corporate debt maturities — has been considered a looming problem since the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, it’s unlikely to have significant consequences before 2025 due to factors such as quantitative easing and evolved lending practices, says Michael Eisenband at FTI Consulting.
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AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier
Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
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10 Essential Bankruptcy Litigation Tips For In-House Counsel
Bankruptcy litigation is a complex and multifaceted area of law that poses unique challenges for in-house counsel, and there are several tools at legal professionals' disposal, like appraisals and understanding jurisdictions, to stay well-informed and protect their companies' interests, says Alison Ashmore at Dykema.
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Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.