In a post for Appellate.net, Restructuring partner Aaron Gavant and associate Samuel Rabuck and Supreme Court & Appellate partner Nicole A. Saharsky summarize the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Chicago v. Fulton.
In a recent decision in In re Nuverra Environmental Solutions, Inc., No. 18-3084, 2021 WL 50160 (3d Cir. Jan 6, 2021), a divided Third Circuit panel held that an appeal of a Chapter 11 plan confirmation order was equitably moot and that the dissenting unsecured creditor who filed the appeal, David Hargreaves, was not entitled to individualized relief. Under the confirmed Chapter 11 plan in Nuverra, secured creditors did not receive payment in full and creditors that were holders of prepetition unsecured notes, including Hargreaves, received cash and securities equal to only six percent of the face value of their note claims, while trade creditors were entitled to be paid in full. The plan proponents described the full payment to these unsecured trade creditors as a “gift” from the secured creditors, who were undersecured based on the debtors’ enterprise value under the plan.
Continue Reading Opinion of Interest – In re Nuverra Environmental Solutions, Inc.
In a new opinion issued in the Chuck E. Cheese bankruptcy cases, In re CEC Entertainment, Inc., Case No. 20-33163 (Bankr. S.D. Tex.),1 Judge Marvin Isgur of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas ruled2 that CEC Entertainment, Inc. (“CEC”), the parent company of the Chuck E. Cheese pizza chain, could not defer its rent obligations due to ongoing COVID-19 disruptions beyond the initial 60-day period authorized by section 365(d)(3) of the Bankruptcy Code. While CEC had initially sought rent relief with respect to dozens of its store locations, it was able to settle with the landlords for all but six locations in North Carolina, Washington, and California; the non-settling landlords continued to insist that CEC was required to pay rent despite the global pandemic and CEC’s bankruptcy filing. In its December 14, 2020 opinion, the court agreed with these landlords and rejected each of CEC’s arguments for its proposed relief, including that: (1) sections 105 and 365 of the Bankruptcy Code authorized the Bankruptcy Court to suspend CEC’s rent obligations beyond the 60-day period included in Section 365(d)(3); (2) the COVID-19 pandemic—and related restrictions put in place by state and local governments—constituted a force majeure event under each of the six leases at issue; and (3) CEC’s inability to fully utilize the leased premises as a result of state and local restrictions on indoor dining and entertainment entitled CED to a “frustration of purpose” defense with respect to each lease.
Continue Reading Opinion of Interest – In re CEC Entertainment Inc.: COVID Disruptions Do Not Justify Additional Rent Deferrals Beyond Initial 60-Day Period Expressly Permitted by Bankruptcy Code
In Manikan v. Peters & Freedman L.L.P., No. 19-55393, 2020 WL 6938318 (9th Cir. Nov. 25, 2020) the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals addressed whether a debtor was precluded from bringing a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) claim against his homeowner’s association when the claim at issue was based
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia ruled in In re Serendipity Labs, Inc., 620 B.R. 679 (Bankr. N.D. Ga. 2020) that a debtor was ineligible to proceed under the newly enacted Subchapter V of Chapter 11, designed specifically for small businesses, because it was an affiliate of an “issuer” (as
Mayer Brown partners Sean Scott and Aaron Gavant and associates Tyler Ferguson and Alexander Berk discussed the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas’ most recent decision arising out of the Ultra Petroleum Corp. bankruptcy case and its rulings that (1) make-whole premiums are allowed by the Bankruptcy Code under appropriate circumstances
In Henry Hobbs Jr. v. Buffets LLC the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the constitutionality of a recent increase in United States Trustees fees that are charged to Chapter 11 debtors. The decision overruled a decision by the bankruptcy court, which held that the fee increase resulted in the application
Mayer Brown partners Sean Scott, Matt Wargin, and Aaron Gavant, counsel Craig Reimer, and associate Sam Rabuck discussed the recent decision in CNH Diversified Opportunities Master Account, L.P. v. Cleveland Unlimited, Inc. from New York’s highest appellate court, the Court of Appeals, and its potential impact on minority noteholder rights in connection with a strict
The Wall Street Journal reports that the trailing 12-month default rate for U.S. corporate issuers of speculative-grade bonds and loans was 8.5% in September of 2020, which is below the 11.2% forecasted by credit rating agency Moody’s in April 2020. [WSJ; Oct. 26, 2020]
Reporting from Business Insider details how subscription streaming service Quibi is
Houston, TX-based oil services provider SAExploration Holdings Inc. has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, reports the Wall Street Journal. SAExploration reportedly owes $6.8 million on a unsecured loan it received through the Paycheck Protection Program of the CARES Act. [WSJ; Aug.