Mid Cap
-
April 04, 2025
Defamation Litigation Roundup: Jay-Z, Blake Lively, Drake
In this month's review of ongoing defamation fights, Law360 looks back on an escalation in Jay-Z's case against personal injury lawyer Tony Buzbee, who he accuses of pursuing a "false" and "malicious" rape suit, as well as on the war of words between actors Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively.
-
April 04, 2025
Already Lean US Trustee Program Sees 58 Take Buyouts
Dozens of employees of the United States Trustee Program have taken buyouts offered by the federal government, Law360 has learned, leaving the office at a time when experts say it is already running a lean operation and risking its ability to efficiently execute on its mission if future cuts are made.
-
April 04, 2025
Azzur Creditors Call $61M DIP Rollup Excessive
The unsecured creditors of Azzur Group urged a Delaware bankruptcy judge Friday to reject a proposed $84.5 million Chapter 11 financing package, saying far too much of it is a rollup of the biotech consulting firm's pre-bankruptcy debt.
-
April 04, 2025
Under The Radar: Bankruptcy News You May Have Missed
A bankruptcy judge approved the retention of a repossession agent that the trustee for Chinese exile Miles Guo used to recover a small private jet from his son, a federal court stood by a ruling that refused to let Sorrento Therapeutics shareholders probe a matter related to a former judge's romantic relationship, and shoe designer Zigi USA filed its Chapter 11 plan. These are some of the bankruptcy stories you may have missed in the last week.
-
April 04, 2025
Trevor Milton Wants Nikola Corp. Ch. 11 Subpoena Quashed
Recently pardoned Nikola Corp. founder Trevor Milton asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge to reject a subpoena seeking documents from an arbitration between the former CEO and embattled electric-vehicle maker.
-
April 04, 2025
Heritage Coal Gets April Hearing On Creditor Deal
A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Friday said she would hear arguments on bankrupt Heritage Coal owner KTRV's settlement with a secured lender in two weeks, overruling creditors who said they need more time to look at the deal.
-
April 04, 2025
The Supreme Court's Week: By The Numbers
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in four cases this week, including over tax exemptions for religious charities and the ability of the families of terror attack victims to sue the Palestine Liberation Organization, while issuing two decisions, including one that personal injury claims can be brought under the federal racketeering statute. Here, Law360 Pulse takes a data-driven dive into the week that was at the U.S. Supreme Court.
-
April 04, 2025
NY Youth Welfare Org Snags $9M Real Estate Bid In Ch. 11
Bankrupt youth mental health provider St. Christopher's Inc. is asking a New York bankruptcy court to approve the private sale of a 22.1 acre property for $9 million.
-
April 03, 2025
Ex-Judge, Profs Ask Justices To Weigh 9th Circ. Ch. 7 Ruling
A former bankruptcy judge and five law professors have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit opinion protecting the state of Montana from a real estate mogul and Montana ski resort founder's bid for damages over an involuntary Chapter 7 the state initiated.
-
April 03, 2025
Plastic Recycler Headed For Ch. 11 Auction In May
An Indiana plastic recycling plant can move forward with an auction next month after a Delaware bankruptcy judge said that a quick timeline was appropriate.
-
April 03, 2025
Loyalty Platform Kognitiv Hits Ch. 11 With Over $10M In Debt
Customer loyalty platform Kognitiv US LLC filed for Chapter 11 on Wednesday in Delaware bankruptcy court, citing more than $10 million in liabilities with a plan to sell its assets to another loyalty platform.
-
April 03, 2025
Trade War Likely To Swell Already Rising Insolvency Forecast
Sticky inflation and elevated interest rates were already expected to drive more businesses into bankruptcy this year, but even more could become insolvent if the United States' new tariff regime sparks an all-out global trade war, experts told Law360.
-
April 03, 2025
US Trustee Wants Jackson Walker Cases In District Court
The U.S. Trustee's Office has renewed its call for a district court trial over whether Jackson Walker LLP should return millions in fees for failing to disclose an ex-partner's romance with a bankruptcy judge, saying all the questions in the case should be tried in one venue.
-
April 03, 2025
Fla. Law School Launches Bankruptcy Law Pro Bono Clinic
With 37 years in bankruptcy law under his belt, Florida State University College of Law adjunct professor Michael Markham has launched a bankruptcy pro bono clinic to connect future attorneys with the much-needed practice that he's enjoyed for so many years.
-
April 03, 2025
Soybean Co. Benson Hill Gets 3-Member Creditors Committee
The Office of the U.S. Trustee appointed the unsecured creditors committee in high-protein soybean developer Benson Hill Inc.'s Chapter 11 case, composing a three-member group of American Natural Processors Inc., L7 Informatics Inc. and Anaplan Inc.
-
April 03, 2025
Johnson Pope Bankruptcy Duo Joins Berger Singerman
Berger Singerman LLP announced that a pair of bankruptcy and restructuring attorneys from Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns LLP have joined the firm's Tampa, Florida, office as part of its business reorganization team.
-
April 02, 2025
Avison Young's Miami Team Thrives In Full-Court Press
When a high-profile piece of property lands in the middle of a court case in Florida, there's a good chance the phone will soon be ringing in global real estate advisory firm Avison Young's Miami office.
-
April 02, 2025
Hooters Can Tap $5M Of Its $40M In Proposed Ch. 11 Loans
Bankrupt restaurant chain Hooters of America LLC can access $5 million in interim financing from a $40 million debtor-in-possession package from its prepetition lenders as it transitions to a franchise-only model, a Texas bankruptcy judge said Wednesday.
-
April 02, 2025
Aspiration Partners Gets Interim OK For Ch. 11 Financing
Sustainability-focused financial services provider Aspiration Partners Inc. on Wednesday secured the Delaware bankruptcy court's interim approval to tap $2.2 million of an $18 million Chapter 11 financing facility as the company looks for a buyer, following its co-founder's arrest last month on federal fraud charges.
-
April 02, 2025
Kal Freight Looks To Push Out Ch. 11 Exit By One Week
California trucking group Kal Freight Inc. is looking to bump out its Chapter 11 plan effective date as it works to return trucks and trailers to lenders, its attorneys told a Texas bankruptcy judge Wednesday.
-
April 02, 2025
9th Circ. Doubts Bang Energy Founder's $272M Verdict Appeal
A Ninth Circuit panel expressed skepticism Wednesday about an attempt to undo Monster Beverage Corp.'s $272 million false advertising trial win against the founder of Vital Pharmaceuticals Inc., the now-defunct company behind Bang Energy drinks.
-
April 02, 2025
NJ Event Venue Avoids Ch. 11 Dismissal
A New Jersey bankruptcy judge on Wednesday declined to throw out or convert the bankruptcy case of a restaurant and event venue business called The Chariot, after the debtor said in a recent pleading that its insurance adequately covered its $42 million of property.
-
April 02, 2025
Chester, Pa., Ch. 9 Document Dispute Won't Wait For Appeal
A Pennsylvania bankruptcy judge on Wednesday scuttled a request from the Chester Water Authority for a stay pending appeal of an order to produce documents to the bankrupt city of Chester, saying the utility hadn't shown the order should be frozen.
-
April 02, 2025
Animal Welfare Worries, Defaults Led To Dolphin Park Ch. 11
A collection of 15 debtors in the corporate family of attraction operator The Dolphin Company were pushed toward bankruptcy by woes including defaults on secured notes, dysfunctional negotiations with creditors and concerns about animal welfare, the debtors' independent director has revealed.
-
April 02, 2025
Ex-Morgan Lewis Bankruptcy Leader Joins Moore & Van Allen
Following more than a decade at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, the firm's former bankruptcy, restructuring and insolvency co-head has joined Moore & Van Allen PLLC as a member.
Expert Analysis
-
Sellers Seeking Best Deal Should Focus On Terms And Price
Rising interest rates and a decline in the automotive mergers and acquisitions market mean that a failed deal carries greater stakes, and sellers therefore should pursue not only the optimum price but also the optimum terms to safeguard their agreement, says Joseph Aboyoun at Fox Rothschild.
-
General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI
With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.
-
Rite Aid's Reasons For Ch. 11 Go Beyond Opioid Suits
Despite opioid-related lawsuits being the perceived reason that pushed Rite Aid into bankruptcy, the company's recent Chapter 11 filing reveals its tenuous position in the pharmaceutical retail market, and only time will tell whether bankruptcy will right-size the company, says Daniel Gielchinsky at DGIM Law.
-
Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information
As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.
-
Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD
Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.
-
A Look At DOJ's New Nationwide Investment Fraud Approach
Investment fraud charges are increasingly being brought in unlikely venues across the country, and the rationale behind the U.S. Department of Justice's approach could well be the heightened legal standards in connection with prosecuting investment fraud, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
-
Decoding The Digital Asset Landscape In Bankruptcy
Recent cases show the explosion of cryptocurrency as an asset class has created new challenges for debtors-in-possession, bankruptcy trustees, and federal and state receivers, and fiduciaries will have to consider a number of legal and practical considerations when determining how to manage these assets in insolvency, say David Castleman at Otterbourg and Anthony Facciano at Stretto.
-
How Fla. Bankruptcy Ruling May Affect Equity Owners
A Florida bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in Vital Pharmaceuticals — which rejected the Third Circuit’s Majestic Star decision that determined a bankrupt corporation’s flow-through status was not protected by the automatic stay — may significantly affect how equity owners can mitigate the impact of flow-through structures in bankruptcy, say Eric Behl-Remijan and Natasha Hwangpo at Ropes & Gray.
-
Calif. Ruling May Open Bankruptcy Trustees To Tort Liability
In Martin v. Gladstone, a recent California appellate court decision, the application of tort concepts to bankruptcy trustees could pose a new concern for trustees and federal receivers when controlling and maintaining commercial property, says Jarrett Osborne-Revis at Buchalter.
-
Co. Directors Must Beware Dangers Of Reverse Factoring
New accounting requirements governing the disclosure of so-called reverse-factoring programs have revealed billions of dollars worth of hidden liabilities on companies’ ledgers, and directors of corporate boards should review their companies’ books for this hidden danger, say Garland Kelley at Looper Goodwine, Amin Al-Sarraf at Locke Lord and Jill Basinger at Discovery Land.
-
Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence
Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
-
Why 7th Circ. Libel Ruling Is Crucial For The Media
As more defamation plaintiffs attorneys argue that allowing a published statement to remain online after additional evidence of falsity emerges equates to actual malice, the Seventh Circuit's recent National Police Association v. Gannett opinion should be lauded by the media and online publishers as a favorable decision, say attorneys at Vedder Price.
-
Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes
Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.