Norman N. Kinel

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Do I Really Have To Pay Default Rate Interest In Order to Reinstate My Loan? (US)

In a scholarly, comprehensive and lengthy opinion written by one of the Southern District of New York’s most recently appointed Bankruptcy Judges, the issue of whether the reinstatement of defaulted and accelerated debt requires the payment of default-rate interest and fees was answered in the affirmative, undoubtedly to the delight of lenders everywhere. … Continue Reading

Highland Capital Asks Supreme Court to Review Fifth Circuit Exculpation Excision Ruling

Last November we wrote about the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision in Highland Capital Management, L.P., where the court reversed the bankruptcy court’s approval of a plan’s exculpation clause for non-debtors and limited the universe of parties covered by that provision. Relying on Bank of New York Trust Co., NA v. Official Unsecured Creditors’ … Continue Reading

Equitable Mootness No Bar to “Slicing & Dicing” Exculpation Clause From Confirmation Order

While the Judge-made doctrine of equitable mootness continues to beguile and often stymie parties-in-interest seeking to appeal an order confirming a chapter 11 plan (as well as other orders which are on appeal prior to confirmation of a plan), appellants in the Fifth Circuit can continue to rest assured that the doctrine will be applied … Continue Reading

The Bankruptcy Court’s Ruling is in: J&J’S Texas Two-Step Does Not Constitute A Bad Faith Filing

Last week this author delved into what has become known as the “Texas Two-Step,” the arguments for and against its permissibility and the broader implications for the bankruptcy system.  The discussion focused on an ongoing trial on motions filed in the bankruptcy case of LTL Management, LLC (“LTL” or the “Debtor”), a Johnson & Johnson … Continue Reading

The “Texas Two-Step” Firestorm: This Is No Dance!

In recent weeks, a move dubbed the “Texas Two-Step” has leaped from coverage first in publications geared only for the professional restructuring community, then to the mainstream press, then to hearings before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, and now to a full-blown trial ongoing in a New Jersey bankruptcy court.  For those not closely … Continue Reading

Equitable Mootness Strikes Again: The Near Impossibility of Challenging a Debtor’s Critical Vendor Decisions

Although debtors who file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy generally cannot pay prepetition debts until a plan which complies with the “absolute priority rule” is confirmed, there are a number of now well-established exceptions to this rule.  As noted (although not actually ruled upon) by the United States Supreme Court in its controversial “Jevic” decision, “[c]ourts, … Continue Reading

COVID-19 Emergency Bankruptcy Reform – A Call For Action!

Virtually every business—regardless of its size, nature (manufacturing, service, professional, tech) or particular industry—is currently suffering significant distress as a result of the unprecedented shutdown of huge portions of the U.S. (and global) economy.  It is therefore clear that the number of businesses (and individuals) who will seek bankruptcy protection in the coming months will … Continue Reading

Score One for Shopping Center Landlords: Adequate Assurance of Future Performance Means Just What the Bankruptcy Code Says!

In a recent decision, the Chief Judge of the District Court for the Southern District of New York reversed a decision of the bankruptcy court in the Sears bankruptcy case that was prejudicial to the interests of shopping center landlords whose tenants become chapter 11 debtors. The district court’s decision in MOAC Mall Holdings, LLC … Continue Reading

Did Jevic Doom Future Chapter 11 Recovery Efforts By Unsecured Creditors?

Can a senior secured creditor, who credit bid for substantially all of a debtor’s assets, contribute non-estate property to a litigation trust for the benefit of general unsecured creditors without following the absolute priority rule?  In the recent Constellation Enterprises case, the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware ruled that, as a result of … Continue Reading

The Ever-Shrinking Chapter 11 Case

Most observers of the world of chapter 11 bankruptcy cases – and particularly those professionals who practice in that arena – will not be surprised to learn that their individual experiences and anecdotal reports suggesting that the duration of Chapter 11 cases has continued to shrink have been validated by Fitch Ratings, one of the … Continue Reading

The Interminable ‘Insured vs. Insured’ Battle

In an article just published in the Bankruptcy Strategist, Norman Kinel and Elliot Smith explore the practical impact of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeal’s recent decision in Indian Harbor Insurance Company v. Zucker, et al., 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 10821, which bankruptcy practitioners – particularly those representing creditors’ committees – need to consider, because … Continue Reading

“A Bankruptcy Court Is Not A Collection Agency”: A Lesson On When Not To File An Involuntary Bankruptcy Petition

Many a bankruptcy attorney has been approached by an angry client who is owed a large amount from, or has obtained a judgment against another party, but has been frustrated in efforts to collect and wants to “throw them into bankruptcy.”  After trying to calm the client down, the attorney will go over the technical … Continue Reading
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