On Bankruptcy and Mediation
Supervision? (Photo by Marilyn Swanson) By: Donald L Swanson Congress must be allowed “to fashion a modern bankruptcy system which places the basic rudiments of the bankruptcy process in the hands of an expert equitable tribunal.” --from Granfinanciera, S.A. v. Nordberg, 492 U.S. 33, 94 (1989) (Blackmun dissent, emphasis added). Justice Blackmun had a point—back in 1989—that... Continue Reading →
Nonconformity (photo by Marilyn Swanson) By: Donald L Swanson When parties contract for arbitration of their disputes: they are “forgoing the . . . appellate review of the courts in order to realize the benefits of private dispute resolution”; California’s state law in question “coerces parties to opt for a judicial forum” instead of the arbitration... Continue Reading →
Temptation? (Photo by Marilyn Swanson) By: Donald L Swanson Assignment for benefit of creditors (“ABC”) laws are, historically, a debtor remedy. ABC laws are a voluntary debtor tool for shutting down and winding up the debtor’s failed business. Ancient History ABC laws began under the common law, back in merrie olde England, arising out of the... Continue Reading →
Schrödinger’s cat? (Photo by Marilyn Swanson) By: Donald L Swanson Defendants see “both an unenforceable settlement and a binding unilateral agreement simultaneously emerging, like Schrödinger's cat,” from their lawsuit with Plaintiff, but “only one exists” and “the District Court did not err in finding the settlement agreement valid.” --From Rivera v. Sharp, Case No. 21-2254, at... Continue Reading →
An Illinois city (Photo by Marilyn Swanson) By: Donald L Swanson An assignment for benefit of creditor (“ABC”) is, historically, a nonjudicial process for administering the affairs of a failed business. ABC laws are rooted in English common law and predate enactment of federal bankruptcy laws in the U.S.[Fn. 1] An ABC is made by a... Continue Reading →
Face-to-face discussions (photo by Marilyn Swanson) By: Donald L Swanson Common Practice. A common practice in these United States is for commercial lawsuits to be mediated in a caucus-only format. That means: the parties never see each other during the mediation, except during the mediator’s opening comments and on visits to the toilet; andthe mediator shuttles... Continue Reading →
On a quest (photo by Marilyn Swanson) By: Donald L Swanson I’m on a curiosity-quest to find the first-ever U.S. Supreme Court opinion on the subject of bankruptcy. Excitement arises, for a moment, upon discovering Gibbs v. Gibbs, 1 U.S. 371 (1788). After all, Gibbs v. Gibbs: deals with priority of a judgment lien, a fraudulent... Continue Reading →
Honest Abe (photo by Marilyn Swanson) By: Donald L Swanson A negotiator’s reputation for honesty minimizes the danger of being deceived. That’s the finding of a recent study. [Fn. 1, the “Study”] Background Reputations endow negotiators with a set of expectations about their intentions and behaviors, influence interpretations of their behavior, and impact response to their... Continue Reading →
Avoid this? (Photo by Marilyn Swanson) By: Donald L Swanson Here’s a hard-knocks rule for debtor attorneys: Never file Chapter 7 for a corporation or an LLC. Chapter 7 has always been a grave yard for failed Chapter 11s: that’s where Chapter 11 cases go when debtors can’t get a Chapter 11 plan confirmed. For example,... Continue Reading →
Food for thought? (Photo by Marilyn Swanson) By: Donald L Swanson Every now and then we get a glimpse into the past . . . that casts light on issues and events of today. One such glimpse is a Harvard Law Review article from 1909: “The Effect of a National Bankruptcy Law upon State Laws.”[Fn. 1].... Continue Reading →
MEDIATBANKRY 