On Bankruptcy and Mediation
By Donald L. Swanson “Soloman’s Paradox” = “we tend to reason more wisely about other people’s problems than our very own” (aka, “Plenty of wisdom for others; but not for oneself”). [Fn. 1] “King Solomon, the third leader of the Jewish Kingdom, is thought of as a sage and a man of great wisdom. People traveled... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson Business reorganization in bankruptcy gets a bad rap. Here’s why: “bankruptcy” deals with failed promises to pay (if you google synonyms for “failure,” the first word to appear is “bankruptcy") and implies a moral shortfall in the minds of many. That’s unfortunate because business reorganization can be a good thing. When utilized... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson Mediation has become the go-to process for dealing with large-scale sexual abuse claims in bankruptcy. The latest example is the Chapter 11 case of In re USA Gymnastics, filed on December 5, 2018, at Case No. 18-09108, in the Southern Indiana Bankruptcy Court. Background USA Gymnastics is where Larry Nassar volunteered as... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson “Appellate deadlines cannot serve their purpose when their trigger is unclear.” --U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Ritzen v. Jackson. This should be interesting. On May 20, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari to decide whether the denial of a motion for relief from automatic bankruptcy stay is appealable as a... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L Swanson What is professional “bad faith” in mediation? I’m not talking, here, about sanctionable conduct. I’m talking, instead, about things like professional courtesy and civility—a standard of behavior that one professional owes to another to make the professional system work efficiently and effectively. The following are two hypothetical examples of mediation strategies and... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson “Rejection of a contract—any contract—in bankruptcy operates not as a rescission but as a breach.” Essential declaration of law from U.S. Supreme Court opinion on trademark issues in Mission Product Holdings, Inc. v. Tempnology, LLC, (Case No. 17-1657), issued May 20, 2019. Photocopier Lease Illustration The Supreme Court’s opinion illustrates and clarifies how... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson Consumers often delegate the responsibility for making difficult decisions to others. This is the finding of a recent study by two college professors [Fn. 1]. Avoiding Regret v. Avoiding Disappointment The study distinguishes between a consumer’s desire to avoid “regret” and to avoid “disappointment.” While both regret and disappointment “capture a person’s... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson “Movants are asking this Court to extend the holdings of [Stern v. Marshall and Granfinanciera] in order to find that 28 U.S.C. § 157(a) is unconstitutional . . . The Court declines to make that leap.” Chief Judge Christopher S. Sontchi, Delaware Bankruptcy Court, in Paragon v. Noble Corporation, A.P. No. 17-51882,... Continue Reading →
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nrIPxlFzDi0 By: Donald L Swanson “Satisfaction” of parties to a mediation is difficult to describe, let alone measure. But a recent study published by the Harvard Negotiation Law Review [Fn. 1] examines the “satisfaction” of mediating parties. It identifies two items that have a significant effect on a party's “satisfaction”: (i) timing of referral, and (ii)... Continue Reading →
Note: This article was published, originally, by the American Bar Association, in its "Preview of United States Supreme Court Cases," Issue No. 7, Vol 46, page 50, on April 15, 2019. By: Donald L. Swanson CASE AT A GLANCE Let’s say you sue a defendant in state court for injunctive relief. The defendant then files bankruptcy and receives... Continue Reading →
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