On Bankruptcy and Mediation
By: Donald L. Swanson A new, and unanimous, decision from the U.S. Supreme Court is Hall v. Hall, Case No. 16-1150 (Decided March 27, 2018). A first read of this opinion seems like a, “What’s the big deal here?” The opinion: Is about a technical issue of appeal procedure; Reaches back, for historical authority, to... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson On April 3, 2018, Justices Kennedy and Thomas issue this Statement for the U.S. Supreme Court in Deutsche Bank v. McCormick, Case No. 16-317 [photo of entire Statement is above]: “consideration of the petition for certiorari will be deferred . . . given the possibility that there might not be a quorum... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson Whenever a court goes out of its way to say in an opinion, “We aren’t deciding issues X and Y,” it’s time to take notice. The omitted issues must be significant, in some way, to what’s being decided; otherwise, there’s no reason to mention them. And when the opinion is from the... Continue Reading →
By Donald L. Swanson On March 5, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court issues its latest bankruptcy opinion in the case of U.S. Bank v. Village at Lakeridge, LLC., Case no. 15-1509. The Facts Village at Lakeridge has a single owner: MBP Equity Partners. And it has two creditors: it owes “over $10 million” to U.S. Bank... Continue Reading →
By Donald L. Swanson On February 27, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an eagerly awaited bankruptcy opinion on the § 546(e) safe harbor defense against trustee avoidance actions. The new opinion is Merit Management Group, LP v. PTI Consulting, Inc., Case No. 16-784. The opinion, at first read, appears to dramatically narrow the reach and effect... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L Swanson On Friday, January 12, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in Lamar, Archer & Cofrin, LLP v. Appling (In re Appling), Case No. 16-1215, to resolve an indistinct legal standard. The case is about a statute of frauds for nondischargeability. Generally, a statute of frauds requires that certain promises be in... Continue Reading →
By Donald L. Swanson The case is In re Sunnyslope Housing Ltd. Partnership, 859 F.3d 637 (9th Cir. 2017). It’s before the U.S. Supreme Court on Petition for a Writ of Certiorari, which is set for conference on January 5, 2018. In Sunnyslope, the Ninth Circuit’s ruling is based on a Chapter 13 valuation standard established... Continue Reading →
By Donald L. Swanson The consensus I’ve been reading these days is that a split of authority is shaping up between the Second and Third Circuit Courts of Appeals on enforcability of make-whole premiums in bankruptcy. --The first of two cases is from the Third Circuit: In re Energy Future Holdings Corp., 842 F.3d 247 (3rd... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson The U.S. Supreme Court has, for four decades, been rocking the boat [that's Justice Blackmun's metaphor] on bankruptcy court authority. First, they almost kill the Code—coming within one vote of declaring the entire Bankruptcy Code unconstitutional. Then they limit and mess with it some more. And now, finally, it seems they are... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson The case before the U.S. Supreme Court is Merit Management Group, LP v. FTI Consulting, Inc., Case No. 16-784. The bankruptcy question is whether the § 546(e) safe harbor prohibits avoidance of a transfer made through a financial institution as escrow agent. Oral arguments occurred on November 6, 2017 [Footnote 1]. Justice... Continue Reading →
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