automatic stay

In a 16 page opinion released January 28, 2016 in the Casino Caribbean, et al. v. Money Centers of America adversary proceeding (Bank. D. Del. Adv. No. 14-50437), Judge Christopher S. Sontchi of the Delaware Bankruptcy Court granted the motion of Quapaw Casino to intervene in the adversary proceeding.  Judge Sontchi’s opinion is available here…

Very often in the course of a bankruptcy proceeding, a creditor with a pending lawsuit against the debtor will need to obtain relief from the automatic stay in order to continue to prosecute the pre-petition litigation.   For example, personal injury claimants who seek to recover solely against an insurance policy of a debtor may obtain…

The automatic stay is one of the most powerful protections provided to debtors in a bankruptcy proceeding.  The stay acts as an injunction that prohibits creditors (including landlords) from commencing or continuing any proceeding against the debtor which could have been commenced prior to the bankruptcy.  Applied to landlords, the automatic stay prohibits efforts to…

Introduction

As more companies file for bankruptcy, creditors and other interested parties of a debtor must quickly familiarize themselves with the automatic stay.  Section 362(a)(1) of the Bankruptcy Code stays “the commencement or continuation … of a judicial, administrative, or other action or proceeding against the debtor that was or could have been commenced before…

Introduction

The Fairchild Corporation (“Fairchild” or the “Debtor”), filed for bankruptcy in Delaware on March 18, 2009.  Fairchild’s bankruptcy proceeding is before the Honorable Christopher S. Sontchi of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.  According to its press release, Fairchild operates in three markets:  aerospace, real estate and motor cycle apparel. …

Earlier this year, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware issued an important decision in American Home Mortgage, Inc. regarding the scope of the recently amended definition of a “repurchase agreement”.  Under the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention Consumer Protection Act of 2005,  Congress broadened the Bankruptcy Code’s definition of  "repurchase agreement" to include the…