Business

Determinations of values are central to virtually every aspect of a consumer bankruptcy case. How should debtors value assets on their schedules? What should they rely on for value, and what is their attorney’s role and responsibility? When are appraisals needed? What weight is given to BPOs and tax statements? What can creditors and trustees do to challenge the debtor’s values? What quotient of evidence do debtors, creditors and trustees need to litigate the value of a creditor’s collateral, a residence in a chapter 13 lien-strip, or a contested abandonment of property in a chapter 7 case, a contested redemption or a contested exemption?

Judicial Debate Resolved: A debtor must obtain a judgment under chapter 5 of the Bankruptcy Code before it may invoke disallowance of a claim under section 502(d). Business Debate Resolved: Cure and reinstatement of a credit agreement under 1124(2) requires the payment of default interest. Consumer Debate Resolved: Flat fees that are earned upon receipt may not be recovered by chapter 7 trustee upon the rejection of the fee agreement.

Secured creditors typically hold significant leverage in restructuring situations and bankruptcy cases, but they are often the target of challenge or attack by other constituencies. This panel will discuss a number of key issues facing secured creditors and how those issues influence the advice given by financial advisors and lawyers.

Distressed health care is expected to be a busy practice area in 2017. Uncertainty surrounding the potential full or partial repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act will only increase disruption in this ever-changing industry. This panel will examine key issues regarding the intersection of health care and bankruptcy, along with the challenges facing health care providers. Topics will include health care regulatory issues relevant to § 363 sales, issues related to provider agreements, bankruptcy court jurisdiction over disputes with CMS, and potential opportunities for health care providers and distressed investors.

This panel will visit controlling the time and expense of bankruptcy litigation; how bankruptcy’s Code, Rules and process affect the relationship between the parties’ incentives and duties to their constituencies; the continuing viability of unsecured creditors’ committees; claims trading and the increased role of hedge funds in chapter 11 cases; and other topics covered in the Final Report of the ABI Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11.

A panel of judges, academics and Supreme Court practitioners will lead a discussion regarding the 2016-17 Supreme Court decisions of note for insolvency practitioners, as well as the high court’s most impactful, interesting or problematic decisions on bankruptcy practice to date. Amendments to Rule 37(e) (in effect since December 2015), as well as courts’ and litigants’ experiences with amended Rule 37(e), will also be discussed.

This panel discussion will concentrate on issues commonly encountered when a closely held business and its individual owners and related businesses have financial problems, including regarding application of the absolute priority rule/new value exception to individual chapter 11 bankruptcies, conflicts, corporate governance, substantive/procedural consolidation and compensation issues

The experts on this panel have current and deep experience in restaurant chapter 11 cases. The panelists will discuss and analyze the various and peculiar restructuring issues related to restaurant chapter 11 cases, and forecast whether this industry will continue to incur financial distress.

This panel will feature a wide-ranging discussion of bankruptcy and other issues affecting the transportation and shipping industries, as well as the current and future financial stresses in the industries. Lessons from the Hanjin Shipping case will also be discussed.

Hosted by the Consumer Bankruptcy and Labor & Employment Committees This panel will feature a discussion of 11 U.S.C. § 525 regarding protection against discriminatory treatment based on bankruptcy status and its interpretation, including the Supreme Court’s NextWave decision. Additionally, the panel will address practical issues faced daily between employers and consumers in bankruptcy, such as the use of corporate credit cards, reimbursement of business expenses, commissions and bonuses as assets, and security clearance.