Consumer

Bill Rochelle will review the cases creating a bankruptcy buzz that practitioners should be aware of.

In many bankruptcy cases, unhappy creditors look for someone to blame — and for a source of recovery when the debtors’ assets are not sufficient. Claims against directors and officers — often alleging conflicts of interest or second-guessing business judgments — can serve both purposes, and the existence of insurance coverage makes these claims even more attractive. This panel will discuss D&O claims from both the estates' and defendants’ perspectives, and will review recent case law you need to know about if you are involved in a D&O litigation.

Poker players look for tells. Polygraphs measure physiological indicators. Movies suggest that there is some magic to looking somebody in the eye. In court, though, judges and lawyers are left to their own devices to determine whether a witness is lying. A clinical psychologist and a former attorney general of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will join experienced trial lawyers and judges to discuss lying and the limits of detecting lying, including verbal and nonverbal cues that aid in assessing the credibility of statements.

This panel will focus on the uses and limits of Bankruptcy Rule 2004 discovery, including e-discovery pointers, the impact of the latest amendments, jurisdictional and scope (“fishing expedition”) limits on discovery, keeping results confidential, using Rule 2004 examination transcripts in later proceedings, and various “nuts and bolts” practice points. The discussion will be based on a fact pattern presenting these various issues.

This panel will discuss the growing practice of the pre-petition transfer of business assets to insiders to allow for an individual filing, and the resulting issues for the debtor and its creditors. Is it fraud per se, or is it a creative way to get your individual client and their business assets into one case? Join us as we discuss this inspired, but precarious, practice.

This panel will discuss the growing practice of the pre-petition transfer of business assets to insiders to allow for an individual filing, and the resulting issues for the debtor and its creditors. Is it fraud per se, or is it a creative way to get your individual client and their business assets into one case? Join us as we discuss this inspired, but precarious, practice.

This session will discuss motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment, plus discovery and evidentiary motions, and tips on how to use motions practice to your advantage in adversary proceedings and contested matters.