International Insolvency

This panel will discuss recent developments in mass tort bankruptcy cases, including the Purdue Pharma case and the Texas Two-Step (divisive merger), as well as its viability given recent rulings, including in In re DBMP LLC and In re Aldrich Pump, which suggest that divisive mergers may be subject to challenge as fraudulent transfers or under alter-ego, successor-liability and similar doctrines. Developments in third-party releases and legislation aimed at prohibiting third-party releases and limiting forum-shopping will also be discussed.

This panel will discuss the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the travel and hospitality industry, including how airlines, cruise lines and hotels have managed through the crisis so far, what’s next for the industry once the pandemic becomes endemic (and hopefully milder), and the unique issues that arise in hotel property workouts and bankruptcies.

This panel will discuss notable chapter 15 and cross-border insolvency cases decided in the past year, including those involving the scope of discovery available to foreign representatives, § 109 eligibility, and the use of chapter 15 to bind creditors to confirmed plans. The panelists will also discuss logistical and practical solutions in running chapter 15 cases.

This panel will explore new uses for traditional entity types and look at other types of Cayman entities and their uses in the Caribbean area and in the U.S. Industry and legal experts will discuss what the entities are and what is being done with them, as well as the bankruptcy/insolvency issues and effects that might exist for segregated portfolio companies (SPCs), special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), exempted limited partnerships, foundations and limited liability companies (LLCs).

This panel will provide an update on cryptocurrency’s adoption and integration into the global financial system. The panelists will share practical approaches for bankruptcy practitioners to identify, take possession of and manage cryptocurrency in bankruptcy cases. The panelists will also discuss strategies for debtors in possession and bankruptcy trustees to preserve the value of crypto-estate property.

The world has gone through monumental changes as a result of COVID-19: We have witnessed an administration change; a pandemic shutdown, emergence and contemplated re-shutdown; record market highs; record sustained interest rate lows; and substantial stimulus legislation. How have these various external and macroeconomic changes affected insolvency and fraud litigation, and what impact will they have on the future of litigation? Further, how have these changes influenced cross-border considerations in litigation? This panel will explore the latest trends in insolvency and fraud litigation, and the effects that COVID-19 has had on these trends.

This panel will highlight some of the roadblocks that small business debtors face at the commencement of their cases, throughout the process and on the road to plan confirmation. First in line is the definition of “engaged in commercial or business activities.” Central to this issue is whether a debtor needs to be actively engaged in business operations to qualify as a subchapter V debtor. Next up is lease assumption. When is it the right time to assume? Complicating the road to confirmations is a secured creditor’s § 1111(b) election, and the panelists will present pro and con arguments relating to nondebtor stay relief, injunctions and releases. Finally, the panelists will discuss what the debtor can do to effectuate a consensual plan, the role of the subchapter V trustee in a nonconsensual case, and the discharge of the debtor under both scenarios.

Sponsored by Squire Patton Boggs From the pandemic to Europe’s largest military conflict since World War II, it seems the world is moving from one extraordinary period to another. The conflict in Europe has generated a maze of rapid legal, political and economic responses from authorities around the globe. Those actions are rippling through capital, markets and boardrooms as businesses grapple with how to respond. Join ABI and a panel of experts to discuss where we are headed and what businesses should consider.

Bankruptcy Judges Elizabeth Brown and Michael Romero will discuss the year’s widest splits and most controversial opinions with ABI Editor-at-Large Bill Rochelle.

This panel of experts will discuss the basic terminology of blockchain and cryptocurrency; how various agencies of the U.S. government treat cryptocurrency, in particular the Internal Revenue Service, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission; and bankruptcy/restructuring issues related to blockchain and cryptocurrency.