Mass Torts

Two pairs of judges square off to consider (1) whether bankruptcies can be properly filed when a debtor faces a deluge of potential tort claims and (2) whether bankruptcy courts can support plans regarding certain special fee and financing arrangements for debtors. RESOLVED: That a bankruptcy is filed in good faith where the debtor is not otherwise in immediate financial distress and appears to have the liquidity to pay its creditors in full, but where the case is filed because of the debtor is a defendant facing a deluge of tort claims that could at some point threaten the debtor’s business and where the debtor believes that the mechanism for liquidating those claims through a trust created under a plan of reorganization will be fairer and better for all parties than the results that would otherwise obtain in the tort system. RESOLVED: That a bankruptcy court may approve a DIP financing agreement that incorporates the milestones set out in a restructuring support agreement, that provides that (a) the debtors will propose a plan that provides specified treatment to the Supporting Parties, which treatment is materially the same as the plan provides to similarly situated creditors; (b) obligates the Supporting Parties to vote in favor of the debtor’s plan and to vote against any competing plan; and (c) provides that the Supporting Parties (and only the supporting parties) will provide exit financing to the Reorganized Debtors, at rates and fees that exceed prevailing market terms.

The petition is filed. At the § 341 meeting, the trustee asks the debtor whether there have been any personal-injury actions, whether the debtor has the right to sue someone, and whether the debtor inherited any assets 180 days prior to the petition date or within 180 days after the petition date. However, debtor clients often intentionally or inadvertently fail to disclose an asset. This panel will explore best practices for dealing with these and other post-filing litigation pitfalls, and for handling cases where there are undisclosed or undiscovered assets.

This panel will discuss recurring issues related to mass tort cases, including the automatic stay, third-party releases (Sun Edision, Midway Gold, Purdue), venue-selection and estimation. The panelists will also offer an analysis of such key recurring issues as the use and propriety of bankruptcy for solvent debtors, and bankruptcy abuse vs. bankruptcy planning.

Over the past decade, companies burdened with significant asbestos and other tort liability have utilized the so-called “Texas Two-Step” strategy to separate those tort liabilities from core assets and resolve them through the chapter 11 bankruptcy process. This session will cover isolating liabilities to preserve ongoing value with mass torts and corporate side changes, and subsequent bankruptcy issues, including venue, ongoing operations, valuations and third-party releases.

The panelists will discuss the collapse of the Surfside condominium in Miami, and the resulting receivership and other disasters that have forced insolvency professionals to allocate resources, sometimes importing tort concepts.

Third-party releases are a hot topic lately, with the recent district court opinions in the chapter 11 cases of Purdue Pharma and Ascena vacating bankruptcy court confirmation orders that approved plans providing for third-party releases. Learn what the laws in various circuits have to say about permissible third-party releases, whether bankruptcy courts are deemed to have subject-matter jurisdiction and statutory authority to approve third-party releases as part of confirmation orders approving plans of reorganization, and what standards are imposed by circuit courts to determine whether a third-party release should be approved.

This panel will analyze and explore issues and obstacles faced by debtors, creditors and other interested parties in recent mass tort bankruptcy cases. Topics to be covered will include tort claimant committees and government plaintiffs, estimation and jury trials, and channeling injunctions and settlement trusts.

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.

Opioid, sexual abuse and asbestos cases have been all over the news in the last few years. This panel of experts will discuss and analyze the complex issues involved in mass tort chapter 11 cases today, including current issues involving future claims, nonconsensual releases and plan-confirmation issues.