By Scott Riddle Posted in News and Comments,Northern District Cases,Small Business BankruptcyThe Governors Gun Club of Kennesaw filed a Chapter 11 case in the Northern District of Georgia on August 17, 2022. Case No. 22-20787-jrs. The reason for the filing, as stated in pleadings filed with the Court – Like so many other small businesses, the Debtor suffered a series of setbacks at the hands of… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Eleventh Circuit Cases,Northern District CasesIn Auriga Polymers, Inc. v. PMCM2, LLC, as Liquidating Trustee, No. 20-14647, 2022 WL 2800195 (11th Cir. July 17, 2022) (click here for .pdf) the creditor, Auriga, received transfers of more than $2.2 million in the 90 days before the Debtor, Beaulieu Group, LLC, filed its Bankruptcy case on July 16, 2017. During the 90… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Consumer Bankruptcy Guide,Northern District CasesIn the case of In re Ruff, 2022 B.R. 1638964, Ch. 7 Case No. 20-68855-pwb (Bankr. N.D.Ga. March 31, 2022) (click here for .pdf) the issue was whether the educational loans owed by the Debtor were “consumer” debts as defined by 11 U.S.C. §101(8) of the Bankruptcy Code, and incorporated into 11 U.S.C. §707(b). If… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Eleventh Circuit Cases,Northern District CasesOnce again, a Bankruptcy case leads to a key opinion in Georgia real estate law and, as often the case, the Chapter 7 Trustee prevails. In In re Lindstrom, 2022 WL 1041192 (11th Cir. April 7, 2022) (click here for .pdf) the issue was the validity of a security deed, the interpretation of the Georgia… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Northern District Cases[Updated – The Trustee has filed a Motion for Rehearing (click here for .pdf of motion). That Motion was denied on July 12, 2022 (click here for Order]. In this lengthy post, we discuss Judge Paul Bonapfel’s 73-page Order in which he skewered the fee application of a Chapter 7 Trustee and effectively changed the… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Eleventh Circuit CasesIn a relatively brief opinion, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on the deadlines for appealing an order from the District Court (acting as an appellate court for a Bankruptcy Court Order) to the Court of Appeals. Appellants appealed a Bankruptcy Court Order to the District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. On… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Georgia State Cases,Middle District CasesIn Georgia, does a judgment lien attach to real property as of the date the judgment was entered or as of the date and time the writ of fieri facias on that judgment is properly recorded in the county records, as required under Georgia law? The Supreme Court of Georgia answered this question in Synovus… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Corporate & Fiduciary Litigation,Miscellaneous CasesIn Jay Alix, as assignee of AlixPartners, LLP v. McKinsey & Co., Inc., 2022 WL 163800 (2nd Cir., January 19, 2022) (click here for .pdf), two major competitors in the niche market of Bankruptcy advising to estates with a billion dollars or more of assets were in court against each other over lucrative consulting assignments.… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Eleventh Circuit Cases,Georgia State Cases,Northern District CasesIn In re Hoffman, 2022 WL 203415 (11th Cir. January 24, 2022) (click here for .pdf) the issue before the Court was whether Roth IRAs were exempt pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §541(c)(2) or O.C.G.A. § 44-13-100(a)(2)(E). This is a case of first impression in the Circuit, based upon recent amendments to the Georgia exemption statutes.… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Eleventh Circuit CasesIn SuVicMon Development, Inc. v. Morrison, __ F.3d __, 2021 WL 1136546 (11th Cir. March 25, 2021) (click here for .pdf), the plaintiffs are three corporations that sued the Debtor for fraud and securities violations in state court. Plaintiffs subsequently amended the complaint to include fraudulent transfer claims against Debtor and his two sons. Debtor… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Consumer Bankruptcy Guide,Miscellaneous CasesIn In re Tingling, __ F3d __, 2021 WL 922448 (2nd Cir. March 11, 2021) (click for .pdf), the Debtor filed an adversary proceeding seeking discharge of her student loans. The Bankruptcy Court determined that the debtor failed to meet the Brunner Test, and the District Court affirmed. The Debtor appealed to the Second Circuit,… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Eleventh Circuit CasesIn In re Breland, __ F.3d __ , 2021 WL 910657 (11th Cir., March 10, 2021) (click here for .pdf) the individual Debtor filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition. After it was determined that he was transferring assets and defrauding his creditors a Chapter 11 Trustee was appointed. [Debtor] protested that the trustee’s appointment violated… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in News and Comments,Northern District Cases“It has been said that, in many bankruptcy cases, there are no good alternatives, only less bad ones. As financial realities in this case took hold, it became clear that, for most creditors, including the objectors, there were not even “less bad” alternatives. The Court is saddened that it can offer only an explanation for… Continue Reading
By Scott Riddle Posted in Small Business BankruptcyIf you own a small business you are most likely very concerned about making it through the next few months. Unfortunately, one of the inevitable consequences of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis is the increase in business closings – temporarily or permanently. We have already seen a long list of large, well-known businesses close permanently or… Continue Reading
By Posted in News and CommentsBy: Scott B. Riddle, Esq. Updated 4/25/08 (scroll to bottom) The disaster that is the Clayton County School Board has struck again. On the verge of being the third school district in the United States to lose accreditation in the last 20 years (see the report here), they struck again last night. In a non-public session, and… Continue Reading
By Posted in Eleventh Circuit Cases By: Scott B. Riddle, Esq. Trusted Net Media Holdings, LLC v. The Morrison Agency, Inc. (In re Trusted Net Media Holdings, LLC), No. 07-13429 (11th Cir. April 29, 2008) (click here for pdf of opinion). The basic facts are the following – On April 20, 2002, Morrison, as a creditor, filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition… Continue Reading
By Posted in News and CommentsFrom Law.com – The 75-page complaint, filed Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court by trustee Richard Gray, alleges McDermott Will put off a much-needed Chapter 11 filing to facilitate self-dealing by two other members of the hospital group’s restructuring team. As a result of the delay, the trustee claims, Saint Vincent’s incurred greater operating losses, paid… Continue Reading
By Posted in Corporate & Fiduciary Litigation,Georgia State CasesBy: Scott B. Riddle, Esq. Vibratech, Inc. v. Frost, et al., 2008 WL 1704091 (Ga. App. March 27, 2008). Although this Georgia Court of Appeals opinion involves a bankruptcy issue, it is more important for the discussion and holding on personal jurisdiction. This case indicates that a defendant can be hauled into Georgia Courts based on… Continue Reading
By Posted in Corporate & Fiduciary LitigationFrancis Pileggi, in this post, discusses the Delaware Bankruptcy Court’s opinion in the case of Miller v. McDonald (In re World Health Alternatives, Inc.), 2008 WL 1002035 ( Bankr., Del. April 9, 2008) (pdf opinion here). In this opinion on a motion to dismiss claims against an officer of a company, the Bankruptcy Court relied on decisions of the Delaware… Continue Reading
By Posted in News and CommentsFrom Bloomberg – April 11 (Bloomberg) — They’re talking more about Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy in Jefferson County, Alabama, the home of the largest city in the state, Birmingham. Who can blame them? The county is now being whipsawed by an ill-thought-out debt policy and the collapse of the bond insurers. Credit-rating downgrades all around… Continue Reading
By Posted in Eleventh Circuit CasesBy:Scott B. Riddle, Esq. Matthews, Wilson & Matthews, Inc. v. Capital City Bank, 2008 WL 901919, 07-15615 (April 4, 2008). MWM [Debtor] had trouble making loan payments, and ultimately filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The bankruptcy trustee sought approval from the bankruptcy court to sell the Conyers property [owned by Debtor] and use the sale… Continue Reading
By Posted in Northern District CasesRecent cases filed in the Northern District over last two weeks — 08-40915-mgd Northstar Vinyl Products, LLC Filed: 03/28/2008 Entered: 03/28/2008 08-65697-jb Heritage Point Apartments Inc. Filed: 03/28/2008 Entered: 03/28/2008 08-10870-whd Larry H. Huffman Filed: 03/31/2008 Entered: 03/31/2008 08-40957-mgd Aldona Maria Urbantas-Stewart Filed: 03/31/2008 Entered: 03/31/2008 08-65876-mhm Mathis Partners, LLC Filed: 03/31/2008 Entered: 03/31/2008 08-66074-mhm GreenTree Estates, LLC Filed: 03/31/2008 Entered: 03/31/2008 08-66110-mhm Children’s Dental Care Center,… Continue Reading
By Posted in News and CommentsDebtors in Chapter 7 generally have three ways to deal with secured debts — reaffirm the debt pursuant to §524, surrender the property to the lender, or "redeem" the property by paying the secured lender the value of the collateral. (For now, we’ll leave discussion of the ride-through for another occasion). It is common for… Continue Reading
