Fifth Circuit Holds Avoidance Actions Can Be Sold

Joining the Eighth and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that a debtor or trustee can sell its avoidance actions to third-party, non-estate representatives.   See Briar Capital Working Fund Capital, L.L.C. v. Remmert (In re South Coast Supply Company), No. 22-20536 (5th Cir. Jan. 22, 2024) (Dennis, J).  […]

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Maybe We Should Call It Cryptic Currency?

Notwithstanding that cryptocurrency is generally in the cloud, crypto purists will say that cryptocurrency is as valuable as dollar bills.  However, the recent bankruptcy filings of five major crypto companies, including Celcius Network LLC (a lender) and FTX Trading Ltd. (an exchange), may bring to light the real nature of cryptocurrency; whether it’s an investment, […]

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Why Avoidance Actions Are Difficult to Dismiss by a Rule 12(b)(6) Motion

Traditional avoidance actions under the Bankruptcy Code, i.e., preferences and fraudulent transfers, have laudable goals: (a) to provide equal treatment to creditors of an insolvent company and (b) to claw back otherwise unavailable assets for the benefit of creditors.  It is no wonder then that the governing provisions of the Bankruptcy Code and applicable state […]

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Fifth Circuit Restricts Double Recovery in Fraudulent Transfer Action

The laws of preferential and fraudulent transfers under the Bankruptcy Code can often seem theoretical and formulaic. When certain boxes are checked, it appears, at first blush, that a pre-bankruptcy transfer can be avoided, regardless of any intent or surrounding circumstances. However, in Whitlock v. Lowe (In re Curtis DeBerry), Case No. 18-50335 (5th Cir. […]

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Delaware Court Holds Chapter 7 Trustee Can Sell Avoidance Claims

In Claridge Associates, LLC, et al. v. Anthony Schepis (In re Pursuit Capital Management, LLC), Adv. P. No. 16-50083 (LSS) (Bankr. D. Del. Nov. 2, 2018), the Honorable Laurie  Silverstein held that a chapter 7 trustee was authorized to sell the right to pursue fraudulent conveyance claims to third parties, pursuant to section 363 of […]

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