By: Brian Powers
St. John’s Law Student
American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review Staff
Section 549(a) empowers a chapter 7 trustee to avoid unauthorized post-petition transfers of estate property.[1] Recently, in Marathon Petroleum, Co., LLC v. Cohen (In re Delco Oil, Inc.), the court held that there is no protection for an innocent seller of goods who was unaware that the DIP was not authorized to use cash collateral to pay for the delivered good.[2] In the case, the debtor, an oil company, filed a routine first-day motion[3] and simultaneously moved for an emergency order authorizing the use of cash collateral.[4] One of the oil company’s secured creditors objected to the cash collateral motion on the ground that its security interest was not adequately protected.[5] Reserving judgment on the cash collateral motion until after a hearing, the bankruptcy court nevertheless authorized the debtor to continue its business as a DIP.[6] Before the hearing date on the cash-collateral motion, the oil company used cash collateral to purchase approximately $1.9 million of petroleum products without the court’s permission.[7] The cash-collateral motion was subsequently denied, and the oil company voluntarily converted its case to chapter 7.[8] The chapter 7 trustee then filed suit against the oil supplier, attempting to recover the funds paid to it.[9]