Texas

Lender Socked in Dallas with $17 Million in Damages for Breach of Contract and Fraud

A lender’s breach of a factoring agreement forced a company into bankruptcy that would have survived otherwise, Judge Jernigan says.

Arbitration Clause Not Enforceable When the Contract Itself Was Rejected

Judge Jernigan in Dallas differs with a judge in Delaware by declining to enforce an arbitration agreement that was part of a rejected contract.

Three-Year Bar to Refiling in Chapter 13 Imposed for ‘Vexatious, Frivolous’ Litigation

Motions to recuse three bankruptcy judges fortified the third judge’s decision to dismiss and bar refiling for three years.

On an ‘Involuntary,’ Denial of Summary Judgment Doesn’t Mean the Claim Is Disputed

The Iqbal and Twombly standards don’t apply to involuntary petitioners who are required to use Official Form 105.

Fees Benefiting Only the Debtor — and Not the Estate — Are Compensable in Chapter 13

Section 330(a)(4)(B) is an exception to the American Rule and the notion that administrative expenses must benefit the estate, not just the debtor.

Liquidating a Defunct Corporation Qualifies for the SBRA, Judge Lopez Says

Increasingly, courts are allowing defunct corporations to proceed under the SBRA while individual owners of defunct businesses aren’t being treated as small business debtors in chapter 11.

NRA’s Bankruptcy Dismissed as Being Filed for an Improper Purpose

Filing bankruptcy to gain a ‘litigation advantage’ in the N.Y. Attorney General’s dissolution action meant the chapter 11 petition was not filed in good faith and must be dismissed, Judge Harlan Hale rules.

Once Repudiated, a Contract Is No Longer Executory

Courts disagree on whether a repudiated contract remains executory.

Judge Isgur Knocks Down a Special Counsel’s Fees for ‘Unprofessional’ Conduct

Incivility may be acceptable in matrimonial matters, but not when the lawyer represents a debtor.

Filing a Timely Extension Motion Won’t Extend a Deadline Without an Order

Creditors’ lawyers shot themselves in the foot by having the bankruptcy judge moot a motion for an extension of the dischargeability deadline.