Large Cap
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December 23, 2025
Judge Says Ashley Stewart Ch. 11 Was Unauthorized
A New Jersey bankruptcy judge on Tuesday dismissed the Chapter 11 case of plus-size clothing retailer Ashley Stewart, saying it had been filed without proper authority by board members appointed in violation of a state court order.
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December 23, 2025
Top Federal Tax Decisions Of 2025
Over the past year, federal courts have issued decisions that extended the deadline for challenging tax bills in the U.S. Tax Court, allowed the IRS to pursue a woman's decades-old tax debt caused by her return preparer and lifted a $1 million reporting penalty because a jury didn't sign off. Here, Law360 reviews some of the most significant federal tax decisions of 2025.
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December 22, 2025
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Delaware's justices threw the Court of Chancery in reverse big time last week, rescinding a decision by the state's chancellor that last year effectively canceled tech tycoon Elon Musk's multi-year, then-$56 billion stock-based compensation package. It was a decision that lit up the court's relatively low-key, pre-holiday wind-up. It also highlighted the endless, 3D tug of war over Delaware-chartered companies and the interests of boards, officers, controllers, stockholders and the corporate bar.
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December 22, 2025
Media Companies Seek $520K Fees In Severance Suit
A360 Media LLC and Bauer Media Group USA LLC are urging a New Jersey federal judge to award them more than $520,000 in attorney fees and costs after defeating a former executive's ERISA severance suit, arguing they prevailed over a bad-faith claim by the exec and he should be saddled with the legal fees to deter others.
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December 22, 2025
First Brands Can Access $60M In 'Trapped' Funds
A Texas bankruptcy judge said Monday that auto-parts maker First Brands Group can access about $60 million in cash held by customers or stuck in segregated accounts, while setting up a January hearing to handle the debtor's proposed process to reconcile $3 billion in third-party factoring agreements with pending invoices.
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December 22, 2025
ILFA Spotlight: Boies, Kobre, Irell, McDonald Hopkins Saluted
The International Legal Finance Association has honored Kobre & Kim LLP, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, Irell & Manella LLP and McDonald Hopkins LLC for trailblazing work in high-stakes litigation and facilitating litigation funding deals.
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December 19, 2025
What's Happening In Bankruptcy Court This Coming Week
A magnesium producer will ask for final approval of a debtor-in-possession loan funded by its parent company, a heavy machine retailer is asking for approval of its Chapter 11 liquidation plan after selling its business as a going concern, and auto parts giant First Brands has asked a judge to approve procedures it says will assuage concerns about its restructuring process.
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December 19, 2025
Nicklaus Cos. Want Creditor Liens Nixed In Ch. 11 Before Sale
Sporting gear and golf course design firm Nicklaus Cos. has asked the Delaware bankruptcy court to invalidate the liens of its largest creditor and to provide clarity on its claim status ahead of a proposed asset sale in February.
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December 19, 2025
Del Monte Strikes Ch. 11 Deal With Creditors, Parent Company
The mediator overseeing talks between Del Monte and the creditors in its Chapter 11 case reported on Friday that the canned food giant's prospective buyers had agreed to pay unsecured creditors $8 million while its parent company subordinates $164 million in claims.
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December 19, 2025
Eletson Defends Reed Smith, Rolnick Kramer Subpoenas
Eletson Holdings on Friday argued in support of its bid to subpoena Reed Smith LLP and Rolnick Kramer Sadighi LLP as the shipping company seeks to enforce judgments of up to $873,000 that it won in September, telling a New York bankruptcy judge its requests for information were proper.
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December 18, 2025
Tricolor Can Sell 10,000 Cars In Ch. 7, Judge Says
A Texas bankruptcy judge agreed Thursday to approve bankrupt subprime car loan lender Tricolor's procedures for a quick sale of about 10,000 cars in its inventory, saying the debtor appeared to have earned its speedy timeline.
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December 18, 2025
Judge Nixes Yellow Corp. Committee's Extra Banker Fees Bid
A Delaware bankruptcy judge Thursday denied a request from Yellow Corp.'s creditors committee to pay its investment banker an additional $3.75 million, finding the adviser knew the former trucking company's Chapter 11 would be complicated when it agreed to a fixed payment structure.
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December 18, 2025
Under The Radar: Bankruptcy News You May Have Missed
Bitcoin mining company Rhodium received the go-ahead for its liquidation plan. The U.S. Trustee's Office suggested installing a Boies Schiller partner as the examiner in First Brands' Chapter 11 and asked that a European packaging maker's bankruptcy proposal be rejected.
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December 18, 2025
McGuireWoods Adds Energy Restructuring Pro From DOJ
McGuireWoods LLP announced Thursday that it has hired a former senior bankruptcy counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice, whose experience includes the two largest offshore oil and gas bankruptcies in U.S. history.
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December 18, 2025
TPI Gets OK On $18M Settlement Tied To Uptier Suit
A Texas bankruptcy judge on Thursday signed off on wind turbine blade maker TPI Composites Inc.'s $18 million deal to end litigation over an uptier transaction it completed years before seeking Chapter 11 protection, letting unsecured creditors share in the recoveries of TPI's senior lender.
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December 17, 2025
Watchdog Pushes To Strip Genesis Of Ch. 11 Control
The U.S. Trustee's Office is seeking to wrest control from bankrupt Genesis Healthcare Inc., alleging the nursing home operator's Chapter 11 case in Texas is being undermined by an insider and his loyalists and arguing that new independent oversight is needed.
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December 17, 2025
Jackson Walker Wants Settlements Heard Before Romance Trial
Following a Texas federal judge's decision to hold off on reviewing malpractice settlements with former bankruptcy clients, Jackson Walker LLP asked the court to reconsider, as the pending motions could save parties time and money.
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December 17, 2025
Meet The Attorneys In Self-Driving Tech Co. Luminar's Ch. 11
A team of lawyers from Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP is representing Luminar Technologies Inc., a developer of lidar technology used in autonomous vehicles, in its Chapter 11 case as the company moves to sell its assets.
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December 17, 2025
Purdue Ch. 11 Mediator Says Settlement Took A Village, Part 1
Former U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Shelley C. Chapman oversaw the most complex mediation she has seen to date as she guided settlement negotiations in the Chapter 11 case of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, and those efforts resulted in a $7.4 billion deal confirmed by a New York court last month.
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December 17, 2025
Jenner & Block Elevates 15 To Partner, Special Counsel
Jenner & Block LLP has selected 15 attorneys in five offices who will receive new titles when the new year begins, including an increase in the number of partners promoted versus last year and a slight dip among special counsel promotions.
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December 17, 2025
First Brands' Former CEO Moves To Dismiss Fraud Case
Patrick James, the founder and former CEO of First Brands Group, urged a Texas bankruptcy judge to toss an adversary suit the auto-parts maker filed targeting him, saying the complaint failed to adequately accuse him of fraudulent activity.
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December 17, 2025
Tricolor Execs Charged With Fraud In Billion-Dollar Collapse
A Manhattan federal grand jury has indicted the ex-CEO and ex-chief operating officer of bankrupt subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings, saying they engaged in years of fraud on the company's lenders and investors.
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December 16, 2025
Luminar Can Use $25M Cash Reserves For Speedy Ch. 11
A Texas bankruptcy judge Tuesday agreed to allow Luminar Technologies Inc., a bankrupt developer of lidar technology for autonomous vehicles, to use its $25 million in cash collateral to fund its Chapter 11 case as it heads to a planned sale.
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December 16, 2025
Pine Gate Gets OK For $500M Credit Bid Sale In Ch. 11
Bankrupt solar energy developer Pine Gate Renewables can proceed with a credit bid asset sale to one of its secured lenders valued at about $500 million, a Texas bankruptcy judge decided Tuesday.
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December 16, 2025
Levona Says New Docs Show Reed Smith Lied In $102M Feud
Levona Holdings Ltd. is pressing a Manhattan federal court to vacate what it calls a fraudulent $102 million arbitral award issued to international shipping company Eletson, arguing that new documents released under the crime-fraud exception show that the company and its prior attorneys at Reed Smith LLP lied during the arbitration.
Tricolor Execs Charged, Spirit Scores $100M Funding
A New York federal grand jury indicted former executives of Tricolor Holdings on fraud charges, while Spirit Airlines lined up an additional $100 million in financing. Akoustis Technologies won court approval to carry out its Chapter 11 liquidation plan, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, California, and abuse claimants agreed to continue talks toward a reorganization plan.
Boies Schiller Partner Pitched As First Brands Examiner
A Boies Schiller Flexner LLP partner with experience in matters spanning from asset recovery to international investigations and high-wire global matters has been tapped to probe the bankruptcy of auto parts maker First Brands Group as a Chapter 11 examiner.
Purdue Mediator Says Failure Was Not An Option, Part 2
Former bankruptcy Judge Shelley C. Chapman mediated a $7.4 billion settlement in the Chapter 11 case of Purdue Pharma that received court approval last month. She spoke with Law360 about the pressure she faced to reach a deal and the 18-hour mediation sessions that came with renewed negotiations after the U.S. Supreme Court threw out a critical element of the agreement. She also discussed the role of nonmonetary relief for creditors, including the removal of the Sackler name from buildings and institutions.
Expert Analysis
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3 Notable Developments In Ch. 15 Bankruptcy This Year
Several notable Bankruptcy Code Chapter 15 decisions from 2025 warrant review, including rulings that clarified the framework of Chapter 15 surrounding nonparty releases, reinforced the principles of a debtor's center of main interest in the face of extensive mass tort litigation, and reviewed synthetic cross-border proceedings, say attorneys at Troutman.
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Law School's Missed Lessons: Practical Problem Solving
Issue-spotting skills are well honed in law school, but practicing attorneys must also identify clients’ problems and true goals, and then be able to provide solutions, says Mary Kate Hogan at Quarles & Brady.
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Receivership Law May Streamline Real Estate Sales In Illinois
The Illinois Receivership Act, which goes into effect Jan. 1, provides much-needed clarity on the issue of receivers' sales of commercial real estate and will make the process easier for parties including receivers, special servicers and commercial real estate lenders, say attorneys at Troutman.
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Tariffs And Trade Volatility Drove 2025 Bankruptcy Wave
The Trump administration's tariff regime has reshaped the commercial restructuring landscape this year, with an increased number of bankruptcy filings showing how tariffs are influencing first‑day narratives, debtor-in-possession terms and case strategies, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.
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The Hidden Pitfalls Of Letters Of Credit In Lease Negotiations
Amid a surge in commercial office leasing driven by artificial intelligence firms, it's crucial for landlords to be aware of the potential downside of accepting letters of credit — in particular, for amounts of security that are less than the statutory bankruptcy claim cap, say attorneys at Allen Matkins.
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The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Getting The Message Across
Communications and brand strategy during a law firm merger represent a crucial thread that runs through every stage of a combination and should include clear messaging, leverage modern marketing tools and embrace the chance to evolve, says Ashley Horne at Womble Bond.
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Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Client-Led Litigation
New litigators can better help their corporate clients achieve their overall objectives when they move beyond simply fighting for legal victory to a client-led approach that resolves the legal dispute while balancing the company's competing out-of-court priorities, says Chelsea Ireland at Cohen Ziffer.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Dynamic Databases
Several recent federal court decisions illustrate how parties continue to grapple with the discovery of data in dynamic databases, so counsel involved in these disputes must consider how structured data should be produced consistent with the requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Drafting For Distress: D&O Policy Tips Ahead Of Ch. 11 Filings
Considering recent bankruptcy statistics and the economic climate, now is a good time for companies to revisit their directors and officers liability insurance coverage, as understanding how these programs are structured and which terms matter at placement or renewal can materially improve protection for leaders of a distressed company, say attorneys at Reed Smith.
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Law School's Missed Lessons: Networking 101
Cultivating a network isn't part of the law school curriculum, but learning the soft skills needed to do so may be the key to establishing a solid professional reputation, nurturing client relationships and building business, says Sharon Crane at Practising Law Institute.
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Defeating Estoppel-Based Claims In Legal Malpractice Actions
State supreme court cases from recent years have addressed whether positions taken by attorneys in an underlying lawsuit can be used against them in a subsequent legal malpractice action, providing a foundation to defeat ex-clients’ estoppel claims, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.
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The Biz Court Digest: How It Works In Massachusetts
Since its founding in 2000, the Massachusetts Business Litigation Session's expertise, procedural flexibility and litigant-friendly case management practices have contributed to the development of a robust body of commercial jurisprudence, say James Donnelly at Mirick O’Connell, Felicia Ellsworth at WilmerHale and Lisa Wood at Foley Hoag.
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Why Appellees Should Write Their Answering Brief First
Though counterintuitive, appellees should consider writing their answering briefs before they’ve ever seen their opponent’s opening brief, as this practice confers numerous benefits related to argument structure, time pressures and workflow, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.