bankruptcy

Bankruptcy Court Finds Kerr-McGee Engaged in Fraudulent Transfer in Tronox Spinoff

bankruptcy, Corporate and Real Estate Transactions, Disclosure of Environmental Liabilities, Environmental Due Diligence /

[Updated to reflect April 3, 2014 settlement] In what may be one of the most significant cases involving the application of fraudulent conveyance laws and environmental liability, the bankruptcy court for the Southern District of New York held that Kerr-McGee had engaged in a fraudulent transfer when it spun off various assets in 2005 into […]

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Ct Says NJ Brownfield Agreement Not Enough to Establish Innocent Party Status

bankruptcy, Brownfields, CERCLA, Corporate and Real Estate Transactions, Environmental Due Diligence, NJ Spill Act /

The brownfield reforms that swept the country in the 1990s created new tools for developers of contaminated sites to help minimize their liability. Some of the reforms like the CERCLA Bona Fide Prospective Purchaser (BFPP) liability protection are self-implementing while others such as prospective purchaser agreements, covenants not to sue or letters stating that the developer

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Methane Gas, an Apartment Complex and a Bankruptcy Filing

bankruptcy, Environmental Due Diligence, Methane Gas /

A federal bankruptcy court authorized the owner of the upscale Marble Cliffs Crossing Apartments complex in Columbus, Ohio to install a methane gas remediation plan over the objections of the purchaser of the mortgage note, holding that the plan was necessary to protect the safety of tenants and was critical for preserving the value of

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Settlement Reached in Securities Class Action Suit For Inadequate Environmental Disclosure

bankruptcy, Corporate and Real Estate Transactions, Disclosure of Environmental Liabilities /

The 2009 bankruptcy filing of Tronox, Inc. has spawned some interesting litigation. A trial commenced in May in the bankruptcy court for the Southern District of New York where a Litigation Trust formed as part of the Tronox reorganization plan is seeking $25B in damages from Kerr-McGee, a subsidiary of Anadarko Petroleum. Tronox, a manufacturer

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Environmental Saga Involves Successor Liability, Bankruptcy and Environmental Justice

bankruptcy, CERCLA, common law, Corporate and Real Estate Transactions, Hazardous Waste /

The most recent decision in Flake v. Schrader-Bridgeport Int’l, Inc., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30372  (M.D. Tenn., Mar. 23, 2011) is just another chapter in this long-running environmental saga involving a successor liability, bankruptcy, toxic tort and environmental justice issues along with a piece of American automotive history. This well-traveled case began in a Tennessee county

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Bankruptcy Discharge Bars Claim of Purchaser Agst Former Oil Well Operator

bankruptcy, Environmental Due Diligence, oil spills /

In Shelton Property Rural Acreage, LLC v Placid Oil Co., 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 16681 (5th Cir. 8/10/11), Placid Oil operated oil wells on leased property from 1942 to 1956. In 1986, Placid filed a chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding. The bankruptcy court issued a confirmation order in 1988 that contained a discharge of all claims

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Owner Incurs $1MM On Cleanup But Ct Says No “Due Care”-Owner Waited Too Long to Act

bankruptcy, CERCLA /

The second our series of recent cases involving the due care element of the CERCLA third party defense is State of New York v Adamowicz, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 102988 (E.D.N.Y. 9/13/11) where a property owner was unable to establish that it exercised due care despite spending over $1MM addressing environmental concerns at its site.

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No Administrative Claim For Hotel Damaged By Methane from Bankrupt Landfill Operator

bankruptcy, Corporate and Real Estate Transactions, Environmental Due Diligence, Lender Liability /

It seems like there were a lot of cases in 2011 involving commercial properties impacted by methane gas from former landfills. A recent case involved a novel question if the owner of a hotel damaged by methane gas migrating from a landfill could seek administrative claim status in a chapter 7 bankruptcy case. In the

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District Court Rules Injunctive Order not Dischargeable Claim

bankruptcy, Corporate and Real Estate Transactions /

New Mexico had issued an order under its Water Quality Act to abate groundwater contamination eminating from septic field and lagoon on debtor’s property. The debtor argued that since the state was essentially requiring it to pay for the cleanup, the order should be considered a claim that could be discharged under the Bankruptcy Code.

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Chapter 13 debtor may not avoid cleanup order

bankruptcy, Disclosure of Environmental Liabilities /

A Chapter 13 debtor had previously owned a gas station. After the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) issued a notice of violation involving failing to comply with underground storage tanks (USTs) regulations, the debtor filed its chapter 13 petition. In its Statement of Financial Affairs, the debtor disclaimed knowledge of environmental issues

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