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§ 546

Hayes v. Morgan Stanley DW Inc. (In re Stewart Fin. Co.)

Ruling
Payments to investment company margin accounts belonging to debtor's former principal were not avoidable.
Procedural posture

Plaintiff trustee filed an action against defendant investment company to avoid and recover, as fraudulent transfers, certain payments made by the debtor that were to be applied to margin accounts opened by and belonging to a former principal of the debtor. The investment company filed a motion for summary judgment.

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opinion summary, case decided on March 30, 2007 , LexisNexis #0507-023

Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Norstan Apparel Shops Inc. v. Lattman (In re Norstan Apparel Shops Inc.)

Ruling
S-Corp distributions to shareholders did not qualify under safe harbor provision as they did not involve publicly traded securities of impact the public securities market.
Procedural posture

Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the complaint filed by plaintiff, chapter 11 debtor's official committee of unsecured creditors, which alleged that certain payments made to defendants by debtor were constructive fraudulent conveyances to defendants pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 544 and N.Y. Debt. & Cred. Law §§ 273, 274 and 275, and that defendants breached their fiduciary duty to debtor.

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opinion summary, case decided on March 30, 2007 , LexisNexis #0507-061

Singer v. Kimberly Clark Corp. (In re American Pad & Paper Co.)

Ruling
Avoidance proceedings filed by trustee appointed more than two years after order for relief were untimely.
Procedural posture

Appellant chapter 7 trustee filed actions in debtors'bankruptcy proceedings to avoid preferences. The bankruptcy court dismissed the actions as untimely under 11 U.S.C. § 546(a), the District Court for the District of Delaware affirmed. The trustee appealed.

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Court :
Judge or Jurisdiction information not available
opinion summary, case decided on March 02, 2007 , LexisNexis #0407-024

Ostrander v. Gardner (In re Milivision Inc.)

Ruling
Creditor's postpetition recording of financing statement did not relate back to date of loan.
Procedural posture

Appellant lenders made a loan to debtor. The next day, debtor's creditors filed an involuntary chapter 11 petition. Unaware of the bankruptcy petition, appellants did not record a financing statement relating to their loan until five days after the loan was made. The bankruptcy court permitted the trustee to invoke 11 U.S.C. § 547, the "strong-arm" provision, to avoid appellants'interest in debtor's assets. They appealed.

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Court :
Judge or Jurisdiction information not available
opinion summary, case decided on January 16, 2007 , LexisNexis #0207-095

Official Comm. of Unsecured Creditors v. Acres of Diamonds LP (In re The IT Group Inc.)

Ruling
Settlement payment by financial institution was protected from avoidance.
Procedural posture

Plaintiff liquidating trust brought an adversary claim against defendant transferee, seeking to avoid and recover $575,000 as a fraudulent transfer pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §§ 548(a)(1)(B) and 550. The transferee moved for summary judgment, asserting that the transfer was a non- avoidable settlement payment pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 546(e). Transferee and the trust also filed motions in limine concerning expert witness testimony.

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opinion summary, case decided on December 29, 2006 , LexisNexis #0207-096

Warfield v. GMAC (In re Moore)

Ruling
Trustee could avoid lien that did not fit within safe harbor provisions.
Procedural posture

Plaintiff chapter 7 trustee filed an adversary proceeding against defendant creditor seeking to avoid the creditor's lien as an unauthorized postpetition transfer under 11 U.S.C. §§ 549 and 544(a). The trustee also moved to compel turnover of the proceeds of the creditor's sale of the vehicle.

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opinion summary, case decided on October 27, 2006 , LexisNexis #1206-109

In re Marineau

Ruling
Court deemed that creditor's refusal to release state garnishment lien took priority over trustee's avoidance powers and thus did not vioalte automatic stay.
Procedural posture

Movant debtors sought to release funds garnished by respondent creditor and turnover of the garnished funds. The creditor cross-moved for relief from the automatic stay under 11 U.S.C. § 362 so that it could complete its state court garnishment of the funds.

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opinion summary, case decided on May 18, 2006 , LexisNexis #0706-112

Goldberg v. Craig (In re Hydro-Action Inc.)

Ruling
Alleged insiders of corporate debtor were granted summary judgment on the grounds that the preferential transfer claims were made untimely.
Procedural posture

Plaintiff bankruptcy trustee brought an adversary proceeding against defendants, alleged insiders of a corporate bankruptcy debtor, seeking to avoid alleged fraudulent, preferential, and postpetition transfers. The insiders moved for summary judgment based on the limitations period of 11 U.S.C. § 546(a) and based on lack of evidence of postpetition transfers.

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opinion summary, case decided on March 14, 2006 , LexisNexis #0406-131

Mullen v. Kalil (In re Mullen)

Ruling
Debtor's action to avoid transfers to the debtor's former husband was time barred since the action was already disclosed in the debtor's discharged chapter 7 case and could not be revived by reopening the case and converting to chapter 11.
Procedural posture

Plaintiff debtor sued defendant former husband alleging that the transfers of a lease and a business were avoidable as fraudulent transfers under 11 U.S.C. § 548, the transfers of the lease and the business were avoidable under 11 U.S.C. § 544(b), the transfers of the lease and the business were avoidable preferences under 11 U.S.C. § 547(b). The former husband filed a motion for summary judgment.

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opinion summary, case decided on February 01, 2006 , LexisNexis #0306-024

Vaughan v. Meridan Natl Corp. (In re Ottawa River Steel Co.)

Ruling
Creditor was denied summary judgment where the court ruled it could decide the date an order for relief triggered two-year limitations period for filing creditor's complaint.
Procedural posture

Plaintiff chapter 7 trustee commenced an adversary proceeding against defendants, creditors, seeking to recover certain prepetition transfers made by the debtor. The creditors moved for summary judgment, alleging that the trustee's claims were time barred under 11 U.S.C. § 546.

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opinion summary, case decided on July 14, 2005 , LexisNexis #0106-092