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Bankruptcy Update

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Foreign Trusts Present Tricky Eligibility Issues

In bankruptcy as in federal jurisprudence generally, to characterize something with the near-epithet of “federal common law” virtually dooms it to rejection. [1]  But, since “common law” is “[t]he body of law derived from judicial decisions, rather than from statutes,” [2] is...
June 22, 2021
Case Summaries

Which Procedural Rules Apply to Non-Core, “Related-To” Matters in Federal District Court?  Another Circuit Court Addresses the Issue

At stake in a recent decision by the First Circuit was this: when a bankruptcy matter is before a federal district court based on non-core, “related to” jurisdiction, should the court apply the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure or the...
June 10, 2021
Case Summaries

New Bankruptcy Court Ruling on When a Creditor Can File a Late Proof of Claim

A creditor in bankruptcy must normally file a proof of claim by a certain specified time, known as the bar date, or have its claim be barred.  Bankruptcy Rule 3002(c)(6)(A) provides a narrow exception to this rule when a creditor...
June 4, 2021
Case Summaries

Blurred Immunity: California Cannot Escape Adversary Proceeding on Grounds of Sovereign Immunity

In 2018, the liquidating trustee for Venoco, LLC and its affiliated debtors (collectively, the “Debtors”) commenced an action in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware seeking monetary damages from the State of California and its Lands...
June 1, 2021
Case Summaries

Bankruptcy Court Dismisses NRA’s Ch. 11 Petition

United States Bankruptcy Judge Harlin Hale recently dismissed the National Rifle Association’s Chapter 11 petition as not filed in good faith.  The decision leaves the 150-year-old gun-rights organization susceptible to the New York Attorney General’s suit seeking to dissolve it. In...
May 21, 2021

The Crystal Anniversary: Chapter 15 Turns 15

In recognition of the 15th anniversary of the passage of chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code, the New York City Bar Association’s Bankruptcy & Corporate Reorganization Committee hosted a webinar on May 12, 2021 to discuss the current state of...
May 14, 2021
Case Summaries

Ignore the Court at Your Own Peril: First Circuit Affirms Denial of Discharge Based on Debtor’s Failure to Comply with Orders of the Bankruptcy Court

Debtors who ignore instructions from the Bankruptcy Court do so at their own peril, as a recent case from the First Circuit Court of Appeals illustrates.  In In re Francis, the First Circuit reminds debtors and practitioners that “the road...
May 5, 2021
Case Summaries

Preference Avoidance Actions: When Late is Ordinary

A recent case shows how even late payments can be used to satisfy the ordinary course of business defense in a preference avoidance action.  Baumgart v. Savani Props Ltd. (In re Murphy), Case No. 20-11873, Adv. Pro. No. 20-1070, 2021...
April 27, 2021
Case Summaries

Update: Seventh Circuit Revives Fulton Circuit Split

In January, we reported that the Supreme Court had resolved a split among the Circuit Courts of Appeals regarding property seized from a debtor pre-petition, holding that “merely retaining possession of estate property does not violate the automatic stay.”[1]  The underlying...
April 22, 2021
In the News

Supreme Court Denies Petition for Certiorari in Tribune Creditors’ Case

In March, we reported on a brief filed by the Solicitor General recommending denial of a petition for certiorari filed by Tribune creditors seeking Supreme Court review of the Second Circuit ruling dismissing their state-law fraudulent transfer claims.  This morning,...
April 19, 2021
Case Summaries

Appeals Court Rules That a Discharge Injunction Bars a Fraudulent Transfer Claim Based on a Non-Dischargeable Debt

A discharge of debt in bankruptcy “operates as an injunction against the commencement or continuation of an action, the employment of process, or an act, to collect, recover or offset any such debt as a personal liability of the debtor....
April 15, 2021

The Final Say: Conversion from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 is Not a Given

It is well-settled that if you are a debtor in chapter 11, you do not have the unfettered right to convert the case to a chapter 7 liquidation.  A recent 10th Circuit decision shows why. Kearney v. Unsecured Creditors Committee et...
April 7, 2021

Consider Skipping the “Certified” Option When Serving Pleadings

When serving pleadings in an adversary proceeding, you may want to skip the certified option and go with regular first-class mail, or do both. Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 7004 governs service of process in adversary proceedings.  The statute specifically...
April 2, 2021

Solicitor General Recommends Denial of Cert. in Tribune Despite Perceived Errors

In January 2020 we reported that, after the reconsideration suggested by two Supreme Court justices and revisions to account for the Supreme Court’s Merit Management decision,[1] the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit stood by its original holding,[2] in...
March 24, 2021
Case Summaries

Debtor Alleges Thirteenth Amendment Violation; Court Says Debtor Has Standing to Assert the Claim; Decision on the Merits to Follow

It’s rare for a debtor in bankruptcy to raise allegations of involuntary servitude and a violation of the Thirteenth Amendment.  But one debtor did just that in a recent chapter 11 case.  The court had appointed a trustee to take...
March 15, 2021
Case Summaries

Court Dismisses Bankruptcy Case to Enable Debtor to Seek a Paycheck Protection Loan

It is well known in the restructuring world that a debtor in bankruptcy can’t get a PPP loan.  But what if you’re a debtor and decide a PPP loan could save your business?  Will a court dismiss the case so...
March 8, 2021
In the News

All in a Day’s Work. Belk Achieves Confirmation of Pre-Packaged Plan in Record Time

On Wednesday, February 23, just after 5:00 p.m., Belk, Inc. – a North Carolina-based department store chain – and its affiliates filed voluntary petitions under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code.  Less than 24 hours later, Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur...
March 3, 2021

“Diminishing” Returns: A Pre-Petition Change of Life Insurance Beneficiary is Not Subject to Avoidance as a Fraudulent Transfer

Does a debtor’s pre-petition change of the beneficiary of a life insurance policy constitute a “transfer” of an interest of the debtor in property?  Not according to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, which held...
February 26, 2021
In the News

Section 1126 of the Bankruptcy Code and the Dangers of Sleeping on Your Rights as a Creditor

A seat at the table: this is what you likely want when your financial interests are drawn into a bankruptcy court proceeding.  You’ll seek to be heard and do what you can to maximize your recovery. This is especially true...
February 8, 2021

Delaware Bankruptcy Court Teaches Important Lesson on Timely Lien Perfection

Perfect your liens on time or you may lose them. That’s the painful lesson U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Karen B. Owens taught Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. in her recent decision. Ruling on plaintiff-debtor Southland Royalty Company LLC’s motion for partial summary judgment,...
February 2, 2021
Case Summaries

Update: Supreme Court Resolves Circuit Split Regarding Pre-Bankruptcy Seizure

In 2019, we began following a Circuit split regarding a secured creditor’s obligation to return collateral that it lawfully repossessed pre-petition after receiving notice of a debtor’s bankruptcy filing.   In our prior posts, which you may wish to review and...
January 20, 2021
Case Summaries

Delaware Bankruptcy Court Issues Decision on Whether a Debtor Can Be a “Financial Participant”

We have blogged previously about section 546(e), the Bankruptcy Code’s safe harbor for certain transfers otherwise subject to avoidance as preferences or fraudulent transfers.  See 11 U.S.C. § 546(e).  Among the transfers protected by the section 546(e) safe harbor are...
January 15, 2021
Case Summaries

Proofs of Claim: Don’t Rely on the Mailbox Presumption – Be Sure Claims are Filed by the Bar Date with the Court Clerk or the Claims Agent

Every so often, we post an article on case law discussing proofs of claim.  The decisions often contain basic but important information about the timing and manner of claim filing. One set of cases concerns whether a claim will be deemed timely...
January 4, 2021

The Importance of Loan Underwriting When Restrictions on Bankruptcy Cannot Singlehandedly Save the Day: Sutton 58 Associates LLC v. Phillip Pivelsky, et al.

In sophisticated real estate financing transactions, most prudent lenders attempt to deter borrowers from filing for bankruptcy before loans are paid in full by providing in loan documents that such a filing constitutes an event of default. Many lenders will...
December 23, 2020

Another Bankruptcy Court Weighs in on Postpetition Interest

Cuker Interactive, LLC filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition on December 13, 2018, in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California.  Because it was solvent at confirmation, the debtor proposed to pay secured creditors in full,...
December 14, 2020

Third Time’s the Charm? Ultra Petroleum Make-Whole Dispute is Once Again Headed to the Fifth Circuit.

On Monday, November 30, Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur approved a request by Ultra Petroleum and its affiliated debtors that he certify his October 26, 2020 memorandum opinion for direct review by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth...
December 1, 2020
In the News

Cryptic Crypto: Creditors Move for Ch. 7 for Alleged Madoff-Like Fraud

On Wednesday, November 18, two customers of Cred Inc., a cryptocurrency investment platform currently in Chapter 11, asked Delaware Bankruptcy Judge John T. Dorsey to convert the Chapter 11 case to a Chapter 7 liquidation (or, in the alternative, to...
November 25, 2020
Case Summaries

Bankruptcy Court Denies Section 546(e) Safe Harbor Protection in Fraudulent Transfer Action

The Bankruptcy Code enables a trustee to set aside certain transfers made by debtors before bankruptcy.  See 11 U.S.C. §§ 544, 547, 548.  These avoidance powers are subject to certain limitations, including a safe harbor in section 546(e) exempting certain...
November 16, 2020
In the News

Losing Momentum:  Houston Bankruptcy Court Holds that Make-Whole Claims are Not the Economic Equivalent of Unmatured Interest Subject to Disallowance; Solvent-Debtor Exception Lives

In December of last year, we wrote about the Fifth Circuit’s two decisions – Ultra I, from January 2019, and Ultra II, from December, which replaced Ultra I – regarding make-whole claims in the Ultra Petroleum bankruptcy cases.  That blog...
October 29, 2020

The Best Laid Plans: How a Proposed Sale of NYC Real Estate Under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code Went Awry

There are several ways in which property owners can advantageously use the Bankruptcy Code to effectuate strategic dispositions of assets.  But the bankruptcy process can be fraught with uncertainty that can upend the best laid plans. The matter of In...
October 26, 2020
Case Summaries

Fox News:  New Mexico Bankruptcy Court Reaffirms Committee Eligibility for Derivative Standing Despite Contrary Tenth Circuit B.A.P. Precedent

In an important affirmation of the rights and duties of a creditors’ committee, Bankruptcy Judge David T. Thuma of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Mexico has confirmed that a bankruptcy court may confer derivative standing...
October 21, 2020

Non-Bankruptcy Litigation in Bankruptcy Court

It seems to be a common misunderstanding, even among lawyers who are not bankruptcy lawyers, that litigation in federal bankruptcy court consists largely or even exclusively of disputes about the avoidance of transactions as preferential or fraudulent, the allowance of...
October 16, 2020
Case Summaries

Bill Proposes Sweeping Changes to Protect Workers in Chapter 11

On September 29, 2020, the House Judiciary Committee advanced H.R. 7370, Protecting Employees and Retirees in Business Bankruptcies Act of 2020, a Democrat-sponsored bill, to the full chamber. If enacted into law, the bill would usher in considerable changes in...
October 6, 2020
Case Summaries

Delaware Bankruptcy Court Rejects Late Filings of Asbestos Claims

Last February, we blogged about the Third Circuit’s decision in In re Energy Future Holdings Corp, No. 19-1430, 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 4947 (Feb. 18, 2020).  The Third Circuit approved a process for resolving asbestos claims in which a bar...
September 18, 2020
Case Summaries

Computing Time for a Filing Deadline: Should You Count a Day When a Clerk’s Office is Closed?

This post concerns computation of time under Bankruptcy Rule 9006.  The specific issue addressed is whether a bankruptcy court — when computing a filing deadline — should count a day when its clerk’s office is closed, even if the electronic...
September 14, 2020
Case Summaries

Rough Justice: Third Circuit Issues Important Decision on Unfair Discrimination

“Unfair discrimination is rough justice. It exemplifies the Code’s tendency to replace stringent requirements with more flexible tests that increase the likelihood that a plan can be negotiated and confirmed,” announced Judge Thomas Ambro of the United States Court of...
September 2, 2020

A Cogent Opposing View on SBRA Flexibility

I don’t know if Congress foresaw, when it enacted new Subchapter V of Chapter 11 of the Code[1] in the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (“SBRA”), that debtors in pending cases would seek to convert or redesignate their cases...
August 25, 2020

The NAACP Wants In On the Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy. Will the Court Allow It?

On Friday August 7th, the NAACP filed a motion to intervene in the chapter 11 bankruptcy cases of Purdue Pharma L.P. and its affiliated debtors (collectively, “Debtors”).[1] The Motion argues that “[i]ntervention is warranted because the NAACP has an interest to...
August 14, 2020

District Court Addresses “Straddle Year” Treatment for Federal Income Tax in Bankruptcy

In an appeal of a bankruptcy court’s decision, a district court judge recently addressed the treatment of the “straddle year” for federal income tax under the Bankruptcy Code, which “does not appear to have been decided by any appellate court.”...
August 7, 2020

Redesignation to Elect SBRA Is On a Roll

Our February 26 post [1] reported on the first case dealing with the question whether a debtor in a pending Chapter 11 case may redesignate it as a case under Subchapter V, [2] the new subchapter of Chapter 11 adopted by the...
July 24, 2020
Case Summaries

New Appeals Court Ruling on the Scope of Subsequent Transferee Liability Under Section 550

Section 550 of the Bankruptcy Code provides that, when a transfer is avoided under one of several other sections of the Code, a trustee may recover “the property transferred, or, if the court so orders, the value of such property”...
July 16, 2020
Case Summaries

A Primer On Administrative Expense Claims From An Oil And Gas Bankruptcy Case

This post provides a quick primer on administrative expense claims.  These claims are entitled to priority for actual and necessary goods and services supplied to a debtor in bankruptcy.  For a claim to qualify for administrative expense status, a debtor...
July 9, 2020

Tenants in Bankruptcy: Landlord’s Ability to Draw on Letter of Credit May Turn on Notice Requirements in Lease

The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly acute for commercial landlords.  As retail and other tenants fall further behind on rent and other obligations, lessors are finding themselves drawn into more and more Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. ...
July 2, 2020

Selling the Dip: Hertz’s Scrapped Stock Plan Unlikely to Generate Followers

Hertz Global Holdings Inc. and most of its affiliates filed for bankruptcy on May 22, 2020.  This was just one corporate failure among many in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic; but, a novel strategy by Hertz to raise capital...
June 24, 2020

PG&E’s $58B Bankruptcy Plan Moves Closer to Approval

We’ve reported here and here on the January 2019 bankruptcy filing by Pacific Gas and Electric (“PG&E”), which was primarily the result of potential liability stemming from catastrophic California wildfires.  Since then, PG&E has proposed an approximately $58 billion-dollar reorganization...
June 8, 2020

Bankruptcy Sales Under Section 363: The Business Judgment Test That Judges Often Cite Isn’t Always the One They Use

This post originally appeared in Norton Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice. Bankruptcy court approval is required when a debtor wants to sell property outside the ordinary course of its business. Courts will allow transactions that reflect a debtor’s informed business judgment....
June 1, 2020

Controversy Over SBRA’s Retroactivity

Our February 26 post entitled “SBRA Springs to Life”[1] reported on the first case known to me that dealt with the issue whether a debtor in a pending Chapter 11 case should be permitted to amend its petition to designate...
May 15, 2020
Case Summaries

Federal Appeals Court Addresses Equitable Mootness Doctrine

Courts reviewing a bankruptcy court’s decision to approve a chapter 11 reorganization plan over the objections of an interested party must consider not only the merits, but also (if implementation of the plan was not stayed) potential injury to the...
May 8, 2020

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About Our Blog

Bankruptcy Update Blog provides current news and analysis of key bankruptcy cases and developments in US and cross-border matters. Patterson Belknap’s Business Reorganization and Creditors’ Rights attorneys represent creditors’ committees, trade creditors, indenture trustees, and bankruptcy trustees and examiners in US and international insolvency cases. Our team includes highly skilled and experienced attorneys who represent clients in some of the most complex cases in courts throughout the US and elsewhere.

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  • Contact Daniel A. Lowenthal.

    Daniel A. Lowenthal

    212.336.2720

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  • Contact Kimberly Black.

    Kimberly Black

    212.336.2511

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Firm Highlights

Publication
The Growing Antitrust Risks Of AI Pricing For Health Insurers
As algorithmic pricing models continue to gain traction throughout industries, they increasingly face scrutiny from legislators, enforcers and private plaintiffs who fear their anticompetitive potential. The health insurance industry is no exception: Courts are seriously considering challenges to algorithmic models for health insurance pricing, and legislators are also stepping in. This article focuses on recent legislative and enforcement trends to regulate this developing technology, as well as two ongoing cases involving algorithmic pricing in the health insurance industry, In re: MultiPlan Health Insurance Provider Litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and In re: Zelis Repricing Antitrust Litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Both cases are now in discovery as the plaintiffs continue to pursue...
Blog Post
Regulation E-Delivery: SEC Proposes to Make Electronic Communication the Default
On July 16, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced a proposed rule to broaden many financial market participants’ use of electronic communications with investors and others who receive information pursuant to federal securities laws.[1]  Referred to as “Reg E-Delivery,” the new rule aims to help issuers and others who disseminate SEC-required information transition away from delivering paper documents, a communication method the Agency pointed out imposes “unnecessary costs and expenses” while “no longer reflect[ing] the preference of most investors.”[2] Commenting on the proposed rule, Chair Atkins stated: The world has changed dramatically since many of our rules were first adopted. But, all too often, our regulatory framework has remained static. … In an age of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology, a...
Blog Post
Supreme Court Reaffirms Disgorgement in Sripetch, But Jury Question Looms
In our January 2026 post, Supreme Court to Clarify the SEC’s Disgorgement Powers, we previewed the Supreme Court’s decision to take up Sripetch v. Securities & Exchange Commission,[1] a case in which defendants sought to pare back the SEC’s authority to seek disgorgement. The case resolves a circuit split that arose in the wake of Liu v. SEC.[2]  In Liu, the Court sought to clarify the SEC’s ability to impose the penalty of disgorgement, ruling that disgorgement was available as equitable relief, but to avoid transforming an equitable remedy into a punitive one, “the remedy [is restricted] to an individual wrongdoer’s net profits to be awarded for victims.” In response to Liu’s requirement that disgorgement be “awarded for victims,” the Second Circuit...
Firm News
Firm Amicus Brief Plays Key Role in U.S. Supreme Court Dissent
Patterson Belknap submitted an amicus brief that played a significant role in Justice Sonia Sotomayor's June 29, 2026 dissent in Trump v. Slaughter. The brief was filed on behalf of legal historians Noah A. Rosenblum and Nathaniel Donahue, arguing that the concepts "quasi-legislative" and "quasi-judicial" as used in Humphrey's Executor had long histories in American law and provide workable definitions to guide the Court's review of congressional limitations.  In the dissent, Justice Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown-Jackson, cited the brief extensively. Justice Sotomayor relied on the brief to explain that the concepts were well-established well before the Humphrey's decision, and were used by many political figures and by courts developing a “quasi-judicial” category for officers whose duties resembled a judge’s. To read the amicus brief, please...
Firm News
Patterson Belknap Recognized by Chambers in its 2026 High Net Worth Guide
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler is pleased to announce that the firm has been recognized by Chambers High Net Worth 2026 in the following practice areas: Art and Cultural Property Law – USA-Nationwide Private Wealth Law – New York Chambers is a leading independent professional legal research company, delivering detailed rankings and insights into the world’s top lawyers and law firms. Its research methodology includes detailed interviews with clients and peers and analysis of capabilities, achievement, and sector presence. The firm also received individual recognitions by Chambers in both practice areas: Anne-Laure Alléhaut is ranked in the Art and Cultural Property Law practice area in the USA. Michael Arlein is ranked in the Private Wealth Law practice area in New York. Comments regarding the firm in the Chambers High Net Worth...
Event
Amy Vegari to Speak at American Conference Institute's Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law Conference
On Wednesday, July 29, Partner Amy Vegari will speak on a panel at the American Conference Institute's Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law Conference titled "Navigating the New Fraud and Abuse Landscape: Key Trends, Landmark Cases, and Compliance Lessons from the Last Year." Ms. Vegari will join firm alumna Jacqueline Bonneau (Senior Counsel, Commercial Litigation, Johnson & Johnson), Peena Patel (Senior Associate General Counsel, Abbvie), and Lisa Re (Partner, Arnold & Porter) for a discussion examining recent trends in False Claims Act litigation, potential fraud risks for life sciences companies, and the new frontier of enforcement. To learn more, please click here.
Firm News
Firm Tops The American Lawyer's 2026 Pro Bono Scorecard with Number 1 Ranking
Patterson Belknap has been recognized with a number 1 ranking in The American Lawyer's 2026 Pro Bono Scorecard. These rankings assess pro bono efforts among Am Law 200 firms and are based on the average number of pro bono hours per lawyer and the percentage of lawyers performing 20 or more pro bono hours in 2025. The Scorecard highlights the firm's “intense focus” on pro bono work, with an average of 185.7 hours per lawyer and 85.1% of firm lawyers doing more than 20 hours of pro bono. The article includes commentary from Pro Bono Chair, Michael F. Buchanan, on the firm’s commitment to both impact litigation and pro bono work that has an impact on people's lives, such as access to health care,...
Blog Post
Bankruptcy Court Decides Issue of First Impression Concerning Code Section 365(h)
When a debtor that is a landlord rejects a real property lease in bankruptcy, the tenant has a choice. Either the tenant can treat the lease as terminated or retain its rights under the lease. These rights include the use, possession, quiet enjoyment, subletting, and hypothecation of the property. In a recent case, the parties and the court grappled with this question: when does the tenant need to make that decision? When the lease is rejected, or by some other date? Interestingly, neither the court nor the parties found case law on this issue. It was one of first impression. In re All Star Props., LLC, No. 25-41314, 2026 Bankr. LEXIS 1461 (Bankr. N.D. Ga. June 15, 2026). The debtor owns...
Publication
IRS Clarifies Application of the Non-Profit $1 Million Tax Post-OBBBA
The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) released Notice 2026-36 (Notice of Intent to Issue Regulations under Section 4960), (the “Notice”) relating to the tax on executive compensation under Internal Revenue Code (“Code”) Section 4960, as modified by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the “OBBBA”). The Notice clarifies the IRS’s interpretation of the changes the OBBBA made to Section 4960. Background Prior to the passage of the OBBBA, Section 4960 of the Code imposed a 21% excise tax on remuneration paid to “covered employees,” which included the top five (5) highest compensated employees of a tax exempt organization (with a “once-in-always-in” rule that swept in any individuals who were previously in the “top five” for tax years beginning after December 31, 2016)....
Publication
Not Over Yet?: Drug Manufacturers Eye Potential Circuit Split on Federal Drug Pricing Program
The Inflation Reduction Act’s Drug Price Negotiation Program has been the subject of litigation since Congress passed it in 2022 in an effort to curb the cost to Medicare of brand-name pharmaceutical drugs. These challenges—initiated in federal court by major pharmaceutical manufacturers—have largely been unsuccessful, rejected in both federal district and appeals courts in the Second and Third Circuits, with writs of certiorari uniformly denied by the U.S. Supreme Court. But all hope is not yet lost for pharmaceutical manufacturers’ opposition to the DPNP. A few challenges remain pending in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia and Fifth Circuits, with the latter signaling potential receptiveness to the manufacturers’ positions at oral argument. To continue reading Amy Vegari and...
Publication
The Growing Antitrust Risks Of AI Pricing For Health Insurers
As algorithmic pricing models continue to gain traction throughout industries, they increasingly face scrutiny from legislators, enforcers and private plaintiffs who fear their anticompetitive potential. The health insurance industry is no exception: Courts are seriously considering challenges to algorithmic models for health insurance pricing, and legislators are also stepping in. This article focuses on recent legislative and enforcement trends to regulate this developing technology, as well as two ongoing cases involving algorithmic pricing in the health insurance industry, In re: MultiPlan Health Insurance Provider Litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and In re: Zelis Repricing Antitrust Litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Both cases are now in discovery as the plaintiffs continue to pursue...
Blog Post
Regulation E-Delivery: SEC Proposes to Make Electronic Communication the Default
On July 16, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced a proposed rule to broaden many financial market participants’ use of electronic communications with investors and others who receive information pursuant to federal securities laws.[1]  Referred to as “Reg E-Delivery,” the new rule aims to help issuers and others who disseminate SEC-required information transition away from delivering paper documents, a communication method the Agency pointed out imposes “unnecessary costs and expenses” while “no longer reflect[ing] the preference of most investors.”[2] Commenting on the proposed rule, Chair Atkins stated: The world has changed dramatically since many of our rules were first adopted. But, all too often, our regulatory framework has remained static. … In an age of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology, a...
Blog Post
Supreme Court Reaffirms Disgorgement in Sripetch, But Jury Question Looms
In our January 2026 post, Supreme Court to Clarify the SEC’s Disgorgement Powers, we previewed the Supreme Court’s decision to take up Sripetch v. Securities & Exchange Commission,[1] a case in which defendants sought to pare back the SEC’s authority to seek disgorgement. The case resolves a circuit split that arose in the wake of Liu v. SEC.[2]  In Liu, the Court sought to clarify the SEC’s ability to impose the penalty of disgorgement, ruling that disgorgement was available as equitable relief, but to avoid transforming an equitable remedy into a punitive one, “the remedy [is restricted] to an individual wrongdoer’s net profits to be awarded for victims.” In response to Liu’s requirement that disgorgement be “awarded for victims,” the Second Circuit...
Firm News
Firm Amicus Brief Plays Key Role in U.S. Supreme Court Dissent
Patterson Belknap submitted an amicus brief that played a significant role in Justice Sonia Sotomayor's June 29, 2026 dissent in Trump v. Slaughter. The brief was filed on behalf of legal historians Noah A. Rosenblum and Nathaniel Donahue, arguing that the concepts "quasi-legislative" and "quasi-judicial" as used in Humphrey's Executor had long histories in American law and provide workable definitions to guide the Court's review of congressional limitations.  In the dissent, Justice Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown-Jackson, cited the brief extensively. Justice Sotomayor relied on the brief to explain that the concepts were well-established well before the Humphrey's decision, and were used by many political figures and by courts developing a “quasi-judicial” category for officers whose duties resembled a judge’s. To read the amicus brief, please...
Firm News
Patterson Belknap Recognized by Chambers in its 2026 High Net Worth Guide
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler is pleased to announce that the firm has been recognized by Chambers High Net Worth 2026 in the following practice areas: Art and Cultural Property Law – USA-Nationwide Private Wealth Law – New York Chambers is a leading independent professional legal research company, delivering detailed rankings and insights into the world’s top lawyers and law firms. Its research methodology includes detailed interviews with clients and peers and analysis of capabilities, achievement, and sector presence. The firm also received individual recognitions by Chambers in both practice areas: Anne-Laure Alléhaut is ranked in the Art and Cultural Property Law practice area in the USA. Michael Arlein is ranked in the Private Wealth Law practice area in New York. Comments regarding the firm in the Chambers High Net Worth...
Event
Amy Vegari to Speak at American Conference Institute's Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law Conference
On Wednesday, July 29, Partner Amy Vegari will speak on a panel at the American Conference Institute's Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law Conference titled "Navigating the New Fraud and Abuse Landscape: Key Trends, Landmark Cases, and Compliance Lessons from the Last Year." Ms. Vegari will join firm alumna Jacqueline Bonneau (Senior Counsel, Commercial Litigation, Johnson & Johnson), Peena Patel (Senior Associate General Counsel, Abbvie), and Lisa Re (Partner, Arnold & Porter) for a discussion examining recent trends in False Claims Act litigation, potential fraud risks for life sciences companies, and the new frontier of enforcement. To learn more, please click here.
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