News about the Business Law Program or news about faculty or students that relates to business law
WeWork’s recent Chapter 11 filing in New Jersey is the seventh large bankruptcy filing in the state since the previous November, as corporations increasingly choose the state as the destination to restructure their debt. New Jersey’s share of large bankruptcies nationwide has risen to 5%, partly due to the stability provided by consistent judges in […]
A dozen academics, including Professors Ralph Brubaker and Robert Lawless, are urging the United States Bankruptcy Court to abolish the two-judge panel on a south Texas bankruptcy court that has earned a reputation as a key venue for large bankruptcy cases. The letter from the legal scholars to Chief Judge Eduardo V. Rodriguez comes as […]
When student loan payments resumed in October, an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer proposed a solution to help debtors: Restore bankruptcy rights to student loans. To make his case, the author of the piece spoke to bankruptcy expert Professor Robert Lawless about the history of bankruptcy protection for student loans. Lawless explained that although federal […]
In their series on how the effects of slavery remain with us today, Reuters spoke to Professor Robert Lawless about the history of bankruptcy. The series, titled “Slavery’s Descendants” examines how slavery, the Jim Crow era, and racial discrimination put two different families (one white, one black) on very different economic paths. For part four, […]
In the past year, Shelby County, Tennessee, has a record of six bankruptcies per 1,000 residents, a rate that tops the nation. With none of the other 100 largest counties in the United States having more than four per 1,000, the difference is not particularly close, either. In their investigation of this phenomenon, MLK50: Justice […]
In the case of Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, Professor Ralph Brubaker has submitted an amicus brief arguing “Courts have no power to approve” the bankruptcy plan submitted by Purdue Pharma. Joined in writing the brief by fellow bankruptcy experts Professor Bruce Markell of Northwestern and Professor Jonathan Seymour of […]
Though the record-breaking settlement Dominion received in its settlement with Fox News is frequently characterized as a “win” by commentators, the statement from Fox with the settlement was not apologetic, did not acknowledge any responsibility, and was not a retraction. In a new article written for the American Psychological Association, Professors Jennifer Robbennolt and Verity […]
In an attempt to restructure its more than $3 billion in debt and confront lawsuits alleging the company filled opioid prescriptions unlawfully, Rite Aid is reportedly preparing to file bankruptcy. In an article examining the company’s motivations for doing so and the potential ramifications of their bankruptcy, USA Today quoted Professor Ralph Brubaker, an expert […]
As part of Creditor Rights Coalition’s “The Academics Speak Up” series, Professor Ralph Brubaker shared his thoughts on Purdue Pharma’s appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in its bankruptcy proceedings. Brubaker made clear his feelings about the mechanisms by which Purdue was trying to discharge its debts in a direct and unsparing critique. “I am […]
Professor Richard Kaplan was a guest on the September 1 episode of Joan Esposito’s radio show on WCPT Chicago. He discussed Medicare’s announcement of impending price negotiations for ten widely used prescription drugs pursuant to a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.