Lisa M. Schweitzer

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In In re Nine West LBO Securities Litigation, Case No. 20-2941 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 4, 2020), U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff denied a motion to dismiss claims brought by the Nine West liquidating trustee against former directors of Jones Group (the predecessor to Nine West) for breach of fiduciary duty and aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty stemming from a 2014 going-private transaction with private equity sponsor Sycamore Group.  While it remains to be seen whether the defendant directors ultimately will be found liable for such claims, we highlight certain lessons learned and best practices that can be followed in light of the ruling.
Continue Reading Lessons Learned and Best Practices in LBO Transactions Following the Nine West Decision

In the latest turn in the long-running LBO-related fraudulent conveyance litigation brought in connection with the Lyondell bankruptcy,[1] on November 18, 2015, Judge Robert E. Gerber of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the “Court”) issued a decision (the “Decision”) on motions to dismiss the intentional fraudulent transfer claims and the state-law constructive fraudulent transfer claims brought by representatives for shareholders of Lyondell Chemical Company (“Lyondell”) against Edward Weisfelner (the “Trustee”), trustee of two trusts established for Lyondell’s creditors.  In re Lyondell Chem. Co., No. 09-10023 (REG), 2015 WL 7272996 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Nov. 18, 2015).  The Decision dismissed the intentional fraudulent transfer claims based on the failure to adequately plead the Lyondell Board’s intent to defraud the company’s creditors by entering into the leveraged buyout.  However, the Court left in place the state-law constructive fraudulent transfer claims against former shareholders – notwithstanding securities safe harbors in the Bankruptcy Code that would generally preclude such claims – and, in the process, demarcated the boundaries between intentional and constructive fraudulent transfer claims.
Continue Reading SDNY Bankruptcy Court Reaffirms Rigorous Pleading Standards in Lyondell LBO Fraudulent Conveyance Action