When existing interest holders attempt to retain ownership of a
chapter 11 debtor after confirmation of a nonconsensual plan of
reorganization, the Bankruptcy Code's plan confirmation
requirements, including well-established rules regarding the
classification and treatment of creditor claims and equity
interests, can create formidable impediments to their
reorganization strategy. In In re Platinum Corral,
LLC, 2022 WL 127431 (Bankr. E.D.N.C. Jan. 13, 2022), the U.S.
Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina applied
the Bankruptcy Code's "cram-down" confirmation
requirements in denying confirmation of a chapter 11 plan under
which one of the debtor's existing equity holders would receive
100% of the new equity in the reorganized company in exchange for
cancellation of a prepetition unsecured "loan" and a
$100,000 cash infusion.