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ARTICLE · 09 MAY 2016

Making The Safe Harbors Safe Again

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In a March 29, 2016 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (the "Court of Appeals") held that creditors are preempted from asserting state law constructive fraudulent conveyance claims...

United StatesInsolvency/Bankruptcy/Re-Structuring
Fredric Sosnick
Fredric Sosnick
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United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Holds That State Law Constructive Fraudulent Conveyance Claims Brought by Creditors Are Preempted by the Safe Harbor of Section 546(e) of the Bankruptcy Code

In a March 29, 2016 decision,1 the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (the "Court of Appeals") held that creditors are preempted from asserting state law constructive fraudulent conveyance claims by virtue of the Bankruptcy Code's "safe harbors" that, among other things, exempt transfers made in connection with a contract for the purchase, sale or loan of a security (here, in the context of a leveraged buyout ("LBO")), from being clawed back into the bankruptcy estate for distribution to creditors. The decision will serve to promote finality and certainty for investors by limiting the circumstances (e.g., to cases of intentional fraud) under which securities transactions can be unwound after a bankruptcy filing.

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