The Letter of Request Procedure is the main means of evidence gathering under the Hague Convention. This process begins with a request made to the U.S. court where the action is pending to issue a letter of request seeking the production of specified documents or the taking of testimony from a particular witness. The court transmits the letter of request…
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Keeping you current to Focus BetterForeign Discovery Through Letters of Request Are Not An Absolute Right09/05/2021
Delaware Bankruptcy Court Confirms Bankruptcy Court Has Authority to Issue Preliminary Injunctions To Freeze Assets09/02/2021
In 1998, The U.S. Supreme Court in Grupo Mexicano de Desarrollo S.A. v. Alliance Bond Fund, 527 U.S. 308, held that the District Court had no authority to issue a preliminary injunction preventing petitioners from disposing of assets pending adjudication of the respondents’ contract claim for money damages. Subsequently, courts have interpreted Grupo to carve out exceptions for equitable actions…
Inquiry Notice Applies to A Transferee’s Good Faith Defense to a Trustee’s Fraudulent Avoidance Action09/02/2021
On August 30, 2021, the Second Circuit decided in Irving Picard, trustee for the Liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, LLC v. Citibank N.A., 20-1334, on “appeals of the latest installment in the long-running litigation arising from Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme” whether the District Court properly dismissed actions brought against initial and subsequent transferees, to avoid and recover transfers,…
As SPAC Deal Flow Increases, Expect Litigation to Follow Suit08/31/2021
With the recent rise in popularity of special purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”), expect an uptick in SPAC related litigation to follow. SPAC’s are referred to as “blank check” companies because they are shell companies formed by a sponsor group to raise funds in an initial public offering (“IPO”) for the purpose of acquiring a yet-to-be-identified privately held target company. After…
The New Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act and a Preview of Upcoming Litigation02/26/2020
As you undoubtedly know by now, on January 1, 2020, Illinois became the 11th state to legalize the possession and use of adult-use cannabis. The new law, the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, 410 ILCS 705, et seq., (the “CRTA”) – all 610 pages of …
Employers Beware: The Cannabis Laws, They Are A-Changin’02/26/2019
Of course, laws are changing all the time. But with medical marijuana laws being enacted in states around the country at a quick pace, the list of shifting rights and obligations related to the workplace is growing like a weed. Two recent cases highlight wins …
Tenancy by the Entirety Not a Defense to a Mortgage Foreclosure Case When Both Spouses Signed Letter of Direction to Trustee of Land Trust11/04/2018
In Marquette Bank v. Gesiakowski, et al., 2015 IL App (1st) 142627, the Illinois First District Appellate Court recently ruled in favor of a lender in a mortgage foreclosure case that resolved interesting issues regarding a mortgagee's ability to foreclose on real estate held in a land trust, when the beneficial interest in that land trust is held by spouses as…
Illinois Decision Sheds Light on Potential Pitfalls for Intercreditor Agreements12/15/2017
Given the increasing prevalence of intercreditor agreements in commercial finance transactions, lenders and counsel should be aware of an important 2017 Illinois appellate court decision, Bowling Green Sports Center v. C.A.G. LLC, in which the court ultimately determined that in certain circumstances a senior lender?s …