West Virginia

For two years this group has studied the influence of a judge’s gender on the processing and outcomes in bankruptcy cases. Leveraging several studies in non-bankruptcy cases on whether gender influences judicial decision making, this study has looked at 837 student loan discharge opinions and compared the outcomes of those cases based on the gender of the judge and the gender of the debtor. The results demonstrate a statistically significant difference in the way men and women decide such cases.

Members of ABI's Commercial Fraud Committee will discuss hot topics related to COVID-19, particularly fraudulent schemes likely expected due to the pandemic and schemes that may be revealed as a result of the pandemic's economic repercussions. The panelists will also address the coronavirus relief bill and resulting potential fraudulent schemes, as well as the international impact of the pandemic.

The novel coronavirus has certainly induced many systemic changes around the world, and the bankruptcy and restructuring industry is no exception. What once worked in a pre-COVID-19 world might not work anymore, so parties must adapt quickly, often with no precedence upon which to rely. This panel will discuss the idiosyncrasies and novel ways bankruptcy practice is operating, restructuring and adapting to a “new normal,” and how constituencies on all sides of the table are approaching its unique aspects.

This panel will provide an analysis of the current levels of financial distress across the hospital, skilled-nursing and home-health sectors using various measurements, including distributions by state.

The panel will briefly address the historical use of cannabis in America for medicinal purposes and the subsequent criminalization of cannabis, which was racially motivated. The panel will then discuss the challenges faced by corporate entities that seek to obtain bankruptcy protection when at least a portion of their income is derived from the sale or cultivation of cannabis, the lease of space to cannabis companies, or the sale or manufacture of products used in connection with a cannabis business.