Asset Sales

Section 363 sales are frequently invoked in an effort to render the debt side of a balance sheet irrelevant. Buyers and sellers generally spend much of their time negotiating pre-sale issues, such as bidding procedures, “break-up fees” and other bidding protections, perhaps relying on the “free and clear” language of § 363(f) to absolve the buyer of any liabilities associated with the assets. Buyers at § 363 sales typically assume that they take the assets free and clear of all liens and claims.

Potential buyers often have significant leverage over distressed sellers of assets and are able to influence or dictate the nature of the sale process. This panel will examine the considerations that a potential buyer of a distressed company should make when it has the opportunity to choose the appropriate process and venue for pursuing such acquisition.

The workshop features Chief Bankruptcy Judges Dennis R. Dow (W.D. Mo.), C. Ray Mullins (N.D. Ga.), Brendan Linehan Shannon (D. Del.), Cecilia G. Morris (S.D.N.Y), and Barbara J. Houser (N.D. Tex.), who will discuss recent circuit splits and hot topics, including the application of the absolute priority rule in individual chapter 11 cases, artificial impairment, structured dismissals, intellectual property licenses, equitable disallowance and § 502(d) issues, and more.

This panel will discuss common issues that arise in a § 363 sale, including timing issues, typical marketing programs (or conversely, no-shop clauses), bid procedures, break-up fees and bid-protection provisions. The panel might also touch on critical-vendor provisions, employee incentive programs, claw-back and true-up provisions, and successor liability clauses, as well as the applicability of the various subsections in § 363(f).