Shearman & Sterling discusses Making the Safe Harbors Safe Again: Second Circuit Holds State Law Constructive Fraudulent Conveyance Claims 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.… Read more