Split Ninth Circuit Narrows Definition of Bad Faith Insider in Cramdown Case | McDermott Skip to main content

Split Ninth Circuit Narrows Definition of Bad Faith Insider in Cramdown Case

Split Ninth Circuit Narrows Definition of Bad Faith Insider in Cramdown Case

Overview


“A creditor does not become an insider simply by receiving a claim from a statutory insider,” held a split panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Feb. 8, 2016. In re The Village at Lakeridge, LLC, 2016 WL 494592, at *1 (9th Cir. Feb. 8, 2016) (2-1). According to the court, “Insiders are either statutory [per se] [e.g., officers, directors] or non-statutory [de facto].” For a person to be a de facto insider, “the creditor must have a close relationship with the debtor and negotiate the relevant transaction at less than arm’s length,” explained the court in finding that a particular creditor did “not qualify as a statutory or non-statutory insider” for voting on the debtor’s Chapter 11 cramdown plan.