If the ruling on the field stands, consumer credit contracts are ineligible for sale free and clear of consumer claims and defenses through a chapter 11 plan. Hon. James L. Garrity, Jr. in the Southern District of New York recently ruled that while § 363(o) does not apply directly to sales through chapter 11 plans, § 1129(a) nevertheless precludes an attempt to strip a consumer’s defenses and rights of recoupment against a buyer who purchases the consumer’s mortgage debt under a plan.
The Playbook: § 363 vs. § 1123