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Weinstein Company Sale Delayed by N.Y. Attorney General Lawsuit

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The fire sale of the Weinstein Company hit a last-minute snag yesterday, when Eric T. Schneiderman, New York’s attorney general, filed a lawsuit against the studio and its fraternal founders alleging that they repeatedly violated state and city laws barring gender discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual abuse and coercion, the New York Times reported. The lawsuit, filed electronically in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, appeared timed to at least delay a sale, which had been expected to be finalized yesterday. “Any sale of the Weinstein Company must ensure that victims will be compensated, employees will be protected going forward, and that neither perpetrators nor enablers will be unjustly enriched,” Schneiderman said. The Weinstein Company has been trying to avoid bankruptcy since October, when reports by The New York Times and The New Yorker revealed decades of sexual harassment allegations against one of its founders, Harvey Weinstein. The company was nearing a deal to sell itself to an investor group for roughly $275 million, plus the assumption of $225 million in debt.

Bankrupt Pittsburgh Athletic Association Wins More Time to Work on Reorganization Plan

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The judge overseeing the Pittsburgh Athletic Association’s bankruptcy case has given the club more time to resolve objections to its proposed reorganization plan, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. The U.S. government filed an objection late last week, saying the plan does not account for an estimated $2 million in taxes the PAA likely will owe on the planned sale of its iconic clubhouse in Oakland. The $11.9 million sale to Walnut Capital is the centerpiece of the reorganization plan, which calls for using the proceeds to repay all creditors in full. “We recognize the IRS has a claim,” the PAA’s bankruptcy attorney, Jordan Blask of Tucker Arensberg, told Judge Jeffrey A. Deller during a status conference yesterday. “We’ve spoken to stakeholders with respect to assisting us” in setting aside a reserve to pay the taxes, Blask said, adding that he expects the tax bill to be reduced substantially once the final figures are worked out.

Bankrupt Breitburn Energy Gets Last-Minute $1.8 Billion Offer from Lime Rock

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Breitburn Energy Partners LP has received a $1.8 billion full cash offer from Lime Rock Resources, according to court papers filed on Friday, a surprise bid that could blow open the oil and gas producer’s bankruptcy reorganization plan, Reuters reported. A four-day bankruptcy confirmation hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan ended last month after a bitter valuation battle between Breitburn and its shareholders. Parties were awaiting a ruling from U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Stuart Bernstein, who is overseeing the case, when Breitburn revealed in a letter to the judge that it had received the bid from Lime Rock, an oil basin acquirer and producer. Houston, Texas-based Lime Rock’s $1.8 billion stalking-horse offer tops a $1.6 billion enterprise valuation by Breitburn’s investment bank. The official committee of equity holders said that they believed Breitburn was worth $3.8 billion following a spike in oil prices since the company filed for bankruptcy in 2016.

Judge Delays Ruling on Bidding Process for Gazette-Mail

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A federal bankruptcy judge yesterday delayed ruling on a motion that would open a 30-day bidding process for the purchase of the Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette-Mail, the paper reported. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frank Volk said that he and involved parties hadn’t had enough time to review a motion outlining the the procedures related to submitting bids and the actual sale of the newspaper during a hearing. The owners of the Gazette-Mail filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday. The 168-page motion outlining the bidding process was one of nine motions filed in the bankruptcy case of Charleston Newspapers in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of West Virginia. Volk approved the other eight motions, most of which were to authorize owners of the paper to engage in financial transactions that would allow for regular operation of the newspaper during bankruptcy proceedings. The bankruptcy filing on Tuesday set off a 60-day countdown until new ownership could take over the operations of the newspaper.

Dowling College’s Brookhaven Campus to Go on the Auction Block

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At least three bidders are expected to take part in today’s bankruptcy auction of Dowling College’s 105-acre Brookhaven campus (N.Y.), according to the property’s marketer, Newsday reported. Sealed bids for the property, which includes a 70-room dormitory, an athletic complex, a two-building office and classroom complex, and a 7,500-square-foot airplane hangar, were due by Thursday. Organizers of the auction said they have received three bids for the property, and the bidders’ identities will remain sealed until after the auction. The auction will proceed in increments of $100,000, said Sean Southard, an attorney representing Dowling in its chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The liberal arts college ran out of funds, lost its accreditation and closed in 2016. Dowling said that it had $54 million in long-term debt and filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2016.

Judge Approves Sale of 28 Perkins Restaurants

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A bankruptcy judge gave his formal approval to the sale of 28 Perkins restaurants, including two local locations, at a hearing in Erie, Pa., this week, the Star Beacon reported. Judge Thomas Agresti signed off on Tuesday on an order that accepts the $7.8 million deal that will see a Pennsylvania company acquire acquire the assets of Unique Ventures Group, the prior owner, according to M. Colette Gibbons, an attorney who is serving as chapter 11 trustee for UVG. UVG, based in Meadville, Pa., filed for chapter 11 protection almost a year ago, and the assets were put on the auction block earlier this month. Three bidders emerged, with 5171 Campbells Land Co., of Monroeville, Pa., submitting the highest quote.