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Puerto Rico Archdiocese Files for Bankruptcy Amid Lawsuit

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Puerto Rico’s Archdiocese of San Juan filed for bankruptcy yesterday after officials embargoed $4.7 million from its accounts following a lawsuit filed by retired Catholic school teachers seeking their pensions, the Associated Press reported. Archdiocese attorney Carmen Conde said that the filing was a last recourse. She said roughly 75 fulltime and part-time employees are affected, along with dozens of parishes across the U.S. territory. She said that the Archdiocese cannot pay its water or power bills, has halted all charity work and is relying on a group of volunteers. “The Archdiocese no longer has money to operate,” she said. “The embargo caused an economic and administrative crisis.” A judge earlier this year ordered the Archdiocese to pay $4.7 million worth of pensions to both active and retired teachers working at dozens of its schools. The ruling comes two years after Archdiocese officials informed several hundred teachers that their pensions would be eliminated because payouts exceeded contributions, which led to the lawsuit. Enrollment at Catholic schools in Puerto Rico has plunged with hundreds of thousands of families leaving the island for the U.S. mainland amid a 12-year recession.

‘Peaky Blinders’ Producers in Rights Dispute With Weinstein Co. Buyer

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Producers of the British television series “Peaky Blinders” are in a dispute over the U.S. rights to the show with the private-equity firm that purchased Harvey Weinstein’s bankrupt studio, the Wall Street Journal reported. The question is whether Weinstein Co. had the ability to transfer the U.S. rights to Lantern Capital Partners when the studio’s assets were sold. An affiliate of Endemol Shine Group, which licenses the show’s rights, says it terminated the studio’s deal for the U.S. rights after numerous allegations of sexual abuse against Weinstein became public last fall, according to papers filed on Wednesday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del. The legal dispute over rights to the critically acclaimed crime drama is part of continuing legal wrangling over the rights to several film and television projects that cut ties with Weinstein Co. last fall. Endemol Shine said it ended the deal months before the studio filed for chapter 11 in March. Lantern disputes that claim.

Weinstein Co. Settles Video Distribution Deal Lawsuit

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Weinstein Co.’s liquidators have agreed to settle a lawsuit over a partnership with a now closed video distribution business that had been led by former Trump political strategist Steve Bannon, WSJ Pro Bankruptcy reported. The film and television studio’s insurer will pay $2.5 million and cover related fees and defense costs to end the lawsuit filed for the benefit of video distribution company Genius Products LLC’s creditors, according to papers filed yesterday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del. The settlement must be approved by a judge. Litigation with Genius Products nearly forced Weinstein Co. into bankruptcy in late 2017, months before the studio co-founded by Harvey Weinstein ultimately filed for chapter 11. Mr. Weinstein’s studio collapsed after allegations against him of sexual abuse were published by The New York Times and New Yorker magazine. He has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges currently pending in New York.

Studio Creditors Move to Question Former Weinstein Co. Executive

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Creditors of Harvey Weinstein’s former studio on Tuesday moved to question David Glasser, a longtime executive who they suspect enriched himself before a sexual harassment scandal bankrupted the company, WSJ Pro Bankruptcy reported. Allegations of sexual harassment and assaults against Weinstein led to criminal charges and forced the sale of his company, Weinstein Co. Glasser, who occupied upper-echelon positions for nearly a decade, was pushed out of his job about a month before Weinstein Co. filed for chapter 11 protection. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty, and denied engaging in nonconsensual sex. Glasser, through his lawyer, Eve Wagner, has said he was made a scapegoat by others who had the power to “halt Harvey Weinstein’s abusive behavior.” The official committee representing Weinstein Co. creditors filed a motion on Tuesday seeking to question Glasser about the company’s role in Weinstein’s alleged misconduct and other matters, such as the money that went into insiders’ pockets in the year before the bankruptcy.

Standalone ER Seeks Bankruptcy Protection, Affecting Two Wichita County Lawsuits

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The parent company of a former Wichita Falls, Texas, standalone emergency room has filed for chapter 11 protection, possibly affected two lawsuits in local district courts, the Wichita Falls Times-Record-News reported. Neighbors Global Holdings, LLC — parent company of NEC Wichita Falls Emergency Center, L.P. — gave notice that a petition under chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code was filed on July 12. A legacy corporation lists their creditors with the 50 largest unsecured claims as totaling over $9 million in claims with the majority of them being based on trade debt. In Wichita County, NEC was facing two lawsuits — one for malpractice and the other for breach of contract. The malpractice suit stems from allegations that a girl's foot became severely infected due to improper care received at the local NEC site. In that case, attorneys representing NEC filed a motion on July 23 to abate the proceedings, essentially asking the court to temporarily suspend the lawsuit until the bankruptcy petition is completed. The order was granted by 30th District Judge Robert Brotherton on July 24.

Weinstein Co. Disputes Expenses Sought By Former ‘Project Runway’ Producer

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Weinstein Co.’s liquidators are opposing a request by the former producer of “Project Runway” to have more than a million dollars in its expenses paid ahead of other studio creditors in a forthcoming debt-repayment plan, WSJ Pro Bankruptcy reported. Bunim/Murray Productions says that it’s entitled to more than $1.3 million in administrative expenses comprising its production fees and costs incurred while developing the 17th season of the reality television competition. Weinstein Co. filed an objection Friday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del. challenging the request. The dispute is part of the wrangling over how Weinstein Co.’s former production partners will be repaid after the studio collapsed after allegations of sexual assault and harassment were published in the New York Times and New Yorker magazine against studio co-founder Harvey Weinstein. Project Runway was a prized asset in Weinstein Co.’s television business but Bunim/Murray said in court papers last month that it was unsure after the allegations against Weinstein came to light that production on the next season of the show would continue. Before Weinstein Co. filed for bankruptcy in March it was rumored the studio would either be sold or shutdown, court papers say.

Ron Burkle Sues Lantern for Fraud in Weinstein Buyout

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Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Cos. is suing the buyout shop that acquired Harvey Weinstein’s former entertainment studio in a bankruptcy sale, accusing Lantern Capital Partners LP of fraud in connection with the $289 million deal, WSJ Pro Bankruptcy reported. Lantern declined comment, citing a policy of not commenting on ongoing litigation. The allegations stem from a time when both Yucaipa — the investment firm co-founded by Burkle, a billionaire grocery-store magnate — and Lantern were involved in an effort to help Weinstein Co. avoid bankruptcy. According to Yucaipa, it did the work, but Lantern did the deal, and the new owner is refusing to pay an agreed-to fee for using information gathered by Yucaipa to acquire the Weinstein film and TV business. In a lawsuit filed in state court in California, Yucaipa says it shared information with Lantern based on an agreement that Lantern allegedly never intended to honor.

Bob Weinstein to Leave Board of the Weinstein Company

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Bob Weinstein, chairman of the near-dead film and television studio, will step down from the board today, the company said, formalizing the end of his efforts to retain a significant role in the business as it tries to rebuild, the New York Times reported. Weinstein’s departure was expected. He founded the boutique studio in 2005 with his brother, Harvey, who was fired last year after dozens of women publicly accused him of sexual misconduct. The Weinstein Company subsequently imploded, filing for bankruptcy and agreeing to sell itself to Lantern Capital Partners, a Dallas private equity firm, for $289 million. Lantern had initially agreed to pay $310 million, but won a reduced price after it argued that it had been misled about payments on contracts to vendors and filmmakers. Harvey Weinstein was arrested in Manhattan in May on charges that he sexually assaulted two women. He was indicted this month on additional charges, one of which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges and awaits trial. He has denied ever engaging in “non-consensual sex.”

Judge Clears Sale of Weinstein Studio to Lantern Capital

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A judge approved a discounted sale of Harvey Weinstein’s bankrupt film and television studio to private-equity firm Lantern Capital Partners yesterday, allowing it to close a deal that has been pending for more than two months, WSJ Pro Bankruptcy reported. Lantern will pay $289 million, shaving $21 million from the original purchase price for Weinstein Co. following a dispute over costs tied to completing the deal and assuming the entertainment company’s contracts including participation agreements with actors, writers and producers. The transaction is anticipated to close Friday. The revised sale was approved following a settlement over the purchase price between Weinstein Co., Lantern and a committee representing trade creditors and women who have filed lawsuits against the company over alleged misconduct by Weinstein. Before the settlement, Lantern and Weinstein Co. had sought to reduce the price by $23 million.