Bankruptcy on Fire: A Discussion of Cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and Other Courts that Will Spark Interest in 2024 – Presented by the FBA Bankruptcy Law Section

Moderator: Elizabeth Rogers, Associate | Stevens & Lee, P.C.

Elizabeth A. Rogers is a bankruptcy and financial restructuring associate at Stevens & Lee, P.C. in Wilmington, Del. Liz served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Guy R. Humphrey, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of Ohio, from 2021 – 2023. She graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 2019. Liz is a member of the FBA bankruptcy section’s leadership board.

Hon. John Gregg, Bankruptcy Judge | Western District of Michigan

Hon. John T. Gregg was appointed as a bankruptcy judge in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Michigan on July 17, 2014. He was recently appointed to the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Sixth Circuit. Before his appointment, Judge Gregg was a partner with the law firm of Barnes & Thornburg LLP, where he focused on corporate restructuring, bankruptcy and other insolvency matters. Judge Gregg was the chair of the education committee of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges in 2022, serves on the board of directors of the American Bankruptcy Institute, is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, and is a member of the American Law Institute. He earned his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.

Judge Gregg is a frequent writer and speaker on bankruptcy and other commercial issues. He has written and co-edited numerous secondary sources, including Collier Guide to Chapter 11, published by LexisNexis, Strategies for Secured Creditors in Workouts and Foreclosures, published by ALI-ABA, Issues for Suppliers and Customers of Financially Troubled Auto Suppliers, published by the American Bankruptcy Institute, Michigan Security Interests in Personal Property, published by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Handling Consumer and Small Business Bankruptcies in Michigan, published by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Interrupted! Understanding Bankruptcy’s Effects on Manufacturing Supply Chains, published by the American Bankruptcy Institute, and Receiverships in Michigan, published by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education.

Hon. Elizabeth Gunn, Bankruptcy Judge | District of Columbia

Hon. Elizabeth L. Gunn was appointed as a bankruptcy judge for the District of Columbia on September 4, 2020. A COVID-era selection and appointment, she was sworn in by Zoom from her living room. Before her appointment, Judge Gunn served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia as the bankruptcy specialist for the Division of Child Support Enforcement. In 2017, Judge Gunn was recognized by the American Bankruptcy Institute as a member of its inaugural class of 40 Under 40 and in 2022 was recognized by the Bar Association of the District of Columbia as its Judicial Honoree and recipient of the BADC’s Suzanne V. Richards Foundation Grant.

Judge Gunn serves as an Associate Editor of the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Journal and is a Coordinating and Associate Editor of the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Journal. Judge Gunn sits on the boards of the Federal Bar Association Bankruptcy Section, International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation, American Bar Association National Conference of Federal Trial Judges, and the Chesapeake Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association. She is a member of the Walter Chandler Bankruptcy Inn of Court and is Board Certified in Consumer Law by the American Board of Certification. Judge Gunn received her BA, cum laude, from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon and her law degree, cum laude, from Boston College Law School.

Hon. Andrew B. Altenburg, Jr. | District of New Jersey

Andrew B. Altenburg, Jr. was appointed to the bench for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey in Camden, New Jersey, on May 19, 2014. Prior to his appointment, Judge Altenburg served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Daniel J. Moore, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of New Jersey in Newark, New Jersey, as an associate with the firm of Davis, Reberkenny & Abramowitz in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and finally as the sole shareholder of Andrew B. Altenburg, Jr., Esquire P.C. in Marlton, New Jersey. Judge Altenburg concentrated his practice in bankruptcy law, credit union representation, and debtor/creditor rights.

Judge Altenburg received his B.A. degree, cum laude, from Niagara University and his J.D. degree from the University of Dayton School of Law. He is admitted to the state bars of New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well as, the District Courts of New Jersey and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a member of the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges and has served on several committees for that organization. Judge Altenburg is proud to serve as the court liaison to The Honorable Judith H. Wizmur Bankruptcy Pro Bono Project at Rutgers Law School – Camden.

Judge Altenburg has served as an editor, author, and frequent speaker/panelist to many professional and educational organizations including: the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey; New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education; New Jersey State Bar Association; various local bar associations and groups; local schools; Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference; Pennsylvania Bar Institute; ABI; AIRA; IWIRC; NACBA; NAFER; NCBJ; NYIC; TMA; Western District of Michigan Federal Bar Association; Fordham Law School; Mississippi Bankruptcy Conference; and the National Constitution Center. Before his appointment, Judge Altenburg was an author and the Editor-In-Chief of the 2005, 2007, and 2009 BANKRUPTCY PRACTICE: Skills & Methods textbook and the 2012 BANKRUPTCY: PRACTICAL SKILLS SERIES textbook for the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education.

I. Highland Capital’s gatekeeper provision and other solutions to Purdue Pharma’s third-party problem | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

II. Hammon and the looming UST fee question; Navigating cryptocurrency and emerging assets in bankruptcy court | 2:10pm – 2:20pm

III. Insurer standing and statutory authority questions raised in Kaiser Gypsum appeal | 2:20pm – 2:30pm

IV. NLRB successor obligations after § 363 “free and clear” sales in bankruptcy | 2:30pm – 2:40pm

V. Applicability of § 523(a) to corporate subchapter V cases | 2:40pm – 2:50pm

VI. Mootness arguments in bankruptcy court after MOAC and Windstream Holdings | 2:50pm – 3:00pm