General Motors and Chrysler:

The Changing Face of Chapter 11

By Stephen B. Selbst

What two marquee bankruptcies tell us about the evolving

use of the Bankruptcy Code.

T The Chrysler Case

he highly publicized Chapter 11 cases of
Chrysler LLC and General Motors Corpora-
tion (GM) have changed existing bankruptcy Although Chrysler had been a laggard performer
practice. The trend toward using Chapter 11 to in the auto industry for many years, its descent
effect the sale of a debtor’s business has literally into Chapter 11 began in 2008. From the start, auto
received the federal government’s seal of approval. industry sales had been off sharply from 2007 levels,
The Chrysler and GM cases have proven that even and by June, Chrysler sales were down 22 percent
enormous and complicated industrial businesses can compared to 2007, the worst of the three domestic
be reorganized at lightning speed and the attendant automakers.2 These pressures on Chrysler only in-
risks to the business limited and contained. The sale tensified in the fall, as the entire U.S. auto industry
of Chrysler to an alliance in which Fiat took over the reeled from the impact of the financial system melt-
management occurred in just 42 days, including the down and the deepening recession. By November,
appeals to the Second Circuit and the Supreme Court. Chrysler’s sales were off 28 percent compared to
The GM case was even faster. The Chrysler and GM 2007.3 In December 2008, both Chrysler and GM
cases were unique in that the federal government had sought and obtained emergency loans from
played a dominant role in shaping those sales, and, the federal government to prevent them from run-
as this article explores, the asset sales that occurred ning out of cash and being liquidated by the end of
in those cases were in many ways atypical. the year. After an intense debate in Congress about
Despite the unusual aspects of these cases, how- the wisdom of providing aid to the automakers,
ever, it is undeniable that the Chrysler and GM cases Chrysler received $4 billion in emergency aid and
have changed forever traditional thinking about GM received $9.4 billon.4 In February 2009, the
what Chapter 11 can accomplish—and the pace at Obama administration appointed a task force to
which a restructuring of a debtor’s business can be oversee the restructuring of the ailing automakers.5
put in place. The chief executive of every business As a condition to receiving the aid, both Chrysler
that is considering Chapter 11 should ask counsel: and GM were required to submit viability plans to
Why can’t we accomplish the same result? And ev- the federal government by February 17, 2009.6
ery lawyer who contemplates filing a new Chapter In Chrysler’s case, the auto task force quickly
11 case should consider how to apply the lessons determined that Chrysler was not viable as a
learned from these cases. Those lessons apply with stand-alone entity.7 After making that decision,
equal force to lenders, who should insist that their the federal government began to lead a multiparty
borrowers use the same discipline to resolve their negotiation among Chrysler, the United Auto Work-
cases quickly and inexpensively and avoid the risks
of protracted cases and the attendant risks of litiga- Stephen B. Selbst is at Herrick, Feinstein LLP, New York, New York. Contact
tion and high legal fees.1 him at sselbst@herrick.com.

NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2009 COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW 3

General Motors and Chrysler: The Changing Face of Chapter 11

ers (UAW), Fiat and the government of Canada The banks holding first liens on Chrysler’s as-
to assemble a joint venture that would carry on sets received $2 billion in cash for their claims
Chrysler’s business. Beginning in March, the par- of approximately $7 billion.
ties engaged in furious nonstop negotiations that Chrysler used Section 365 of the Bankruptcy
did not end until shortly before Chrysler’s Chapter Code to reject and terminate approximately 800
11 filing on April 30, 2009.8 of its dealers.
At the time of the Chapter 11 filing, Chrysler and Approximately 95 percent of Chrysler’s sup-
its subsidiaries comprised one of the world’s largest plier contracts were assumed, meaning that the
manufacturers and distributors of automobiles and prebankruptcy claims of those creditors were
other vehicles, together with related parts and acces- paid in full.
sories. When the case commenced, Chrysler had 32 The Chrysler case Section 363 sale was unusual in
manufacturing and assembly facilities and 24 parts many respects. The bank lenders, who had liens on
depots worldwide and a network of 3,200 indepen- all of Chrysler’s assets and who had a first claim
dent dealerships in the United States, with 72 percent to be repaid in a liquidation of Chrysler’s assets,
of Chrysler sales occurring in the United States. received less than 30 cents on the dollar. The UAW’s
Prior to the bankruptcy filing, Chrysler had a $9.6 billion in unsecured pension and benefit claims
worldwide annual production of approximately received a note for $4.6 billion and 55 percent of the
two million vehicles under the Chrysler, Dodge equity of reorganized Chrysler. Fiat obtained man-
and Jeep® brands. Chrysler and its subsidiaries agement control, a sizable equity stake and the right
employed approximately 55,000 hourly and salaried to obtain majority ownership of Chrysler, despite
workers, with approximately 70 percent, or 38,500, the fact that it contributed no cash to the deal and
of that workforce based in the United States. Ap- only modest technological support to the new joint
proximately 70 percent, or 27,600, of the domestic venture. Finally, most unsecured supplier creditors
workforce was covered by a collective bargaining had their claims paid in full.
agreement. In addition, Chrysler made payments By contrast, the holders of other unsecured claims
for health care and related benefits to more than were relegated to claims against “Old Chrysler,”
106,000 retirees. For 2008, Chrysler had revenues of meaning the assets not sold to the new alliance, and
more than $48.5 billion, with assets of approximately are likely to receive little or no payment on their
$39.3 billion and liabilities of $55.2 billion. For that claims. Because Fiat put up none of the purchase
same period, the net loss was $16.8 billion. price and because the government insisted on key
To conserve cash, Chrysler, which was losing elements of the deal, the reality is that the federal
$100 million per day, idled its production facilities government used the value of its prepetition emer-
in Chapter 11. 9 Despite fears that Chapter 11 would gency loans and its DIP loan and political power
destroy sales, Chrysler’s sales, although somewhat to buy Chrysler and distribute its value as it saw
affected, did not shrivel to zero.10 fit among the creditor constituencies.12 For all these
The main points of the Chrysler transaction follow:11 reasons, the Section 363 sale in the Chrysler case did
The federal government provided $3.5 billion in not look like a typical sale of a business and, in fact,
debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing. had many of the characteristics of a sub rosa plan. 13
The UAW restructured its wage and benefit Because the Chrysler sale was so extraordinary,
claims and received a note for $4.6 billion and 55 it was the subject of a brief but furious legal fight,
percent of the equity in the new entity. The UAW which started in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the
also granted some wage concessions. Southern District of New York (bankruptcy court)
Fiat received a 20-percent equity stake, which and ended in the Supreme Court of the United
could be increased to as much as 51 percent if States, which ultimately decided not to hear the
performance thresholds were met. Fiat also took case, paving the way for the sale to be closed. In
over the management of Chrysler. Fiat contrib- the bankruptcy court litigation, a group of Indiana
uted no cash but did grant the new alliance the pension funds, which were among the holders of the
right to manufacture small vehicles using Fiat first-lien debt, argued that by virtue of the sale, they
technology. were being illegally stripped of their rights to their

4 COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2009

 General Motors and Chrysler: The Changing Face of Chapter 11

collateral, which, they argued, was worth substan- testimony and be prepared to rebut it through their
tially more than the payments they were receiving. own expert testimony.
They also argued that their deficiency claims (the In an opinion issued on May 31, 2009, Judge Arthur
difference between the face amount of their claims Gonzalez rejected all of the objections and approved
and the payments they were receiving) would not be the sale.14 Under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code
paid while unsecured supplier debt was being paid and the case law that interprets it, a sale of substan-
in full, which, they argued, violated the Bankruptcy tially all of a company’s assets outside of a plan of
Code. They opposed the UAW deal, arguing that it reorganization can only be approved if there are valid
violated the priority rules of the Bankruptcy Code, business reasons for pursuing that course. That rule
because the UAW’s unsecured claims were being was first laid down in the Lionel case in 1983, and
paid nearly in full, while they were receiving just subsequent cases have added further conditions to
$0.28 on the dollar. They also opposed giving Fiat permitting such sales.15 In Chrysler’s case, Judge
its stake and management role without it making a Gonzalez identified two principal bases for approv-
more meaningful contri- ing the sale. The first was
bution to the alliance. They Chrysler’s extreme finan-
also complained about the cial distress; unless the
speed with which the sale Lenders who seek to oppose sale was approved in short
was conducted, arguing a debtor’s Section 363 sale or plan of order, Chrysler would run
that creditors had been out of cash and liquidate,
deprived of the right to reorganization should consider whether with results that would be
investigate whether there the debtor will present expert testimony worse for all creditors.16
was a better possible sale and be prepared to rebut it through The second was Judge
than the Fiat deal. Finally, Gonzalez’s assessment
they contended that the
their own expert testimony. of the likelihood that
entire transaction was a Chrysler would find an
prohibited sub rosa plan alternative buyer. The
of reorganization. The sale transaction was also cases on Section 363 sales teach that in a sale of a
opposed by a coalition of Chrysler dealers whose debtor’s business, creditors should be given a rea-
contracts had been terminated, putting them out sonable period of time to search for better alternative
of the business of selling Chrysler vehicles. The transactions. In the Chrysler case, Chrysler presented
termination of the Chrysler dealers, some of whom extensive testimony at trial that it had looked for two
had sold Chryslers since the beginning of Chrysler’s years for merger partners and that the Fiat transac-
business, was controversial, with Congressional tion was the only true alternative. Judge Gonzalez
hearings later called to explore the circumstances cited that testimony as an additional reason for
of the terminations. approving the sale, adopting Chrysler’s argument
At the trial, Chrysler was well prepared, with and ruling that the creditors were highly unlikely
expert and fact witnesses who testified at length to find an alternative buyer before Chrysler would
about the risks to the business if the Fiat sale were run out of cash.
not approved immediately, about Chrysler’s efforts As to the objections that the first-lien lenders were
over the prior two years to find another partner and being improperly stripped of the value of their liens,
about the liquidation value of its assets. By contrast, Judge Gonzalez rejected their contentions for two
the opponents presented no expert testimony, rely- reasons. First, he found that the bank lenders were
ing primarily on cross-examination of Chrysler’s receiving far more than they would in a liquidation.
witnesses. As the summary of the trial shows, that Second, he noted that the vast majority of the banks
was a dangerous tactical decision because it is very who were party to the first-lien credit agreement
difficult to present a strong case solely through cross had voted in favor of the deal. Thus, he ruled, the
examination. Lenders who seek to oppose a debtor’s dissenting Indiana pension funds were bound by
Section 363 sale or plan of reorganization should the majority rule of the banks and could not seek
consider whether the debtor will present expert contrary legal remedies. Dealing with the sub rosa

NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2009 COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW 5

General Motors and Chrysler: The Changing Face of Chapter 11

plan objection, Judge Gonzalez found that the fed- it commenced its Chapter 11 case on June 1, 2009.
eral government and Fiat had negotiated the terms of When GM filed for Chapter 11, it was the largest in-
the transactions. Pointing to other cases, he said, it is dustrial bankruptcy ever and third largest overall.
legally permissible for a buyer to assume contracts in GM is the largest automaker in the United States
connection with a sale. Thus, the restructuring of the and the second largest in the world. It operates in
UAW pension and benefit plans and the payments virtually every country in the world. As of March
to the trade suppliers were protected. By the same 31, 2009, GM employed approximately 235,000 em-
logic, he rejected the contention that the transaction ployees worldwide, of whom 163,000 were hourly
violated the priority rules of the Bankruptcy Code.17 employees and 72,000 were salaried. Of GM’s
Thus, he ruled, the payments to the UAW and the 235,000 employees, approximately 91,000 are em-
trade suppliers were permissible, even though the ployed in the United States. Approximately 62,000
bank creditors were receiving substantially less for (or 68 percent) of those U.S. employees were rep-
their claims. resented by unions as of March 31, 2009. The UAW
After the bankruptcy court trial, all parties agreed represents by far the largest portion of GM’s U.S.
that the issues raised by the case were so important unionized employees, representing approximately
and the consequences of 61,000 employees. As of
delay were so dire that March 31, 2009, GM had
they determined to make consolidated reported
a direct appeal to the U.S. When GM filed for Chapter 11, global assets and liabili-
Court of Appeals for the it was the largest industrial bankruptcy ties of approximately $82
Second Circuit. The usual billion, and $172 billion,
appeal path for a bank-
ever and third largest overall. respectively. GM also
ruptcy court decision is had responsibility for
the U.S. District Court or approximately 500,000
the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel. Cases usually reach retirees.19 GM had incurred $70 billion in losses in
the circuit courts after the intermediate courts have 2007 and 2008.
ruled. Judge Gonzalez agreed with the idea and The background to GM’s path to Chapter 11 was
signed an order authorizing the direct appeal. similar to Chrysler’s; GM was overwhelmed by the
The Second Circuit heard argument on the Chrysler sharp decline in sales in 2008 and its rapidly dwin-
case on June 5, 2009. Later that day, Chief Judge dling cash. As late as March 2008, then-CEO Rick
Dennis Jacobs affirmed Judge Gonzalez’s opinion, Wagoner had declared that “Bankruptcy is not an
although the Second Circuit did not issue its opinion option.”20 He and others at GM had expressed fear
until several weeks later.18 But the litigation did not that consumers would balk at purchasing vehicles
end there; the Indiana funds filed a petition with from a carmaker in Chapter 11. A year later Wagoner
the Supreme Court of the United States, asking that had departed as CEO.21
Chrysler not be permitted to close the sale to Fiat By November 2008, GM was in desperate shape; its
until the Supreme Court could consider whether to November sales year-to-date were down 22 percent,
take the case. On June 8, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and in its 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange
issued a stay, briefly injecting a note of uncertainty Commission (SEC), it warned that it might run out of
into the case. The next day, however, the stay was cash by the end of the year.22 In December, it joined
dissolved, meaning that the Supreme Court would Chrysler in seeking aid from the federal government,
not take the case, and the Chrysler sale to Fiat closed subject to the condition that it file a viability plan by
on June 10, 2009. February 17, 2009.
But unlike Chrysler, there was no buyer in the
The GM Case traditional sense for GM. When it filed for Chap-
ter 11 on June 1, 2009, it also announced that it
GM was and is a substantially larger company than would be pursuing a Section 363 sale to a buyer
Chrysler, but its Chapter 11 case was even faster. GM (New GM). But in essence what it did was take
completed its sale approximately five weeks after its most valuable assets and transfer them to

6 COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2009

 General Motors and Chrysler: The Changing Face of Chapter 11

New GM while leaving its unwanted assets and UAW and the suppliers, had been overcompensated
liabilities behind at the original seller (Old GM). relative to the bondholders and the tort claimants.
Like Chrysler, GM also reduced its dealerships in In the GM case the argument that there was a sale
Chapter 11, although it did so in a somewhat less was even weaker than in the Chrysler case because
contentious manner.23 there was no new management team, nor was there
The key points of the GM sale follow: a true third-party buyer. Again, the federal gov-
GM planned to close or idle 14 manufacturing ernment, acting through its task force, essentially
plants, all of which would be retained by Old GM. designed and pushed through the GM plan, using
The rest would be transferred to New GM. a combination of its pre-petition and DIP loans and
With the consent of the UAW, GM restructured its its political capital.
obligation to make pension and benefit contribu- The legal results were similar. Judge Robert Ger-
tions on behalf of existing and retired employees. ber of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern
GM was seeking to reduce its UAW workforce District of New York approved the sale in a lengthy
by 21,000 employees. opinion dated July 5, 2009. His analysis was similar
The federal government provided $30 billion to Judge Gonzalez’s; indeed, he partly relied on
in DIP financing; the government of Canada the Chrysler decision to buttress his conclusions.
provided $9.5 billion. He first found that GM’s financial circumstances
The ownership of New GM would be UAW, 17.5 were unremittingly bleak and that, without the sale
percent; Old GM, 10 percent; Canadian govern- transaction and its support from the U.S. Treasury,
ment, 12.5 percent; U.S. government, 60 percent.24 GM faced an immediate and disastrous liquidation,
Supplier claims were generally paid in full. which would likely result in little—if any—recovery
The consideration for the sale was $1.175 billion for unsecured creditors.26 Accordingly, he found that
in cash, 10 percent of the shares of New GM, two there was a sound business justification for the sale
warrants to purchase up to an additional 15 percent and no alternative.
of New GM, the assumption by New GM of $6.7 Judge Gerber then examined the specifics of the
billion in DIP indebtedness and the assumption sale transaction and found that the consideration
by New GM of any product liability claims that to be received by Old GM was adequate and fair
arose after the sale closed, irrespective of when in light of the value of the assets being transferred
the product had been sold. Old GM retained the and the fact that such value substantially exceeded
liability for product liability claims in existence the liquidation value of GM. He also ruled that the
prior to the sale. treatment of the tort claimants was fair under the
As was the case in Chrysler, the financial credi- circumstances and that the GM sale did not consti-
tors, in the form of unsecured GM bondholders, tute a sub rosa plan.
were the lead opponents, joined by a large contin- The GM tort claimants and the bondholders sought
gent of tort claimants, who asserted that leaving to take an appeal directly to the Second Circuit, but
them with claims for prepetition injuries against Judge Gerber denied that request. The claimants
Old GM violated bankruptcy and state successor also sought a stay from the U.S. District Court, but
liability laws. The dissident GM bondholders that request was denied on July 9, 2009, and GM
were in a more tenuous legal position than the closed the sale on July 10, 2009, ending its 38-day
Chrysler first-lien banks because they had no liens trip through Chapter 11.
on GM’s assets.25 However, unlike Chrysler, which
had only bank debt and no public bondholders, The Chapter 11 Debate
the GM bondholders were the largest financial
creditors of GM. Over the past decade, even before the Chrysler and
This coalition of sale opponents raised many of GM cases, traditional Chapter 11 reorganizations
the same arguments to the GM transaction that had declined in favor of using Chapter 11 as a means
had been raised in the Chrysler case: that the deal for selling a business, either as a going concern or
was not a bona fide sale; that it constituted a sub rosa through a series of sales. In a traditional Chapter
plan; and that certain constituencies, such as the 11 reorganization, the debtor uses Chapter 11 to

NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2009 COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW 7

General Motors and Chrysler: The Changing Face of Chapter 11

restructure its business to ensure its future viabil- ruptcy law will still be needed as a collective forum
ity. The Bankruptcy Code provides debtors with a for resolving litigation claims, such as mass torts.35
number of tools to accomplish this result. For ex- The supporters dispute both the factual prem-
ample, debtors can terminate or amend unfavorable ises and the theoretical underpinnings of the critics’
contracts, including real estate leases and collective assault. Professor Lynn LoPucki has marshaled
bargaining agreements; they can modify or terminate evidence to demonstrate that, contrary to the claims
pension and retirement plans; and they can sell or of Baird and Rasmussen, corporate reorganizations
close unprofitable plants or lines of business.27 In a are booming, at least for large publicly held corpora-
traditional Chapter 11, the management of the debtor tions.36 Harvey Miller, the most prominent bankruptcy
also remains in place, referred to as the debtor in practitioner of this era, has also disputed Baird and
possession, or DIP.28 Rasmussen’s criticisms. 37 Miller has written that the
After the business has been operationally traditional argument for Chapter 11, namely that it
restructured, the debtor develops a plan of reorga- gives the distressed firm time and the opportunity to
nization, which is usually the result of consensual maximize the value to be paid to creditors, remains
negotiations with its creditor constituencies. The relevant in the modern economy.38
plan is a contract that Supporters of Chapter
details how the com- 11 and its continuing role
pany’s debts are to be in bankruptcy cases argue
restructured.29 The debtor Scholars opposed to existing Chapter 11 that the balance of pow-
then prepares a disclo- practice have argued that the length er between debtors and
sure statement, which
and inefficiency of the practice have made creditors has been tipped
is similar to a prospec- in favor of creditors for a
tus or 10-K, which the it obsolete and unnecessary. variety of reasons. One
bankruptcy court must prominent reason, they
approve as containing argue, is the rise of dis-
“adequate information” to enable creditors to tressed claim investors, many of which are hedge
make an informed decision to vote whether to ac- funds or specialized investment funds designed
cept or reject the plan.30 The plan is then sent out solely to invest in these types of claims. These in-
for a vote among creditors.31 Assuming that the vestors buy up bank loans, bonds and trade debt
plan is approved by the requisite classes of credi- from the original holders of those claims, usually
tors and meets certain legal criteria contained in at discount from the face amount. Because these
the Bankruptcy Code, the plan is then confirmed investors are interested in maximizing the return
by the Bankruptcy Court.32 on their claims, the argument goes, they want to
The benefits and detriments of the trend have been make bankruptcy cases as short as possible, so as
the subject of a long and lively debate among legal to increase the rate of return on their investments.39
scholars and practitioners. To summarize, scholars Thus they favor quick Section 363 sales over tradi-
opposed to existing Chapter 11 practice have argued tional plans of reorganization. Some argue that DIP
that the length and inefficiency of the practice have lenders also exert a greater influence now than in
made it obsolete and unnecessary. Although there the past and have used that influence to make DIP
are a number of academic theorists in this camp, the loans available on terms that lead to Section 363 sales
most prominent have been Douglas Baird and Robert and discourage reorganizations.40 Many practitioners
Rasmussen, who assert that traditional Chapter 11 have identified these distressed investors as the mo-
reorganizations have become rare as Chapter 11 is tive force behind the rise in the use of Chapter 11 as
increasingly used for asset sales or liquidations.33 a forum for selling a debtor’s business.41 While that
They have argued for forcing the sale of a distressed argument probably overstates the case, there is no
business as a going concern or, if such a sale cannot question among bankruptcy lawyers that distressed
be effected, to allow creditors to enforce their con- investors have become a major force in business
tractual remedies to assume control of the business.34 bankruptcies and that the balance of power has
But critics of Baird and Rasmussen argue that bank- shifted to creditors.

8 COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2009

 General Motors and Chrysler: The Changing Face of Chapter 11

History of Confirmation of a plan of reorganization binds

dissenting creditors and shareholders.48
Federal Bankruptcy Law The development of legal criteria for confirma-
tion of a plan of reorganization49
The modern era of bankruptcy practice has its ori- The Great Depression and the financial aftermath of
gins in the late 19th century. That era, much like the the Roaring Twenties saw the next major revision of
dot.com era, saw the rapid proliferation of many the bankruptcy laws.50 The large number of business
start-up businesses, in this instance railroads, failures led to a congressional determination that the
many of which quickly failed. Because lawyers principles developed in the railroad receiverships
and courts recognized that the physical assets of should apply to a broader spectrum of distressed busi-
the railroads were difficult to liquidate and worth nesses. At the same time, concern mounted that the
preserving, federal district courts developed the protective committees and their advisors were favoring
idea of using traditional equity receiverships, management and influential insiders at the expense of
which had previously been used primarily for unrepresented creditors and shareholders. Congress
real estate cases, to assume control of a defaulting asked the SEC to develop a comprehensive legisla-
railroad and its assets. The equity receivership tive response and the result was the Chandler Act of
also provided a central 1938. The Chandler Act
federal forum for claims had two chapters relevant
against the railroad, as to business reorganiza-
opposed to the possibil- Distressed investors have become a tions—Chapter X, which
ity of conflicting state dealt with public com-
court litigation. In the
major force in business bankruptcies. pany cases, and Chapter
equity receivership, the XI, which was intended to
railroad, its creditors and deal with smaller business
shareholders developed a recapitalization plan. In cases. In Chapter X, a trustee was mandatory and the
the railroad receivership cases, protective com- SEC had a major role. These changes were designed
mittees were formed to represent the interests of to reduce the power of the protective committees
creditors and shareholders, and these committees and their lawyers and investment bankers. Notably,
began to function with the assistance of lawyers Chapter XI also formalized the role of creditors com-
and investment bankers. 42
mittees.51 However, the more rigid rules of Chapter X
Many of the central principles of current bank- discouraged businesses from using it, and by the 1960s,
ruptcy law have their origins in the railroad most reorganization cases were being filed as Chapter
receiverships, including the following: XI cases, which became a source of controversy.
The concept of the DIP 43
The growing use of Chapter XI for large public com-
Liquidation value of a business is less than its pany cases led academics and government officials to
going-concern value. consider another set of reforms to the bankruptcy laws
Notice to creditors and full disclosure of relevant in the late 1960s and 1970s.52 The result was the Bank-
facts and law were necessary to enable credi- ruptcy Reform Act of 1978, the current Bankruptcy
tors to determine whether to approve a plan of Code. The primary reform of the Bankruptcy Code
reorganization.44 was to develop a single chapter, today’s Chapter 11,
Receivers and creditors and equity committees which would deal with all sorts of business bankrupt-
have fiduciary duties to maximize the value of cies and eliminate the differences between Chapter
a debtor’s estate. X and Chapter XI. The Bankruptcy Code attempted
Application of the absolute priority rule45 to balance the interests of debtors and creditors; it
Nationwide jurisdiction over a debtor, its assets gave debtors the exclusive right to propose a plan of
and claims against the debtor 46
reorganization at the outset of the case. It also gave
Suspension of legal claims and remedies debtors enhanced power to obtain financing in Chap-
against the debtor during the pendency of the ter 11, while at the same time developing the concept
reorganization47 of “adequate protection” for secured creditors and

NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2009 COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW 9

General Motors and Chrysler: The Changing Face of Chapter 11

other interests. It made formal the idea that the goal ANA02/597291192&AssignSessionID=273366351651621 (ac-
of Chapter 11 was to develop a plan of reorganiza- cessed Sept. 10, 2009).
tion. In the new Chapter 11, the power of the SEC in 3
Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda Sales Fall More Than 30 Percent, AU-
business reorganization cases was limited and the ap- TOMOTIVE NEWS, Dec. 2, 2008, www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/

pointment of a mandatory trustee in public company article?AID=/20081202/ANA05/812029986&AssignSessionID=

cases was eliminated. The Bankruptcy Reform Act of 173366351870835 (accessed Sept. 10, 2009).
1978 became effective on October 1, 1979. 4
Bush Aids Detroit, but Hard Choices Wait for Obama, N.Y. TIMES,
This historical evolution demonstrates that the na- Dec. 19, 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/12/20/business/20auto.
tion’s bankruptcy laws have been a flexible tool for html (accessed Aug. 31, 2009).
more than 100 years, being modified as the business 5
Panel to Advise Obama on Carmakers, CNNMoney.com, http://
and social conditions change. Although the reasons money.cnn.com/2009/02/16/news/companies/obama_auto_task_
for the current changes in bankruptcy practice are force/index.htm (accessed Sept. 4, 2009).
still being debated, there is a broad consensus that 6
GM Gets First $4 Billion; Chrysler Does Not, Yet, AUTOMO-
the practice has changed. As the discussion of the TIVE N EWS , Jan. 1, 2009, www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/

Chrysler and GM cases shows, both companies, their article?AID=/20090101/ANA02/812319988&AssignSessionID=

counsel and the federal government chose to use Sec- 273366347775583 (accessed Sept. 7, 2009).
tion 363 sales to reduce the time, expense and risk to 7
Key Findings of the Administration Auto Task Force, AUTOMO-
the business of traditional Chapter 11 cases. TIVE NEWS, Mar. 30, 2009, www.autonews.com/article/20090330/

ANA01/903300287 (accessed Sept. 5, 2009).

Bankruptcy Law Should 8

9
Drive-Through Bankruptcy, AM. LAW., Sept. 2009, at 77–80.
Id.
Acknowledge Present Practice 10
Chrysler Shoppers Shrug Off Chapter 11, AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, May 11,
2009, www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090511/A
The Chrysler and GM cases show that bankruptcy re- NA06/305119984&AssignSessionID=273366439559551 (ac-
organizations need not be lengthy, expensive or put cessed Sept. 13, 2009).
a business at risk. Sales of a business under Section 11
See In re Chrysler LLC, 405 B.R. 84 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2009)
363 are becoming more prevalent because they offer (Chrysler), and 405 B.R. 79 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2009) (Gonzalez,
clear advantages over traditional Chapter 11 plans J.), aff’d for substantially the reasons stated in the opinions below,
of reorganization. Yet, the use of these asset sales No. 09-2311-bk (2d Cir. Jun. 5, 2009) (Chrysler-Circuit), tempo-
fits uneasily in the existing framework of the Bank- rary stay vacated and further stay denied, 129 S.Ct. 2275 (Jun. 9,
ruptcy Code. The history of the federal bankruptcy 2009). The Chrysler opinion states that the UAW did not receive
laws is one of innovation and adaptation when its stock and note in exchange for its prepetition claims but
underlying social and business conditions change. as a result of independent negotiations with New Chrysler.
The law needs to recognize the growing primacy of Chrysler 405 B.R. at 98. That explanation appears to ignore the
Section 363 sales as replacement for traditional plans economic reality of the transaction.
of reorganization and to modify the bankruptcy laws 12
Chrysler, 405 B.R., at 98–99.
accordingly. It is time once more to take up the task 13
A sub rosa plan is a Section 363 sale that impermissibly dictates
of bankruptcy reform. the treatment of all creditors in addition to selling the assets.
The problem with sub rosa plans is that they circumvent the
creditor safeguards of the plan confirmation process. See, e.g.,
Endnotes
Contrarian Funds LLC v. Westpoint Stevens, Inc., 333 B.R. 30
1
See The Determinants of Fees in Large Bankruptcy Reorganization (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. 2005).
14
Cases, J. EMPIRICAL LEG. STUDIES (2004), at 111–141. Professor Lo- Chrysler, supra note 11.
15
Pucki found that, after controlling for asset size of the debtor, Comm. of Equity Sec. Holders v. Lionel Corp. (In re Lionel Corp.),
the number of days in Chapter 11 was the most important 722 F.2d 1063, 1066 (2d Cir. 1983).
16
variable in predicting legal and other professional fees. Supra note 12, at 97.
2 17
Automakers Post Major Drop in Sales, AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, July 1, Supra note 12, at 98.
18
2008, www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080701/ Chrysler-Circuit, supra note 11.

10 COMMERCIAL LENDING REVIEW NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2009

 General Motors and Chrysler: The Changing Face of Chapter 11

19 32
In re General Motors Corporation, no 09-50026, ___ B.R. ____, 11 USC §1129.
33
ECF #2985 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. July 5, 2009) (Gerber, J.). See Baird and Rasmussen, Chapter 11 at Twilight, 56 STAN. L.
20
From “Not an Option” to Chapter 11—A Bankruptcy Timeline, REV. 611 (2004).
34
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, June 1, 2009, www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs. See Baird and Rasmussen, The End of Bankruptcy, 55 STAN. L.
dll/article?AID=/20090601/ANA02/906019992&AssignSessionI REV. 751 (2003).
35
D=273366357240782 (accessed Sept. 4, 2009). Miller and Waisman, Does Chapter 11 Reorganization Remain
21
Id. Wagoner was asked to resign by the auto task force in late a Viable Option for Distressed Businesses in the Twenty-First
March 2009. Century? 78 AM. BANKR. L. J. 153 (2004).
22 36
Supra note 3; GM Corporation Form 10-Q for the quarterly LoPucki, The Nature of the Bankrupt Firm, 56 STAN. L. REV. 645
period ended Sept. 30, 2008, www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/ (2004).
37
data/40730/000095015208009040/k46806e10vq.htm (accessed Miller and Waisman, The Future of Chapter 11: Is Chapter 11
Sept. 13, 2009). Bankrupt? 47 BOST. COLL. L. REV. 129 (2005). Mr. Miller has
23
Approximately 1,900 of GM’s 6,000 dealers were terminated, handled many of the largest and most complex Chapter 11
although GM offered terminated dealers the option of a cases ever filed, including Continental Airlines, Eastern Airlines,
deferred termination agreement, which delayed termination Macy’s and Texaco. Among his current cases, he is representing
for up to 17 months to allow dealers to pare their inventory Lehman Brothers Holding, Inc. and GM in their Chapter 11
of new and used vehicles and spare parts and otherwise take proceedings.
38
steps to minimize their losses. Supra note 35.
24 39
Supra note 20. Supra note 37, at 152–53.
25 40
Although GM had approximately $50 billion of secured Id., at 153–54.
41
bank debt when it filed for Chapter 11, that bank debt was Id., at 153.
42
effectively assumed by New GM. For that reason, the bank See David A. Skeel, Jr., DEBT’S DOMINION, A HISTORY OF BANK-
lenders did not oppose the sale in the GM case. RUPTCY LAW IN AMERICA, at 48–70, 131–41 (2001).
26 43
In re General Motors Corp., slip opinion at 15–16. Judge Gerber 11 USC §1107.
44
cited a liquidation analysis prepared by turnaround firm Alix 11 USC §1125.
45
Partners that the net liquidation value of GM’s assets would 11 USC §1129(b)(2)(B)(ii).
46
be $6 billion to $10 billion, as against at least $116 billion in 28 USC §1334.
47
unsecured liabilities. 11 USC §362.
27 48
11 USC §363(b); 11 USC §365(a); 11 USC §1113. 11 USC §1141.
28 49
11 USC §1107(a). 11 USC §1129.
29 50
Chapter 11 debtors do not have to be paid in full; the plan Supra note 37, at 165–66.
51
can provide for partial payment or no payment to a class of Supra note 29, at 168–70.
52
creditors (the senior class) so long as no class that is junior to Following congressional hearings in 1970, a National Bankrupt-
the senior class receives a payment or the senior class consents cy Commission was established. Posner, The Political Economy
to such treatment. 11 USC §1129(b)(2)(B)(ii). of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, 96 MICH. L. REV. 47 (1997).
30
11 USC §1125(b). In 1973, the National Bankruptcy Commission issued its report
31
11 USC §1126. and put forth a legislative draft. Supra note 42, at 57.

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