On March 2, 2017, Cal Dive Offshore Contractors, Inc. (“Cal Dive” or “Debtor”) filed approximately 136 complaints seeking the avoidance and recovery of allegedly preferential and/or fraudulent transfers under Sections 547, 548 and 550 of the Bankruptcy Code.
Cal Dive and its affiliated debtors filed voluntary petitions for bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on March 3, 2015 under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. According to each complaint, Cal Dive “constituted a global marine contractor that provided highly specialized manned diving, pipelay and pipe burial, platform installation and salvage, and well-intervention services to a diverse customer base in the offshore oil and gas industry.”
The various avoidance actions are pending before the Honorable Christopher S. Sontchi. The pretrial conference has not yet been scheduled.
For preference defendants looking for an analysis of defenses that can be asserted in response to a preference complaint, below are several articles on this topic:
Preference Payments: Brief Analysis of Preference Actions and Common Defenses
Minimizing Preference Exposure: Require Prepayment for Goods or Services
Minimizing Preference Exposure (Part II) – Contemporaneous Exchanges
Carl D. Neff is a partner with the law firm of Fox Rothschild LLP. You can reach Carl at (302) 622-4272 or at cneff@foxrothschild.com.