Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) have been in such widespread use over the last year or two that an uptick in SPAC-related litigation appears inevitable. Indeed, the increase is already beginning. After a brief overview of SPACs, this article will identify some of the key litigation risk areas for these entities and the individuals who govern them.
SPACs have no commercial operations when they are formed. They are shell companies that exist to raise capital through an IPO to merge with a private operating company and take it public. Taking the private company public is often referred to as a “de-SPAC transaction.” The IPO funds are held in a trust account until that de-SPAC transaction occurs. After the target has been selected, the proposed merger is put to a shareholder vote. Prior to a merger, shareholders can opt to redeem their shares if they do not approve of the target or the terms of the deal.
If you thought Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (“LBHI”) was done suing lenders as a result of its settlements with RMBS trustees years ago, think again. LBHI recently filed a new wave of lawsuits against approximately 60 defendants, mostly mortgage brokers, in the bankruptcy proceedings currently pending in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, and more may still be to come. As it did with the nearly 190 mortgage originators that it sued in 2018 in the same bankruptcy proceedings (the “2018 Adversary Proceedings”), LBHI seeks the remedy of contractual indemnification, alleging breaches of representations and warranties at the time certain loans were sold or brokered.
We have 
Business interruption insurance claims keep coming, cutting across a broad array of industries. The entertainment and media sectors are certainly not immune from pandemic-related losses. Last month, ViacomCBS became the latest entertainment entity to file such a claim, suing its insurer, Great Divide Insurance Co., for breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. In the suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, ViacomCBS seeks damages and declaratory relief for what it alleges is the insurance company’s failure to cover losses on ViacomCBS’ Television Production Portfolio policy, which provides more than $55 million in production-related coverage of various types. The lawsuit cites losses related to canceled and delayed productions and live events, such as the Kids’ Choice Awards, which was delayed and ultimately aired virtually, as were many other productions during the early months of the pandemic. ViacomCBS accuses its insurer of interpreting the governing policy in “an overly narrow and wrongful manner” and refusing to acknowledge coverage for various losses while improperly limiting the coverage available for other losses. ViacomCBS also alleges that Great Divide has acted in a manner inconsistent with policy language and industry custom and practice by refusing to acknowledge that ViacomCBS is “entitled to a third annual period of coverage without modification of the policy wording or cancellation or reduction of any of the policy’s coverages, except rate revision, as necessary.” It asserts that the insurer has instead offered only to continue the policy if the parties agree to an addition of an exclusion applicable to losses relating to COVID-19.
As the pandemic began unfolding about a year ago, 
U.S. student loan borrowers owe approximately $1.7 trillion on their student loans. About 92% of that amount consists of federal student loans (debt owed to the U.S. government), with the remainder owed to a growing market of private lenders. Despite the fact that default rates have increased consistently since 2003, a substantial marketplace developed for student loan asset-backed securities (SLABS). That marketplace, and the world of student loans more generally, are now being buffeted by a confluence of factors creating great uncertainty about what the future holds. These factors include the prospect of forthcoming student loan legislation, continuing concerns about the effects of COVID-19 on the larger economy, and structural changes affecting securitizations and the underwriting of student loans.
One would think that, as we approach 2021, litigation related to residential mortgage loans originated and sold well over a decade ago would be ancient history. Nevertheless, some suits filed years ago remain active, and, even more surprisingly (and disturbingly), new lawsuits related to loans sold prior to 2008 may be on the way. Here is a look at the current RMBS (residential mortgage-backed securities)-related litigation landscape.
When mortgage-related litigation, including residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) lawsuits, erupted after the last financial crisis (the Great Recession of 2008), the litigants recognized that some of their disputes presented issues of “first impression.” That is, the parties’ arguments required judicial analysis and interpretation of contractual provisions and other issues that had not been litigated in a mortgage industry context. Even now, more than a decade later, some key issues remain subject to contradictory legal rulings or still lack definitive rulings from appellate courts.
On September 4, the 
Major League Baseball (MLB) is scheduled to begin its COVID-delayed season on July 23, but the MLB teams’ Minor League counterparts will have no 2020 campaign. Their season has been canceled. Many Minor League teams are now seeking victories in court, suing their insurers for denying them coverage under their insurance policies for business interruption and income loss.