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The Bankruptcy Hotline

By ALM Staff | Law Journal Newsletters |
April 27, 2006

Trustee Entitled to Recover Security Deposit of Rejected Lease

The Ninth Circuit has ruled that even after rejecting a commercial lease, a bankruptcy trustee was entitled to pursue the recovery of a debtor's full security deposit secured by cash and a letter of credit. First Avenue West Building LLC v. James (In re OneCast Media Inc.), No. 04-35324, (Feb. 23).

The debtor held a lease for office that was secured by a substantial security deposit comprised of cash and a letter of credit. Upon filing bankruptcy, trustee rejected the lease. After the landlord drew down the letter of credit and retained the proceeds as a security deposit, the trustee filed suit seeking to recover the remaining security deposit. The bankruptcy court ruled that to the extent the claim sought recovery of the portion of the security deposit secured by the letter of credit, the letter of credit was not property of the bankruptcy estate and therefore not within the bankruptcy court's jurisdiction. The district court reversed and remanded the matter to the bankruptcy court to permit the trustee to pursue recovery of damages up to the full amount of the security deposit, including the letter of credit.

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