Chapter 11 Plans of Reorganization and Equipment Lessors

It means that many company DIPs set up their exit strategy before they file Chapter 11 to minimize the time that they are in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding and thereby minimize their costs for attorneys and other fees that the DIPs incur. That equates to us, as equipment lessors, having to play catch-up after being taken by surprise by a slew of so-called “First Day Motions” (such as Motions to Approve Cash Collateral or Debtor-in-Possession Financing, Motions to Pay Pre-Petition Wages, Motions to Pay Utilities, Motions to Pay Critical Vendors, Motions to Employ DIP Attorneys and others similar motions). You might even see a Motion to Sell Substantially All Assets of the DIP, or a Disclosure Statement and Plan of Reorganization filed just a few weeks after the Chapter 11 filing. Just as we are reading the court orders on the First Day Motions, we are inundated with additional pages of documents to read and analyze in order to protect our rights before it's too late.

At this point the equipment lessor might have already decided to engage its own attorney to review the various DIP motions for their respective impact on the equipment lessor. It is generally best to know what relief the DIP seeks and determine its impact on the equipment lessor before there is a binding court order permitting the DIP to infringe on an equipment lessor's rights.