Joe Foster
As the saying goes, what goes up, must come down. After years of robust growth, the U.S. economy appears to be hitting a rough patch. In the coming months, it is likely that some businesses will not survive the challenges that lie ahead, and will be forced to file bankruptcy.
As bankruptcy attorneys, we find that one of the most difficult issues to explain to a client is receipt of a demand letter from a bankruptcy trustee seeking return of payments from a customer received months or years before. To add insult to injury, the customer, now a debtor in bankruptcy, often still owes the client. In addition, the letter typically includes a threat that if the payment is not returned, the trustee will file a lawsuit.
This claim by the trustee is referred to as a “preference” action. The intent of the law is to prohibit insolvent companies from playing favorites or preferring a particular vendor over another. Preference claims force the so-called “preferred” vendor to return the payment so that all general creditors can enjoy equality of treatment.
A preference claim is, unfortunately, very simple to bring and very easy to prove. To successfully assert the