Hon. Christopher S. Sontchi, an International Judge of the Singapore International Commercial Court and a former Chief Judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, where he served for 16 years, talks with ABI Executive Director Amy Quackenboss about moments that helped shape his incredible restructuring career — and provides tips to new practitioners entering the industry.

Judge Sontchi Discusses Moments that Helped Shape His Career on ABI Pii Podcast - Ep. 276

SunPower Bankruptcy and Warranty Issues

The team talks about a recent report that U.S. retailers are set to shutter many more stores than they plan to open in 2025, and what that really means.

A new retail apocalypse?

Requiem

This podcast discusses a High Court judgment concerning an application by Anthony Lee Gaster to annul a bankruptcy order made against him. The case revolves around whether proper notice was given to Gaster regarding an adjourned hearing of a bankruptcy petition presented by The Commissioners for His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The central issue is whether HMRC adequately delivered notice of the hearing adjournment to Gaster, and whether it should have been served to his solicitors. The judge examines relevant Insolvency Rules and Civil Procedure Rules, focusing on the distinction between "delivery" and "service" of documents. Ultimately, the court finds that Gaster did not receive sufficient notice and exercises its discretion to annul the bankruptcy order. The judgment clarifies the responsibilities of petitioners regarding notice of adjourned hearings.

Anthony Lee Gaster v HMRC [2025] EWHC 328 (Ch)

Darren Berg started as a mortgage broker but then found himself orchestrating a $150 million Ponzi scheme. He diverted funds into a lavish lifestyle—owning multiple mansions, yachts, and a luxury bus company. When the fraud unraveled, bankruptcy proceedings led to significant legal battles, shaping Oregon’s fraudulent transfer law in the process. But Berg’s downfall didn’t end in prison—he pulled off a daring escape, fleeing custody and vanishing into Brazil. Judge Gunn, Mark Calvert, and Michael Gearan discuss Berg’s rise and fall, the legal aftermath, and the lingering question: will he ever be caught?

Bad Boys of Bankruptcy: S2E1: From Mortgage Mogul to Fugitive: The Rise and Fall of Darren Berg

Nevermore

In this episode, Judge Gunn discusses the case of Steven and Lori Palladino with Mark DeGiacomo, who served as the Chapter 7 trustee in their case. Mr. DeGiacomo was tasked with administering the fallout resulting from the debtors’ Ponzi scheme run through an entity called Viking Financial Group, Inc. Mr. Palladino used Viking to promise “investors” a guaranteed 12% return on their investments, initially meeting with family and friends at Dunkin Donuts or at his kitchen table, and paying out their “dividends” in cash-stuffed envelopes. Mr. Palladino was ultimately convicted of numerous crimes and sentenced to more than 10 years in prison after it was revealed that he had bilked his victims out of more than $10 million. Mr. DeGiacomo winded up conducting at least two dozen Rule 2004 examinations as part of his investigation into the assets and financial affairs of the debtors and used this information to prosecute numerous avoidance actions and liquidate assets of the debtors to repay their creditors and victims.  Mr. DeGiacomo recovered numerous lavish gifts Mr. Palladino had given to his wife as well as to his 20-year-old girlfriend, including jewelry, designer handbags, shoes, and dresses which the trustee sold at auction for the benefit of creditors. He also prosecuted an adversary proceeding against Sacred Heart University to recover nearly $65,000 in tuition Mr. Palladino had paid on his adult daughter’s behalf, resulting in a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit that Mr. Palladino had not received “reasonably equivalent value” in exchange for the tuition payments, because emotional, intangible, or non-economic benefits did not satisfy the standard, and thus the university was required to return the funds to the estate for the benefit of creditors. Mr. DeGiacomo ultimately recovered approximately $2.5 million for distribution to the estate. Mr. Palladino ultimately died in state prison in 2020 before he ever began to serve his 2-year federal prison term for criminal contempt due to his failure to obey orders imposed in a civil action brought against him by the SEC related to the Ponzi scheme.

Bad Boys of Bankruptcy: S2E2: Cash-Stuffed Envelopes at Dunkin’ Donuts: The Palladino Ponzi Scheme

I am not a financial advisor. The statements made on this podcast represent my thoughts and opinions and should not be used to supplement financial advice that would otherwise come from a paid financial advisor.
At around the 10 minute mark, feel free to skip to 37 minutes if you wanna cut some excess financial history lessons and stick to the point about Klarna (I have a tendency to ramble, sorry.)
TL;DR (or DL), Klarna is bad but it serves a need. More importantly, it's a harbinger of the financial crisis people are currently facing and an even bigger one on the horizon. For anyone who is a Xennial, older Millennial, Gen X'r or Boomer, you might remember the word "layaway." Yup, this is the same thing and that's totally bad and listen to the pod to find out why! Yay!

Klarna is the harbinger of doom

This week, we welcome guest Queen Sim and discuss:

•	Wahala beefing his mum
•	Wahala being a bad husband
•	Why do some people want your things when they already have their own?
•	23 and me selling their data to pay off bankruptcy
•	Would you ever gives your cells to medical science 
•	Dani Alves having his rape case overturned 
•	How does this case impact how some woman would deal with sexual assault
•	Donald trump declaring domestic terrorism for blowing up Tesla 
•	War games over text messages 
•	Trump tariffs on foreign cars
•	Elon using his child as a shield 
•	AITA for wanting to disciplining my step children more

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ESN #505 : The War In the Group Chat Episode (Feat. Queen Sim)

In this special public service episode, Judge Elizabeth Gunn is joined by Rebecca A. Earl and Dana McWay to explore a growing and often overlooked corner of bankruptcy fraud: the exploitation of unclaimed funds. With over half a billion dollars currently held in unclaimed distributions, the system has become a target for fraudsters employing everything from falsified assignments to identity theft and wire fraud to steal from legitimate creditors.

The episode unpacks the legitimate process for recovering unclaimed funds and how bad actors have learned to exploit it. From fund locators—some legitimate, some not—to individuals impersonating creditors or creating companies with identical names to the true payees, the guests reveal just how elaborate these schemes have become. 

This cautionary tale doesn’t follow one fraudster—it shines a spotlight on a systemic vulnerability, offering insight into what courts and clerks are doing to protect the system. 

Tune in to hear how the courts are fighting back against this wave of bankruptcy fraud.

Bad Boys of Bankruptcy: S2E3: Fraud, Identity Theft, and the Battle Over Unclaimed Money

A houseboat can be a home under the Internal Revenue Code and under Medicaid eligibility rules, but it has no protection under bankruptcy or Texas Medicaid Estate Recovery rules. The various treatment of houseboats under different laws are discussed.


Is a Houseboat a Home? Laws Adrift - Will Protection Sink? | 04-08-25

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HR1 CONC: RV Owner Sues Bankrupt Shop For RV, Wins; Officer's Testimony in Karen Read Trial

he Ancestors have clocked in!

0:00 – Mic Test
6:12 - Intro
8:02 - What Can’t You Wrap Your Head Around?
19:00 - Joe Biden Reveals He Has Prostate Cancer
24:29 - FAMU Elects Maga-Nut As It’s University President
32:45 - NJ Congresswoman LaMonica McIver Is Facing Federal Assault Charges 
44:46 - Diddy Case Updates
59:00 - Kelli Bryant Case in Detroit Deals w/ Child Neglect
1:15:52- Klarna on the Verge of Bankruptcy 
1:21:16 - Ship Crashes Into The Brooklyn Bridge 
1:22:54 - A Plantation and Confederate Museum Gets Taken Down in a Single Weekend
1:26:40 - Outro/ Corny Joke

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Child Neglect Case: https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2025/05/18/what-4-people-testified-in-hearing-against-oakland-county-mom-accused-of-abandoning-kids-for-years/

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The Ancestors Are Working Overtime -S9, E14

Ponzi schemes have persisted around the world even before the eponymous investment scheme of Charles Ponzi in the early 1920s. This case concerns a Ponzi scheme based on the purported sale of music that nobody really wanted, which was engineered by Ukrainian-American Volodimyr Pigida and his wife, Marinia Bondarenko. The scheme resulted in roughly $22 million in fraudulent proceeds. Pigida was ultimately convicted of 26 counts in a federal indictment, including conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, and bankruptcy fraud, and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.  In this episode, Judge Gunn discusses the bankruptcy case filed by Trend Sound Promoter, the company the couple used to perpetrate their fraudulent scheme, with attorneys Mark Stern and Rory C. Livesey.  Issues discussed include how language barriers presented issues in the bankruptcy proceedings, how the trustee located assets to liquidate for the benefit of creditors (including victims of the scheme), and how the owners of Trend Sound Promoter were ultimately brought to justice. 

Bad Boys of Bankruptcy: S2E4: The Ponzi Scheme for Music Nobody Wanted: The Curious Case of Trend Sound Promoter

HR2 CONC: Harvey Weinstein Trial Updates; 23 and Me Bankruptcy Lawsuits; Baldoni Lawsuit Against Lively Dropped; AR 10 Commandments Law Challenged; Withheld Tips Case Settles for $205,000 in MI

The debtor, a real estate contractor and developer, failed to cooperate with the chapter 7 trustee and engaged in aggressive tactics including suing the first judge presiding over the case leading to her recusal.  In addition to the typical Bad Boys of Bankruptcy content, the panel explored the standards and ethical considerations surrounding judicial recusal, including the process for sua sponte recusal, the risks of seeking disqualification, and the related ethical rules.   In addition to host Judge Gunn the panel included Judge Frank Bailey (ret.), Raychelle Ann Tasher, Ass’t U.S. Attorney (SD Fla.), with a special appearance by Judge Melvin Hoffman (ret.).  

Bad Boys of Bankruptcy: S2E5: Wise Cracking Real Estate Developer Finds His Way to Federal Prison

This case concerns the consequences for debtor misconduct in a Chapter 13 case. The Chapter 13 debtors, Marcus and Amanda Purdy, sought court approval to take out a mortgage to purchase a home, but the court denied the motion to incur debt and the debtor’s motion to reconsider the ruling. Undeterred, the debtors moved forward with obtaining a mortgage to purchase the property, providing a letter to the mortgage lender on the Chapter 13 trustee’s letterhead which was later discovered to have been forged by Mrs. Purdy. When the Chapter 13 trustee discovered the forged letter, he moved to dismiss the debtor’s case with prejudice with a 15-year bar to refiling. The bankruptcy court ultimately granted the motion, dismissing the case and barring Mrs. Purdy from filing for bankruptcy for 10 years, and barring Mr. Purdy, who did not have knowledge of the forged letter, from filing for 5 years.  The debtors appealed the order to the district court, which not only affirmed the bankruptcy court, but instructed the clerk to refer the matter to the U.S. Attorneys’ office for criminal prosecution. Mrs. Purdy was thereafter federally prosecuted for mortgage fraud, and in final tragic twist, the home purchased without bankruptcy court authorization wound up burning down a few months after it was purchased.  Judge Gunn discusses the bankruptcy case, the appeal to the district court, and the collateral criminal consequences with attorney Landon G. Van Winkle and the U.S. Bankruptcy Administrator (“BA”) for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Brian Behr.  Issues discussed include the investigative role of the Chapter 13 trustee and BA’s office into debtor misconduct, the role of local rules in bankruptcy cases, and the penalties debtors may face for violations of court orders in bankruptcy.

Bad Boys of Bankruptcy: S2E6: Forgery and Fire – The Purdy Case

Michael B. Cohen is an elder law attorney whose Dallas law practice focuses on the legal needs of the disabled and elderly, including estate and Medicaid and other public benefits (such as Veterans benefits) planning. He is a frequent speaker on these topics.

Come on a journey with two HBCU alumni, Sharelle and Sierra, for a weekly discussion covering topics from politics to pop culture to current events! Welcome to Headwraps and Lipsticks where the conversations are plentiful, thought-provoking and funny!

Our hosts are average, ordinary people. Their only flaw is that they are exceptional attorneys and love what they do. Luckily, they take breaks from their day jobs and make time for Radio Law Talk so that the rest of the country can enjoy the law like they do.

Eloquently Saying Nothing is a weekly podcast discussing current events, politics & entertainment whilst answering listener questions and dealing with lifes big issues, all with a dash of humour.

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New tracks tagged #bankruptcy