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lehman 3/3
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'Angry Comments' Don't Require Recusal, Lehman Judge Says
Mar 2, 2016 | Law 360
By Dani Meyer
A bankruptcy judge refused to recuse herself Wednesday for allegedly making “very angry comments” to a pro se litigant during a conference on sanctions proposed against him in Lehman’s bankruptcy proceedings, saying he did not show her impartiality was compromised. -
Deutsche Bank Veterans Nichol, Torres Said Poised to Depart
Mar 2, 2016 | Bloomberg
By Cathy Kit Ching Chan
... Both bankers are based in Hong Kong and worked at Lehman Brothers Inc. before joining the German lender.
Client Attorney Privileged/Attorney Work Product/At Request of Counsel
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Shelley C. Chapman
Former Lehman Personnel
Full Text of Stories Below
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'Angry Comments' Don't Require Recusal, Lehman Judge Says
Mar 2, 2016 | Law 360
By Dani Meyer
A bankruptcy judge refused to recuse herself Wednesday for allegedly making “very angry comments” to a pro se litigant during a conference on sanctions proposed against him in Lehman’s bankruptcy proceedings, saying he did not show her impartiality was compromised.
William Kuntz III had submitted a suggestion of recusal Tuesday saying he thought it appropriate that U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Shelley C. Chapman recuse herself after making angry comments on the record, but Judge Chapman said Wednesday that the filing was not enough to warrant her recusal.
“Even taking as true Mr. Kuntz’s allegations that I made ‘very angry’ comments at him during the conference, he has nevertheless failed to show that I possess the sort of ‘deep-seated antagonism’ that will preclude a fair ruling on the sanctions motion,” Judge Chapman said.
The conference at which Judge Chapman made her alleged remarks stems from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s motion earlier this month asking for sanctions against Kuntz. The bank said he has submitted “frivolous papers” that could delay the distribution to creditors of nearly $1.5 billion from a settlement with JPMorgan Chase & Co.
“LBHI does not lightly apply for sanctions against a pro se litigant, but this is not your average pro se litigant, and his antics have tipped over the line separating mere nuisance from something that will almost certainly cause substantial harm,” Lehman said in the filing.
The investment bank asks that Kuntz be barred from submitting any more filings in Lehman’s Chapter 11 proceedings without first receiving approval from the court and that he reimburse Lehman for fees associated with responding to his submissions.
During a status conference Tuesday regarding the pending motion for sanctions, Judge Chapman said she spoke sternly to Kuntz regarding his conduct in the bankruptcy. She noted that “for reasons that are unclear to the court,” Kuntz addressed the court from the back of the courtroom rather than from the podium.
Kuntz subsequently filed his suggestion of recusal for Judge Chapman’s alleged anger toward him, but Judge Chapman said Wednesday that precedent allows judges to express irritation or be somewhat sharp with the litigating parties without necessitating recusal.
Judge Chapman added that opinions formed by judges in the course of proceedings do not create a reason for recusal unless they show “a deep-seated antagonism that makes fair judgment impossible.”
“Thus, expressions of impatience, dissatisfaction or annoyance, or critical or disapproving remarks about counsel, a party, or the case will not support a charge of bias unless they derive from ‘an extrajudicial source or display such a high degree of favoritism or antagonism as to make fair judgment impossible,’” Judge Chapman said.
She ruled that Kuntz’s motion is entirely without merit and denied his request for her recusal...For full story: http://www.law360.com/articles/766442/-angry-comments-don-t-require-recusal-lehman-judge-says
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Deutsche Bank Veterans Nichol, Torres Said Poised to Depart
Mar 2, 2016 | Bloomberg
By Cathy Kit Ching Chan
Deutsche Bank AG is set to lose two of its most senior investment bankers in Asia as Bill Nichol and Joaquin Rodriguez Torres plan to depart this year, people familiar with the matter said.
Nichol, who runs investment banking for financial institutions in the Asia-Pacific region, plans to leave in May after more than 13 years with Deutsche Bank, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. He’s in talks to join a closely held financial company in a senior Asian role, one of the people said without providing details.
Tan Boon-Kee, Deutsche Bank’s Singapore-based head of client coverage for Southeast Asia, is poised to replace Nichol, the people said. She is expected to retain her Southeast Asian responsibilities in the new role, they added.
Rodriguez Torres, who joined Deutsche Bank a decade ago and is regional head of technology, media and telecom investment banking, is in discussions to leave the firm and is considering setting up his own fund, the people said. Both bankers are based in Hong Kong and worked at Lehman Brothers Inc. before joining the German lender.
Amy Chang, a spokeswoman at Deutsche Bank, declined to comment.
Nichol, 49, and Rodriguez Torres, 44, would join an exodus of senior bankers from an industry weighted down by stricter regulatory scrutiny of deals, intensifying competition from local banks and shrinking profits that have triggered bonus cuts. Deutsche Bank Chief Executive Officer John Cryan plans to slash the bank’s bonus pool by about 15 percent, Handelsblatt reported this week.Alibaba IPO
Henry Cai, Deutsche Bank’s former Asia-Pacific chairman of corporate finance, left about a year ago and is now running a private equity fund. Douglas Morton and Venky Vishwanathan, former co-heads of corporate finance in Asia, were put on leave in May last year. Bhupinder Singh, who was co-head of Asia-Pacific corporate banking and securities, also left the bank last year.
Rodriguez Torres joined Deutsche Bank in 2006 and was part of the team that worked on the $25 billion initial public offering by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. in 2014. The record-breaking IPO paid about $300 million of fees to all the banks and brokerages involved, according to a filing from the company that year.
Nichol joined Deutsche Bank in October 2002 as director and head of the financial institutions group in Asia, excluding Japan, after working at the now-defunct Lehman Brothers for nine years. He was named co-head of global insurance in October 2013, in addition to his Asia-Pacific role. Before Lehman, he worked for Barclays de Zoete Wedd, the former name for the Barclays Plc U.K. brokerage subsidiary, in London and Tokyo...
For full story: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-02/deutsche-bank-asia-veterans-nichol-torres-said-poised-to-depart
Client Attorney Privileged/Attorney Work Product/At Request of Counsel
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Shelley C. Chapman
Former Lehman Personnel
Full Text of Stories Below
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