John T. Hansen

John Hansen specializes in bankruptcy, corporate reorganization, and business litigation, including employment and disability discrimination law. He has represented debtors, creditors, committees and trustees under all chapters of the Bankruptcy Code and has extensive trial and appellate experience in the federal courts.

Additionally, Mr. Hansen engages in litigation relating to disability law under the Americans With Disabilities Act, and administrative and constitutional law. He also serves as a mediator.

Mr. Hansen has been recognized by San Francisco magazine in 2004 through 2010 as a Northern California "Super Lawyer" in Bankruptcy & Workout Law. He was a law clerk to Associate Justice Stanley Mosk, California Supreme Court from 1964-1965. Mr. Hansen is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Representative Work

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

• Represented the FDIC in the Delaware Bankruptcy Court as the largest creditor of NextBank, a failed internet credit card bank. The FDIC recovered several million dollars from the bank's D&O insurance carrier, and an arbitration proceeding against the bank's auditors was held in June/July 2010, with a decision pending.
• Represented the FDIC in the Santa Rosa Bankruptcy Court as secured creditor of the Casa Madrona Hotel in Sausalito on a $63 million claim secured by a deed of trust arising from a failed bank in Georgia. The FDIC obtained the appointment of receiver for the hotel, and then a Chapter 11 trustee following the hotel owner's bankruptcy. The court granted the FDIC's motion for relief from stay and the FDIC sold the hotel at a foreclosure auction.
• Represents the FDIC in the Fresno Bankruptcy Court in connection with the failed County Bank of Merced. The issue is whether $10 million plus in income tax refunds are property of the bank or the bank's holding company, which is a Chapter 11 debtor.

Demmie B. Acosta and Beriong Investments LLC. Represents an individual and related LLC in a Chapter 11 case in the San Francisco Bankruptcy Court. Debtors own extensive commercial real property in distress due to the recent economic conditions.

Airline Pilot School. Represented a financially distressed airline pilot school that suffered a significant enrollment decline after 9/11. This was an out-of-court work-out, involving sales of business units and orderly liquidation of real and personal property.

Transportation Corridor Agencies. Represented the Transportation Corridor Agencies in connection with the chapter 9 bankruptcy of Orange County. The TCAs had $325 million invested in the Orange County Investment Pools (OCIP) and the TCA's chief financial officer served as one of seven members of the official OCIP Participants Committee. The committee played a major role in negotiating the terms of the County's Plan of Adjustment, confirmed in May 1996. The Agencies recovered approximately 95% of the cash deposited in OCIP.

San Francisco Housing Authority. Provided a complex bankruptcy-related opinion in connection with a $70 million housing bond financing of the San Francisco Housing Authority.

Teamsters Local 890. In 1998, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in San Jose confirmed the chapter 11 plan of a local labor union represented by Nossaman. (In re: General Teamsters Local 890, 225 B.R. 719 (N.D. Cal. 1998).) This is the first known nonconsensual confirmation of a reorganization plan for a labor union and raised several issues of first impression. In July 1999 the bankruptcy court's order was affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals in a decision reported at 265 F.3d 869(9th Cir. 2001).

Official Committee of Growers. Selected to represent the Official Committee of Growers in the chapter 11 bankruptcy case of Tri Valley Growers, California's largest agricultural canning cooperative.

PG&E Retired Executives. Represented a committee of retired PG&E executives and survivors in the chapter 11 bankruptcy of PG&E Company.

Various Clients:
Tried four contested plan confirmation hearings in chapter 11 reorganization cases with an aggregate of roughly $50 million in claims and assets at stake. Nossaman represented both creditors and debtors in these cases tried in the bankruptcy courts in Oakland, Sacramento and San Jose. Three of the trials resulted in decisions favorable to our clients; one unfavorable judgment was remanded following appeal and re-tried with a successful result.

Counsel for a wide variety of parties in numerous bankruptcy court litigation proceedings, including preference, fraudulent conveyance and claims objections.

The following is a list of officially-reported court decisions in cases in which Mr. Hansen was sole or lead attorney:

• Strait v. Laird, 406 U.S. 341, 92 S.Ct. 1693, 32 L.Ed. 2d 141 (1972)
• Lines v. Frederick, 400 U.S. 18, 91 S.Ct. 113, 27 L.Ed2d 124 (1970) 
• In re General Teamsters Local 890, 265 F.3d 869 (9th Cir. 2001)
• In re Benny, 842 F.2d 1147 (9th Cir. 1988)
• In re Caravansary, Inc, 821 F.2d 1413 (9th Cir. 1987)
• In re Benny, 812 F.2d 1133 (9th Cir. 1987)
• In re Peoro, 793 F.2d 1048 (9th Cir. 1986)
• In re Benny, 791 F.2d 712 (9th Cir. 1986)
• In re Alexander, 670 F.2d 885 (9th Cir. 1982)
• United States v. Ossa, 470 F.2d 816 (9th Cir. 1988)
• United States v. Ross, 468 F.2d 1213 (9th Cir. 1972)
• Strait v. Laird, 464 F.2d 205 (9th Cir. 1972)
• Jensen v. Rice, 461 F.2d 1118 (9th Cir. 1972)
• Strait v. Laird, 445 F.2d 843 (9th Cir. 1971)
• United States v. Thompson, 443 F.2d 341 (9th Cir. 1971)
• Kapelus v. Kaplan, 439 F. 2d 722 (9th Cir. 1971)
• United States v. Coffey, 429 F.2d 401 (9th Cir. 1970)
• Jarrett v. Resor, 426 F.2d 213 (9th Cir. 1970)
• Frederick v. Lines, 425 F.2d 215 (9th Cir. 1970)
• Knight v. Hayward, 132 Cal App. 4^th 121 (2005)
• Joseph v. San Francisco Housing Authority, 127 Cal. App. 4th 78 (2005)
• In re Estreito, 111 B.R. 294 (BAP 9th Cir. 1990)
• In re Clarke, 98 B.R. 979 (BAP 9th Cir. 1989)
• In re Caravansary, 67 B.R. 469 (BAP 9th Cir. 1986)
• In re Burrell, 25 B.R. 717 (N.D. Cal. 1982) 
• In re Itel Corp., 17 B.R. 942 (BAP 9th Cir. 1982)
• In re Benny, 44 B.R. 581 (N.D. Cal. 1984)
• Harriss v. Pan American World Airways, Inc., 74 F.R.D. 24 ((N.D. Cal. 1977)
• Fleming v. Simon, 397 F. Supp. 1202 (N.D. Cal. 1975)
• Berman v. Resor, 302 F. Supp. 1200 (N.D. Cal. 1969)
• United States v. Sloan, 302 F. Supp. 596 (N.D. Cal. 1969)
• Teamsters Local 890, 225 B.R. 719 (N.D. Cal. 1998)
• In re ACI Sunbow, LLC, 206 B.R. 213 (Bkrtcy. S.D. Cal. 1997)
• In re Richmond Produce Co., 112 B.R. 364 (Bkrtcy. N.D. Cal. 1990)
• In re Hammarstrom, 95 B.R. 160 (Bkrtcy. N.D. Cal. 1989)
• In re Visidata Corp., 84 B.R. 673 (Bkrtcy. N.D. Cal. 1988)
• In re Jay Forni, Inc., 33 B.R. 538 112 B.R. 364 (Bkrtcy. N.D. Cal. 1983)
• In re Captains Courageous, Inc., 112 B.R. 364 (Bkrtcy. N.D. Cal. 1982)