In advance of a hearing regarding the legality of Detroit's Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing, Patton Hahn talks with the Detroit News about the bankruptcy court's authority to take over the state lawsuits brought by city retirees that the bankruptcy filing could jeopardize pension benefits in violation of the state constitution.
"It's pretty clear that a state court judge doesn't have the authority to stop someone from filing bankruptcy," said Mr. Hahn, who represented the receiver in the 2011 Jefferson County, Ala., bankruptcy. "The bankruptcy court is the only one that can make that call."