The Bookseller.com

4th July 2009

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US judge dismisses SSG bankruptcy

01.09.08 Graeme Neill

A Houston judge has dismissed the Chapter 7 bankruptcy filed by Christian 
bookseller St Stephen the Great. Courtroom minutes obtained by The Bookseller show that the case was dismissed "with prejudice" during a hearing at Houston Bankruptcy Court on Thursday.

The ruling has a number of restrictions on it, including a set period when Mark and Phil Brewer, who run the chain, cannot submit another bankruptcy filing in the US.

The brothers told suppliers in June that SSG had filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code. The court later converted this to Chapter 7, leaving the retailer in liquidation.

Mark Brewer told The Bookseller last week that he did not have enough money to file for bankruptcy in the United Kingdom.

In June, Randy W Williams, the trustee for the Chapter 7 case, filed a motion to dismiss it claiming "on its face, there is nothing to liquidate and nothing available to fund an investigation in the UK".

A fuller version of Thursday's ruling is expected this week.

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