The Court is deeply saddened to announce the sudden passing of our former colleague, the Honorable Kevin J. Carey (Ret.) on April 11, 2024. Judge Carey served on the federal bench in Philadelphia before joining our Court in 2006.  He served with distinction on the Delaware Bankruptcy Court from 2006 through 2019, and led the Court as Chief Judge from 2008-2011. He will be sorely missed by all of his former colleagues in the federal judiciary. Our deepest condolences go out to the Carey family at this difficult time.

The funeral for Judge Carey will be held on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Thomas of Villanova Church, located at 800 East Lancaster Ave, Villanova, PA 19085. There will be a visitation at the church from 9-10:30 a.m., followed by a funeral mass from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Set forth below is the memorial statement from Judge Carey’s firm, Hogan Lovells, LLP, on his passing:

We are extremely saddened by the passing of our colleague, the Honorable Kevin J. Carey (ret.). Judge Carey, a lion of the bankruptcy bar, was most recently Senior Counsel in Hogan Lovells’ Restructuring and Special Situations practice in the Philadelphia office. He joined the firm in 2019, following his retirement from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, where he served for 14 years. Before being named to the Delaware Court, he served as a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from 2001-05. During his time on the bench, Judge Carey earned a reputation for being one of the leading bankruptcy judges in the U.S.

Judge Carey was widely known throughout the bankruptcy bar. He was the Immediate Past President of the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) and sat on the Executive Committee of ABI’s Board of Directors. He also was a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and a member of the International Insolvency Institute, and he was the first judge to serve as global chair of the Turnaround Management Association. He lectured worldwide on bankruptcy and cross-border issues, and he taught several bankruptcy-related university programs, including at St. John’s University School of Law, Temple University, and Villanova. He also was a contributing author to Collier on Bankruptcy, the leading treatise on U.S. bankruptcy law.

Judge Carey was not only one of the best bankruptcy judges in the history of the profession, he was a deeply knowledgeable and valued colleague, and simply one of the very best people. He was always kind and positive, and eager to advise and assist clients in any way he could. He was an active and eager mentor to junior lawyers and anyone else interested in benefiting from his wisdom.

Christopher R. Donoho, III, co-head of Hogan Lovells’ U.S. Restructuring & Special Situations practice, said, “Kevin’s passing is truly devastating. I have no other word for the complete sadness our entire team feels around this loss, both professionally and personally. He was the best kind of friend you could ever have and will forever be a legend in the bankruptcy world. We are devastated by this news, and our deepest condolences go out to his wife, Denise, and the entire Carey family.