In law, a receiver is a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights."[1] Three types of receiver appointments exist:[1]
a receiver appointed by a (government) regulator pursuant to a statute;
a privately-appointed receiver; and
a court-appointed receiver.[1] The receiver's powers "flow from the document(s) underlying his appointment – a statute, financing agreement, or court order.
Court-appointed receivers are "the most powerful and independent of the judicially-appointed managers."[2] Unlike special masters and monitors, "the receiver completely displaces the defendants: the receiver makes large and small decisions, spends the organization’s funds, and controls hiring and firing determinations."[2] Examples of court-appointed receivers include:
In the District of Columbia, the jail’s medical care facility "was placed under court-ordered receivership in August 1995, after the District was held in contempt for repeatedly failing to implement court orders... intended to ensure adequate medical services to jail inmates."[3] The receivership ended in September 2000.[4]
An insolvent fuel company is managed by a court-appointed receiver.[5]
After placing the California state prison health care system into receivership in June 2005[2], a U.S. District Judge appointed a receiver for it in February 2006.[8] California Prison Health Care Services (under control of the California Prison Health Care Receivership) attempts "to bring medical care in California prisons up to constitutional standards."[9]
In February 2007, a judge in Florida appointed a receiver for companies owned by Lou Pearlman that defrauded investors.[10] The receiver later said about the companies "I don't see much in the way of hard assets that are worth anything or are not already fully encumbered [with debt]."[11]