My friend just received disturbing news on his sister's business building that she sold years ago. The buyer of the building some 4 years ago received a large inheritance and used part of the money ($400,000) to make the purchase. To make a long story short, the business failed and the buyer having financial difficulties sued the original seller stating that the building (In Flemington, NJ) was not worth the $400k. The Judge during arbitration adjusted the principal value of the contract forcing the original seller to return $200,000 of the $400,000. The original seller has now filed for bankruptcy.

My Question: Is contract law pertaining to commercial and residential now all meaningless with these new bankruptcy laws? Is a "successful" closing really a potential ticking time bomb if the buyer later files for bankruptcy?