When Samson Resources Corp filed this year’s biggest energy-related bankruptcy in September, the oil and gas company said it had a deal to emerge from Chapter 11 protection by year-end. Just a few weeks later, plunging gas prices had left the deal in tatters. Samson joins about a half dozen troubled energy producers that have sought court protection from creditors this year and discovered asset values have evaporated or that a restructuring plan has unraveled as commodity prices plunge. Bankers, lawyers and advisers involved in the cases blame the steep drop in energy prices and the industry’s huge need for constant, capital-intensive drilling and exploring to sustain production. In the past 16 months, the price of oil has sunk to around $40 per barrel from about $100, ending […]