Tag Archives: contentious

Wrongful Trading – The Importance of Quantifying Loss

The recent successful appeal in Brooks and another (Joint Liquidators of Robin Hood Centre plc in liquidation) v Armstrong and another [2016] EWHC 2893 (Ch), [2016] All ER (D) 117 (Nov) has clarified and highlighted the complexities of bringing a wrongful trading claim and the importance of correctly quantifying losses for which directors can be made … Continue Reading

Cross Border Insolvency Regulations 2006- Lifting the automatic stay on proceedings in the English courts

The English Court has agreed to lift the automatic stay on proceedings under the Cross Border Insolvency Regulations 2006 (“CBIR”) against STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co Ltd (“STX”) which had entered into rehabilitation proceedings in Korea. Facts STX had guaranteed to Ronelp Marine Limited and others (“Claimants”) the performance of a subsidiary (Dallan) in relation to … Continue Reading

The return of Turpin! – Validity of Administration Appointments by Directors and the Duomatic Principle

In the case of Re BW Estates Ltd the High Court considered the validity of a directors’ out of court appointment in circumstances where there was technically an inquorate directors’ board meeting. It was held that the appointment was not invalid despite only one director being present at the meeting convened to put the company into administration in … Continue Reading

OKD a.s Insolvency Proceedings: New World Resources’ International Investors appeal to Czech Court

On September 9, 2016, Citibank’s London Branch filed a claim as collateral agent for the bondholders of New World Resources (NWR) with the High Court in Ostrava in the insolvency proceedings of OKD. OKD owns seven coal mines in the Czech Republic, employing over 13000 people. The low cost of coal and the refusal of … Continue Reading

Creditors v Private Pension Holders – has UK bankruptcy law gone too soft?

The recent Court of Appeal decision in Horton v Henry has highlighted the protection afforded to a bankrupt holding a private pension to the detriment of his bankruptcy creditors. Facts The bankrupt, Mr Henry, was the holder of  a number of pension policies all of which contained provisions entitling him to make elections which would trigger rights to … Continue Reading

Reviewing the Ratings

Multiple class actions have been commenced in the Australian Federal Court  in relation to losses suffered by investors in synthetic collateralised debt obligations and other financial products, some of which were distributed or sold by Lehman Brothers Australia Ltd (in liquidation) and by certain major Australian banks, and were assigned credit ratings by Standard and Poor’s. … Continue Reading

Is it possible to Restructure in Russia?

Theoretically, a Russian debtor is able to reorganize. In practice, the law currently does not encourage voluntary restructuring of debt in a way designed to preserve the continued operation of business and jobs.  The interests of debtors and creditors are not appropriately balanced at present to achieve the best results.  Creditors currently have a strong … Continue Reading

When an Asset is not an Asset

The Court of Appeal has recently considered the status of contingent assets within the balance sheet test for insolvency in the context of a company’s inability to pay its debts. Under Section 123 Insolvency Act 1986, a company is deemed unable to pay its debts if its assets are less than its liabilities including contingent … Continue Reading

Russian Retailers Run into Trouble

There has been a significant increase in insolvencies in the construction, real estate, retail and wholesale sectors of the Russian economy, according to the statistics in the Competition Development Bulletin “Concentration on the Russian Markets: Trends in the Period of Recession” published in December 2015 by the Analytical Centre of the Government of the Russian Federation. … Continue Reading

Singapore – – Becoming the “Delaware” of the Asia Pacific Region?

Delaware has long established itself as a welcoming jurisdiction for various legal purposes. It began as a center for company incorporation by providing a corporate law framework that was flexible and continuously updated for new developments. More recently, Delaware has applied those same principles (plus an expansive view of venue) to become a center for … Continue Reading

A Contradiction over Jurisdiction? English Contract Law v Foreign Insolvency Law

During contract negotiations parties usually agree what law and which courts will determine any disputes arising from that contract.  This brings certainty for the parties.  However that certainty can vanish if one party is a foreign registered company and becomes insolvent – the other party may suddenly become exposed to unexpected foreign insolvency law.  At … Continue Reading

The End of the Insolvency Shield for Insurers?

The Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010 (“TPR”) will finally come into force on 1 August 2016, making it easier for third parties to bring claims against insurers of insolvent companies.  It has taken more than six years, spread over three separate governments and was amended even before it came into force, but TPR … Continue Reading

Tick, Tick: MVLs- a ticking time bomb?

Due to the introduction of new tax legislation on 6th April 2016, distributions made to shareholders of companies undergoing Members’ Voluntary Liquidation (MVL) are now treated as income (rather than capital) and are taxed accordingly. The result is that the tax rate on MVL proceeds has shot up to a staggering 28%, as detailed in our previous article. For distributions to … Continue Reading

Are you a Person with Significant Control – and why does it matter?

From April 2016 companies and limited liability partnerships (“LLPs”) (except for publicly traded companies) will be required to create and maintain a register of persons with “significant control” over the company (“PSC Register”) and in due course send that information to Companies House where it will be publically searchable. What’s the purpose of the new … Continue Reading

France Publishes Final List of 19 Specialised Insolvency Commercial Courts

The French government has made the assessment that certain small commercial courts were regularly finding themselves confronted with cases of great complexity, only because the company in difficulty had its head office in the jurisdiction of these courts. It therefore announced the establishment of specialised commercial courts (TCS) which will process the most complex insolvency proceedings. … Continue Reading

Interest Rate Mis-selling – Temporary Relief For Banks

The interest rate mis-selling scandal took another twist recently when a landmark legal case was dismissed by the High Court. Had the case been successful it would have challenged the banks’ £2.1bn compensation scheme set-up to settle inappropriate interest rate swaps – however the decision only brings temporary relief for the banks. Background A judicial review … Continue Reading
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