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
In an address last week to the Insolvency Lawyers Association, Sir Geoffrey Vos, the new Chancellor of the High Court, looked at the future for Insolvency and Business Litigation in London, especially after Brexit. Whilst acknowledging that Brexit presents a challenge, he said it is one which should not defeat the English Courts. The main issue … Continue Reading
The case of Bailey v Angove’s Pty Ltd heard in the UK Supreme Court has confirmed the general rule that an irrevocable agency will only be created in exceptional circumstances: there must be a specific agreement that the agent’s authority is irrevocable and the authority must be given with the intention of securing an interest of … Continue Reading
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
It is widely accepted that there has been an increase in the number of class actions in Australia; however there have not been many examples of unmeritorious actions. The litigation funders are not in the business of losing money, and it would be unlikely for them to be funding any claims that in their view … Continue Reading
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
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
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
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
When we review security for financiers, we always consider what enhancements they might implement to strengthen their security net. As part of this approach, we obtain a proprietor search from the Land Registry to see if there is any uncharged property in the name of the borrower. Often, any property identified is a short to … Continue Reading
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
TMA’s Journal for Corporate Renewal July/August 2016 published an article written by Nava Hazan, Mark Salzberg and Susan Kelly, which discusses how the US Bankruptcy Courts have been open to foreign debtors, as well as the limits to such availability, which was the subject of the recent Baha Mar decision in Delaware. The article further … Continue Reading
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
A ruling by the Supreme Court in Spain says Spanish banks that held deposits for property that was never built are to be held to account. Around 100,000 people in the UK are thought to have paid big sums towards such properties in Spain but these were lost when several developers went bust in the wake … Continue Reading
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
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
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 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
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
The statistics show that over 10,000 English limited companies operate in Germany. The company is registered in the Companies Register in the UK, but has a branch active in Germany, which is registered in German Company registries. On 10 December 2015 the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) decided on the question whether … Continue Reading
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
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
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
Directors of a company are subject to certain duties under the Companies Act 2006. These duties are of obvious importance throughout their service as a director but some of them become particularly important during the period leading up to the insolvency of the company. If a current or former director of a company knew or … Continue Reading
