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
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
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
The courts have long struggled with the question of whether particular orders entered by a bankruptcy court are final, and therefore appealable as a matter of right. It is generally recognized that a bankruptcy case is distinctly different from the usual civil case in that it is a framework within which a variety of disputes … 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
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
It is very much the nature of the job that appointed Office Holders are required to make difficult and challenging decisions on each and every case they take. On some occasions those decisions are well received – on others, not so well. Creditors affected by those decisions can take comfort that the Office Holder is … Continue Reading
The Federal Court of Australia has approved a settlement, effectively resolving one of the most complex corporate insolvencies in Australian history. On 18 December 2015 the Federal Court of Australia approved a settlement relating to inter-company loans and disputed assets between the liquidators of Lehman Brothers Australia Ltd (LBA) and American parent company Lehman Brothers … Continue Reading
Unless you have been living in a cave, you will have heard the very disappointing news that the current exemption to the Jackson reforms for insolvency claims under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (“LASPO”) will cease as of 1 April 2016. If you are to avail yourself of the benefits of … Continue Reading
When will the Court exercise its discretion to adjourn a bankruptcy petition or make an immediate bankruptcy order? The recent Bankruptcy Court decision of Aabar Block Sarl v Maud provided clarification on the matters that the Court will take into consideration. John Alderton (Partner) and Jon Chesman (Associate) represented the Debtor, Glenn Maud, who successfully applied for … Continue Reading
In December 2015, as part of its National Innovation and Science Agenda, the Federal Government announced a proposal to introduce a ‘safe harbour’ for directors from personal liability for insolvent trading. The proposal seeks to address Australia’s insolvent trading laws, which are significantly stricter than comparable laws in the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand. The … Continue Reading
A landmark decision of the Australian Full Federal Court will allow the Applicants to plead market-based causation for claims for misstatements and omissions in an IPO and short form prospectus and for misleading and deceptive conduct claims in respect of various audited financial statements issued by the company Arasor International Limited (“Arasor”). The Court upheld the appeal … Continue Reading
The FCA’s review into the sale of interest rate hedging products by Banks has been ongoing since June 2012. Following a pilot phase, the full review started in May 2013 and over 17,000 businesses have been through the process. Most customers reviewed should now be at the stage where they have been offered basic redress (if … Continue Reading
On 14 September 2015, judgment was handed down in the case of Re SSRL Realisations Limited (In Administration), in which a landlord was granted permission to forfeit a lease by peaceable re-entry. The case will be of interest to insolvency practitioners and landlords alike – but for very different reasons. The facts of this case … Continue Reading
On 1 October 2015, several changes to UK insolvency legislation are coming into force. Insolvency practitioners and stakeholders should take note of the following key amendments to make sure they are up to date with these changes. The amendments are the next raft of changes to insolvency law under the Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act … Continue Reading
On Friday 11 September in the High Court in London, Mr E Murray (sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge), handed down a reserved judgment: Clutterbuck & Paton v William Cleghorn (as Judicial Factor to the Estate of Elliot Nichol Deceased), in which the entirety of the Claimants’ £97.5m claim was struck out as an … Continue Reading
Dealing with subject access requests (“SAR”s) under the Data Protection Act 1998 is becoming a regular occurrence for many organisations, particularly banks and their advisors. Processing such requests can take up significant manpower and the costs can be substantial. Whilst designed to allow individuals to access personal data, determine its source, why it is held … Continue Reading
A scandal in the world of letters and old manuscripts would not have gone unnoticed and the French case of Aristophil has lead to extensive press coverage; a massive fraud is suspected with thousands of works and hundreds of millions of euros at stake. The concept was appealing: manuscripts full of history, a promise of elevated re-sale … Continue Reading
