In this week’s update: The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 comes into force, the Government extends company and LLP filing deadlines, new guidance on public health emergency takeover interventions, FCA censure of accompany for historic market abuse and a few other items.

In this week’s update: the test for an LLP member to bring a derivative claim, updated guidance on company meetings, the court sanctions a takeover despite not all beneficial owners being able to vote on the scheme and a few other items.

Covid-19 is affecting the way people conduct their business, retain their staff, engage with clients, comply with regulations and the list goes on. Read our thoughts on these issues and many others on our dedicated Covid-19 page.

In this week’s update: designated members of an insolvent LLP breached their fiduciary duties when they agreed to waive a debt owed to the LLP, a gift of shares was effective, even though there was no evidence of an executed instrument of transfer and the Pre-Emption Group extends the relaxation of its principles to 30 November 2020.

In this week’s update: an update from the Parker Review on board ethnic diversity, the Investment Association sets out its 2020 priorities and a few other items.

The European Court of Justice (the "ECJ") has ruled that, in certain circumstances, when a subsidiary company is wound up, its employees will transfer automatically to its holding company.

What happened?

Air Atlantic SA ("AIA") was a Portuguese company operating in the aviation sector. It had been providing charter (or non-schedule) flight services since 1985.

On 19 February 1993, AIA was wound up. During the winding-up, several of AIA's employees were dismissed as part of a collective redundancy.

In this week’s update: Guidance on virtual board and committee meetings, updates and guidance on AGMs, pre-emption principles are relaxed and a few other items.

This week, in coronavirus-related news

In this week's update: directors did not need to consider the rights of creditors when declaring a dividend as the company was not insolvent, the Law Commission is seeking views on the law of intermediated securities, polling information can be inside information and a couple of other items.

Court considers whether demerger by dividend was valid (part 4)

In this week's update: directors implementing a management buy-out did not owe fiduciary duties to the other shareholders and a distribution was valid despite the relevant accounts not being in the usual format.

Directors did not owe fiduciary duty to shareholders

The High Court has held that the directors of a company did not owe a fiduciary duty to the company’s shareholders when implementing a management buy-out (MBO).

What happened?

In this week's update: a distribution was valid despite discrepancies in the accounts justifying the dividend and an examination of vexatious resolutions.

Court considers whether demerger by dividend was valid (part 2)

Court confirms dividends can be transactions at an undervalue

The Court of Appeal has confirmed that a dividend paid by a company to its shareholders can constitute a transaction at an undervalue under insolvency law.

What happened?