In a recent case before the Court of Appeal in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the question was raised whether a liquidator should get access to data stored in a cloud, when the company, having a contractual relationship with the cloud provider, has gone into bankruptcy.
International structures as used by multinational companies typically could include limited partnerships or general partnerships. If the Netherlands is involved in these international structures, these partnerships may be set up in such a way that they qualify as transparent for Dutch tax purposes. Further, partnerships could be used to manage the recognition of taxable income (for example, the so called CV‐BV structures). ThisGT Alert may be helpful in further managing and controlling the tax risks within such structures.
In the October 2012 Newsflash, we informed you about the notion of “successive terms of employment” and the consequences associated herewith. We discussed the Dutch Supreme Court’s recent Van Tuinen decision, in which the Court limited the doctrine of successive terms of employment after insolvency by following the case law pertaining to the probationary period.
In recent years Dutch banks have established a practice of creating undisclosed rights of pledge (stil pandrecht) on all current and future receivables of their borrowers in an easy way and without the borrower's involvement. In the Supreme Court's ruling of 3 February 2012 (HR 3 February 2012, LJN BT6947), this practice was unsuccessfully put to the test by a bankruptcy trustee, who contested the alleged right of pledge of ING Bank on receivables of its bankrupt client.
(Europa West-Indië Lijnen B.V./Container Leasing International LLC)
A recent judgment of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal marks the latest trend in Dutch law to strengthen the position of the debtor in the context of pre-judgment attachments. The Court of Appeal gave effect to the full disclosure principle that stipulates that the creditor, in its request for leave to make pre-judgment attachments, should properly inform the court of the merits of its claim and the dispute with the debtor.
A Bill has been submitted to the Second Chamber extending the Act on the Collective Settlement of Mass Claims (WCAM) to bankruptcy situations.
The WCAM has been in force since 2005 and enables parties involved in mass claims to apply to the Amsterdam Court of Appeal to declare a settlement binding on all class members. Well-known examples of this are the Court's decisions in DES and in Dexia. A recent decision in Converium shows that the WCAM may also apply to the settlement of mass claims involving a majority of foreign parties.
- Introduction
On 13 June 2012 legislation allowing the Dutch Central Bank or the Dutch Minister of Finance to intervene in respect of failing banks and insurance companies with seat in the Netherlands ("Intervention Act") came into force with retroactive effect from 20 January 2012.
Introduction
The restructuring practice often calls for creative solutions, especially when the stakes are high and the debtor is in serious financial distress. Many restructuring lawyers have at times faced the question of whether it is possible for a debtor to transfer assets to a creditor subject to the condition precedent of the debtor being declared bankrupt.