Judgment has now been handed down by Marcus Smith J in another important case regarding the Lehman estate. This gives much needed clarity on how subordinated debts rank as between themselves.
The judgment concerned:
On 26 June 2020 the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (the Act) came into force, introducing a number of temporary measures to assist companies facing financial difficulties as a consequence of COVID-19. These temporary provisions apply retroactively to cover the period commencing 1 March 2020 (26 March 2020 with respect to corporate governance provisions) and ending on 30 September 2020 (the Relevant Period).
The existing jurisdictional conflict1 between US bankruptcy courts under the Federal Bankruptcy Code and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regarding required approvals for a debtor in bankruptcy to reject an executory Federal Power Act (FPA)-jurisdictional agreement has also been asserted by FERC with respect to Natural Gas Act (NGA)-jurisdictiona
As a corporate officer or director, the only way to take a bad situation like bankruptcy and make it worse is to be confronted with personal liability for the company’s debts, when you could have taken simple steps to position yourself better. Senior management must pay close attention to specific responsibilities and the resulting potential for liability when insolvency is on the horizon. This is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic when bankruptcies are on the rise.
Hoard Cash
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused economic turmoil that may provide opportunities for financially secure companies with capital to make a strategic acquisition of distressed assets and for investors to acquire valuable assets. The following highlights some important considerations when evaluating a purchase of distressed assets.[1]
How to Finance the Purchase of Distressed Assets
Introduction
On June 23, the New York County Supreme Court issued a rare preliminary injunction temporarily halting a mezzanine lender’s UCC foreclosure sale of the Mark Hotel in New York City because the procedures for the foreclosure sale were not commercially reasonable in light of conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (D2 Mark LLC v. Orei VI Investments LLC, 2020 WL 3432950 (2020)).
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has raised pressing questions about how a force majeure provision in a lease will affect a tenant's obligation to pay rent.
For many years, commercial lenders have struggled with ways to protect their collateral following a borrower’s default. If a lender wanted to appoint a receiver to ensure the collateral maintained its value, Florida law provided inconsistent guidance and was a patchwork of different legal opinions detailing when appointment was appropriate and what powers the receiver would possess. Fortunately, a new Florida law will finally provide welcome clarity, certainty and expediency in the appointment of receivers in commercial property litigation and related foreclosures.
On June 30, 2020, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 350 (“SB 350”), which is intended to serve as a backstop for customers as Pacific Gas and Electric Company (“PG&E”) completes its restructuring process and begins implementing the reorganization plan recently confirmed by the United States Bankruptcy Court.