HopgoodGanim Lawyers recently acted for R.W Pascoe Pty Ltd in successfully setting aside the deed of company arrangement (DOCA) proposed by Crimson Fresh Produce Pty Ltd.
Key points
- Directors have been temporarily relieved of their duty to prevent insolvent trading during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- That relief is scheduled to expire on 31 December 2020.
- Many commentators believe that directors can only avail themselves of the temporary relief if they appoint a liquidator or administrator before the moratorium expires.
- Directors of companies at risk of insolvency should seek legal advice regarding their potential liability.
The Government’s response to the pandemic
Corporate ventures are usually founded with the very best intentions, but as matters unfold disputes between investors are all too common.
The legal steps to resolve such disputes and assert control over a company can be complex and arduous.
However, there are good reasons for this due process, and it cannot be circumvented.
With two decisions (No. 1895/2018 and No. 1896/2018), both filed on 25 January 2018, the Court of Cassation reached opposite conclusions in the two different situations
The case
The Constitutional Court (6 December 2017) confirmed that Art. 147, para. 5, of the Italian Bankruptcy Law does not violate the Constitution as long as it is interpreted in a broad sense
The case
With the decision No. 1195 of 18 January 2018, the Court of Cassation ruled on the powers of the extraordinary commissioner to require performance of pending contracts and on the treatment of the relevant claims of the suppliers
The case
The Court of Cassation with a decision of 25 September 2017, No. 22274 confirms that Art. 74 of the Italian Bankruptcy Law provides a special rule, which does not apply to cases to which it is not explicitly extended
The case
With the decision No. 1649 of 19 September 2017 the Court of Appeals of Catania followed the interpretation according to which a spin-off is not subject to the avoiding powers of a bankruptcy receiver
The case
Applicable law
The Italian Government has been delegated to enact a comprehensive restatement of the whole set of rules of insolvency procedures, with specific innovative addresses regarding (to mention only the most important) the concordato preventivo procedure, venue rules, an out-of-court mediation alert process to timely address a risk of insolvency, new forms of security and a streamlined set of priorities among creditors
Introduction