Key Points

• Provisions of the Civil Procedure Rules apply to applications for an extension of time to apply for rescission of winding up order

• Any such extensions of time should be exceptional and for a very short period

The Facts

Key Points

• A dividend is a ‘transaction’ and therefore can be challenged under s 423 IA 86
• A duty to act in the best interests of creditors does not arise simply because there is a risk of insolvency which is not ‘remote’

The Facts

Key Points

Having launched the original version three years ago, we have refreshed our Safeguarding Your Business guide as an eBook. The guide assists clients in protecting themselves either proactively or reactively in respect of a counterparty’s insolvency with new sections on trusts and examples of how we have helped, using some of the principles raised.

Key Points

• Interpretation of EU case law on protection of pension payments on employer insolvency not “entirely free from doubt”

The Facts

The claimant (C) was a member of the T&N defined benefit pension scheme from 1971 to 1998. In 2006, the scheme entered a PPF assessment period and C calculated that his pension under the PPF would, as a result of caps and limitations on indexation, be roughly 67% less than what he had previously expected.

Key Points

• Trustees in bankruptcy entitled to more than return of shares wrongfully transferred by bankrupt
• Trustees also entitled to recover loss in the value of shares
• Appropriate basis of valuation was fair value (not market value)

The Facts

In Berryman v Zurich Australia Ltd [2016] WASC 196 it was decided that a bankrupt's entitlement to claim a TPD benefit under a life insurance policy is not an entitlement that is divisible amongst the bankrupt's creditors, and therefore such an entitlement does not vest in the Official Trustee in bankruptcy. Tottle J of the Supreme Court of Western Australia ruled that the bankrupt insured could continue an action in his own name to recover the TPD benefit. Life insurers may need to adjust their claims' payment practices in light of the Berryman decision.

Key points

• Court does not have jurisdiction to direct detailed assessment of fees agreed by administrators on application of liquidator
• Administrators can agree solicitors’ fees for work carried out during the administration after they cease holding office
• The court has no inherent jurisdiction to direct a detailed assessment

The facts

Key Points

• Court held notice to scheme creditors (here two weeks) was not sufficient in light of complexity of scheme
• Court also highlighted deficiencies in supporting documentation

The Facts

Key points

• Principles applying to exercise of liquidators’ powers are the same as those prior to legislative changes
• Views of creditors influenced by personal considerations to be disregarded
• The overriding requirement is for liquidators to exercise their professional judgment in the best interests of creditors

The facts