In Peel Port Shareholder Finance Co Ltd v Dornoch Ltd [2017] EWHC 876 (TCC), Peel Port Shareholder Finance Co Ltd (Peel Port) applied for pre-action disclosure of the defendant's insurance policy under Civil Procedure Rule 31.16. Peel Port was not able to rely on the provisions in Third Party (Rights against Insurers) Act 2010 because the defendant was not insolvent. Peel Port argued that it was highly probable that rights against insurers would be transferred to them under the 2010 Act in due course.
2017年1月07日,在《人民法院报》最新公布的 “2016年度人民法院十大民事行政案件”中,金杜律师事务所代理的江苏舜天船舶股份有限公司(简称“舜天船舶”)破产重整案名列其中。该案不仅是适用最高人民法院和证监会之间会商机制的首个案例,也是上市公司重整同时完成重大资产重组的首个案例,在案件处理的参考性以及对于市场和社会的整体影响方面均意义重大。每年由《人民法院报》编辑部评出的十大案件均为在过去一年中全国各级法院审判的具有重大社会影响力、案情疑难复杂或审判结果有重大突破和借鉴作用的典型案件。
舜天船舶是一家从事船舶和非船舶贸易的国有控股上市公司。受航运及船舶市场持续低迷的影响,自2014年起舜天船舶的经营危机和债务危机开始显现,且日趋严重,渐至资不抵债,面临严峻的退市风险。最终舜天船舶于2016年2月5日被南京市中级人民法院(简称“南京中院”)裁定进入破产重整程序。南京中院通过公开选任方式,经过层层选拔,最终确定金杜为本案管理人,负责开展相关重整工作。
A key question in any litigation is whether the defendant can satisfy a judgment. Where the defendant is both insolvent and insured a further issue is whether the claimant can ultimately recover payment from the insurer. This may be possible under the Third Parties (Rights against Insurers) Act 1930 ("1930 Act") but there are a number of significant hurdles for a third party to overcome before it can benefit from the application of the1930 Act.
The Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010 is a step closer to coming in to force with the publication of draft Regulations whose aim is to correct omissions in the Act. Once in force the Act will improve the position of claimants who are bringing actions against insolvent defendants and looking to recover from those defendants' insurers.