The Federal Court has recently confirmed that liquidators are able to assign their rights to examine people and to obtain the production of documents.

Liquidators may now find that there is greater interest from litigation funders to purchase potential claims that have not been fully investigated.

Overview

It is possible for a trustee in bankruptcy to make a claim to property held by a bankrupt on trust. For example, by lodging a caveat over a home that is held on trust.

A trustee in bankruptcy may be able to make a claim, relying on the bankrupt’s right of indemnity as trustee of the trust. This is because the bankrupt’s right of indemnity, as trustee, is itself property that vests in the trustee in bankruptcy under the Bankruptcy Act 1966.

Explaining a trustee’s right of indemnity

Section 561 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) provides that accrued employee entitlements must be paid in priority to the holder of a circulating security interest in a winding up.

Until recently, it was unresolved whether the property subject to a circulating security interest should be determined as at the date the liquidation began, on a continuous basis, or at some other unidentified date.

It is a defence to an unfair preference claim to show there were no reasonable grounds to suspect the insolvency of the debtor company.

Referred to as the ‘good faith defence’, the creditor has the onus of establishing the defence contained in section 588FG(2) of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).

Suspicion of insolvency

The courts have identified the following principles with respect to the good faith defence:

In the recent case of 1st Fleet Pty Ltd (in liquidation), the Court clarified the information disclosure obligations of external administrators in the Insolvency Practice Schedule (Corporations) (IPSC) and Insolvency Practice Rules (Corporations) 2016 (Rules).

There is only a short time period for compliance, and there can be cost consequences for non compliance.

In business it is not uncommon for a director of a company to be owed money by that company.

If the commercial relationship breaks down, the director may think it is an option to serve a creditor’s statutory demand on the debtor company.

However, recent court decisions demonstrate that issuing a creditor’s statutory demand is not a sure fire method of obtaining payment where the director is owed the debt personally or is a director of both the creditor and debtor companies.

Cases where statutory demands have been successfully challenged

On Friday, the California Department of Financial Institutions closed Sonoma Valley Bank, headquartered in Sonoma, California, and appointed the FDIC as receiver.

On Friday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency closed Community National Bank at Bartow [http://www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/release/2010-101.htm], headquartered in Bartow, Florida, and Independent National Bank, headquartered in Ocala, Florida, and appointed the FDIC as receiver.

On Friday, the California Department of Financial Institutions closedButte Community Bank, headquartered in Chico, California, and Pacific State Bank, headquartered in Stockton, California, and appointed the FDIC as receiver for the two banks.

On Friday, the Office of Thrift Supervision closed Imperial Savings and Loan Association, headquartered in Martinsville, Virginia, and appointed the FDIC as receiver.