A recent, highly anticipated ruling by a Bankruptcy Court in Delaware has reilluminated the concept of a "golden share". While an appeal of the ruling seems likely, this latest ruling by Delaware Bankruptcy Judge Mary F. Walrath suggests that as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to disrupt businesses and send shockwaves through the economy, courts may look at the specific circumstances of each case and weigh the interests of all corporate stakeholders in determining whether to enforce a "bankruptcy blocker".

What is a "Golden Share"?

Debt exchanges have long been utilized by distressed companies to address liquidity concerns and to take advantage of beneficial market conditions. A company saddled with burdensome debt obligations, for example, may seek to exchange existing notes for new notes with the same outstanding principal but with borrower-favorable terms, like delayed payment or extended maturation dates (a "Face Value Exchange"). Or the company might seek to exchange existing notes for new notes with a lower face amount, motivated by discounted trading values for the existing notes (a "Fair Value Exchange").

One of the primary fights underlying assumption of an unexpired lease or executory contract has long been over whether any debtor breaches under the agreement are “curable.” Before the 2005 amendments to the Bankruptcy Code, courts were split over whether historic nonmonetary breaches (such as a failure to maintain cash reserves or prescribed hours of operation) undermined a debtor’s ability to assume the lease or contract.