Introduction
The Situation: In Homaidan v. Sallie Mae, Inc., et al., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently affirmed that certain types of private student loans are not "obligation[s] to repay funds received as an educational benefit, scholarship, or stipend" that are exempt from discharge in bankruptcy absent an undue hardship.
When the Petitioner issued the petition to wind up the Company on 12 January 2021, the Company was already subject to another winding up petition in HCCW 410/2019 and the Petitioner was aware of the first petition. The Court reiterated that a creditor should not issue a petition if a petition has already been issued against the relevant debtor company. The Petitioner argued that there are exceptional circumstances, which justified the second petition: Re China Greenfresh Group Co Ltd [2021] HKCFI 36. It was said that the progress of the first petition was dilatory.
“…it is fallacious and unrealistic for the Company to assume that the value of the Haitian Shares remained the same from February to August 2019. Between February and August 2019, Haitian Energy had published no less than nine announcements suggest that the financial condition of Haitian Energy was in a state of flux, and that the value of the Haitian Shares was susceptible to fluctuation.”
– William Wong SC (Deputy High Court Judge in Re Victor River Ltd)
INTRODUCTION
In Short
The Situation: The Full Court of the Federal Court has changed industry practice in Badenoch Integrated Logging Pty Ltd v Bryant, in the matter of Gunns Limited (in liq) (receivers and managers appointed) [2021] FCAFC 64 by holding that the "peak indebtedness rule" is not available to liquidators when assessing the value of running accounts in unfair preference claims.
简介
中华人民共和国最高人民法院（「最高人民法院」）与香港特别行政区政府于2021年5月14日签订了《最高人民法院与香港特别行政区政府关于内地与香港特别行政区法院相互认可和协助破产程序的会谈纪要》。在试点计划下，香港的清盘人可向内地试点地区的有关中级人民法院申请认可香港的清盘程序；同样地，内地的破产管理人可向香港高等法院申请认可内地的破产程序（「试点计划」）。最近在Re China All Access (Holdings) Ltd [2021] HKCFI 1842一案中，香港法院首次考虑这项近期发展及试点计划。
背景
In cases under both chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code and its repealed predecessor, section 304, U.S. bankruptcy courts have routinely recognized and enforced orders of foreign bankruptcy and insolvency courts as a matter of international comity. However, U.S. bankruptcy courts sometimes disagree over the precise statutory authority for granting such relief, because the provisions of chapter 15 are not particularly clear on this point in all cases.
In In re Arcapita Bank B.S.C., 2021 WL 1603608 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Apr. 23, 2021), the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York addressed the interaction between purported setoff rights arising under investment agreements governed by Islamic law and the Bankruptcy Code's safe harbors protecting the exercise of non-debtors' rights under financial contracts.
Madoff
簡介
最近在Re Cheung Hing Chik also known as Charles H.C. Cheung, the debtor [2021] HKCA 981一案中，上訴法院澄清，在決定是否應撤銷破產令時，法院既可考慮在破產令發出之前的事實，也可考慮在破產令發出之後的事實。要成功申請撤銷破產令，申請人須證明涉及與先前法院席前證據有重大差異的特殊情況，作為推翻破產令的充分理據。
背景
本案是就一項於2020年8月3日發出的破產令（「該破產令」）提出的上訴。呈請人是一間公司，其銀行帳戶被破產人偷去或挪用了749,000美元。於2020年2月27日，呈請人就上述金額向破產人發出法定要求償債書，但不獲還款。在2020年8月3日進行的呈請聆訊上，破產人口頭上表示他能夠償還該債務，因為：
- 他可將其於張慶植會計師行有限公司的50% 權益出售，估計約值600萬元；及
- 他可能會收到若干其他資金。
法官不信納，並認為沒有證據顯示破產人能償還債務，因此發出了該破產令。