Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, insolvent companies have sought court intervention relating to the payment of rent during lockdown periods. In the most recent decision on this issue, the Quebec Superior Court (Court) ruled that a debtor undergoing a restructuring under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (Canada) (CCAA) should not be relieved of its obligation to pay post-filing rent, even in circumstances where its ability to use the leased premises is constrained by governmental orders.

Case Name and Number: Chicago v. Fulton, No. 19-357

Introduction: In an 8-0 opinion issued today, the Supreme Court held that a creditor’s passive retention of property properly seized from a debtor pre-bankruptcy does not violate the automatic stay under 11 U.S.C. § 362(a)(3).

On 17 December 2020, the German Parliament passed the Act on the Further Development of Restructuring and Insolvency Law ("SanInsFoG"), which is expected to lead to a fundamental change in the restructuring landscape in Germany.

In a recent decision in In re Nuverra Environmental Solutions, Inc., No. 18-3084, 2021 WL 50160 (3d Cir. Jan 6, 2021), a divided Third Circuit panel held that an appeal of a Chapter 11 plan confirmation order was equitably moot and that the dissenting unsecured creditor who filed the appeal, David Hargreaves, was not entitled to individualized relief.

In a new opinion issued in the Chuck E. Cheese bankruptcy cases, In re CEC Entertainment, Inc., Case No. 20-33163 (Bankr. S.D. Tex.),¹ Judge Marvin Isgur of the U.S.

Introduction – the framework

Timeline for Government’s extended measures 

Dans une décision récente, la Cour d’appel de l’Ontario (la « Cour d’appel ») a infirmé une décision de première instance, laquelle avait été source de préoccupation pour les propriétaires commerciaux qui ont comme pratique courante d’utiliser des lettres de crédit pour garantir les obligations prévues à leurs baux commerciaux.

In a recent decision, the Ontario Court of Appeal (Ontario Appeal Court) reversed a lower court decision, which had created much concern among commercial landlords that routinely rely on letters of credit (LCs) to secure their commercial leases. The lower court limited the draw on an LC to the landlord’s preferred claim under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA), namely three months’ arrears and three months’ accelerated rent.

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Canadian Court) recently recognized, for the first time, an English company voluntary arrangement (CVA) proceeding commenced pursuant to the UK Insolvency Act 1986 (Insolvency Act).