What is the so-called "creditor duty"?
This is the duty, introduced into English common law by the leading case of West Mercia Safetywear v Dodd1 in 1988, of company directors to consider, or act in accordance with, the interests of the company's creditors when the company becomes insolvent, or when it approaches, or is at real risk of insolvency.
Background
Summary
The Supreme Court held that when directors know, or ought to know, that the company is insolvent or bordering on insolvency, or that an insolvent liquidation or administration is probable, they must consider the interests of creditors, balancing them against the interests of shareholders where they may conflict. The greater the company’s financial difficulties, the more the directors should prioritise the interests of creditors.
Background
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit recently ruled in the Puerto Rico bankruptcy case that Fifth Amendment takings claims cannot be discharged or impaired by a bankruptcy plan. As a matter of first impression in that circuit, the Court disagreed with the Ninth Circuit and held that former property owners affected by prepetition takings must be paid in full.
In re Fin. Oversight & Mgmt. Bd., 41 F.4th 29 (1st Cir. 2022)
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New developments regarding Spanish pre-insolvency restructuring tools
6 September 2022
The Law 16/2022, of 5 September for the amendment of the Spanish Insolvency Law that transposes Directive 2019/1023 (Directive on restructuring and insolvency) (the Law) has been published today in the Spanish Official Gazette. The Law will enter into force on 26 September 2022 (excluding some articles).
The Law sets out structural reforms in pre-insolvency and insolvency regulations to achieve the following goals:
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Reestructuraciones de empresas en crisis Novedades en la Ley Concursal espaola
6 de septiembre de 2022
La Ley 16/2022, de 5 de septiembre, de reforma del texto refundido de la Ley Concursal que traspone la Directiva 2019/1023 sobre reestructuraciones e insolvencia (la Ley) ha sido publicada hoy en el BOE. La Ley entrar en vigor el 26 de septiembre de 2022 (salvo alguna excepcin).
La Ley acomete una reforma estructural en el mbito preconcursal y concursal con numerosas novedades y con los siguientes objetivos:
In a recent decision, the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that an agreement between a debtor, a surety, and third-party beneficiaries was not an executory contract and, thus, was ineligible to pass-through the bankruptcy unaffected. The Fifth Circuit, however, adopted a modified Countryman test for muti-party executory contracts. Matter of Falcon V, L.L.C., 2022 WL 3274174 (5th Cir. 2022).
Background
On 22 July 2022, the English High Court sanctioned Houst Limited’s (“Houst” or the “Company”) restructuring plan (the “Restructuring Plan”), which significantly, is the first time a Restructuring Plan has been used to cram down HM Revenue & Customs (“HMRC”) as preferential creditor.1
Background
Background of the Act
The UK's latest quarterly company insolvency statistics, published on 2 August, confirm the trends the restructuring community are seeing so far this year and are expecting to continue as we progress through the year.
On 22 July 2022 and after the judge ordered a delay for more evidence, the English court sanctioned the restructuring plan proposed by Houst Limited (Houst). Houst is an SME that is concerned with the provision of property management services for short-term/holiday lets. Its business was badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning it was both cash flow and balance sheet insolvent when proposing the plan.