Brazos Electric Power Cooperative recently filed for Chapter 11 relief in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, weeks after the February ice storm severely disrupted Texas’s electricity supply and prices. Brazos filed for bankruptcy in part to shield its member cooperatives and consumers from liability for invoices totaling over $2.1 billion from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

On Oct. 27, 2020, Judge Marvin Isgur for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas held that (1) a make-whole premium was not interest or unmatured interest and thus not subject to disallowance, (2) a make-whole claim was enforceable as liquidated damages under New York law and (3) the solvent debtor exception survived the enactment of the Bankruptcy Code and the Noteholders were entitled to postpetition interest at the contractual default rate.

Rettung durch Restrukturierung im Planverfahren (Restrukturierungsplan & Insolvenzplan)

The bankruptcy trustee of a bank holding company was not entitled to a consolidated corporate tax refund when a bank subsidiary had incurred losses generating the refund, held the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit on May 26, 2020. Rodriguez v. FDIC (In re United Western Bancorp, Inc.), 2020 WL 2702425(10th Cir May 26, 2020). On remand from the U.S. Supreme Court, the Tenth Circuit, as directed, applied "Colorado law to resolve" the question of "who owns the federal tax refund." Id., at 2.

Die enormen wirtschaftlichen Auswirkungen der weltweiten COVID-19-Pandemie haben die deutsche Wirtschaft in vielen Bereichen massiv getroffen. Für viele Branchen hat sich das Geschäftsklima erheblich verschlechtert. Geschäfte bleiben geschlossen, Lieferketten brechen ab, Reisen sind nur sehr eingeschränkt möglich, Umsätze sind deutlich zurückgegangen und Unternehmen müssen Kurzarbeit oder Zwangsurlaubeinführen, um laufende Kosten zu senken.

In a pair of significant judgments issued on the same day, Re China Huiyuan Juice Group Ltd. [2020] HKCFI 2940 and FDG Electric Vehicles Ltd. [2020] HKCFI 2931, the Honorable Mr. Justice Harris has once again issued highly relevant and timely guidance on key cross-border insolvency issues.

The government has finally come up with proposals to reform pre-pack administrations, requiring independent scrutiny of sales to connected parties, as Mathew Ditchburn explains.

Doing business in the United States

2021

2

Hogan Lovells

Doing business in the United States 2021

3

Contents

Introduction1

I.Openness of U.S. markets to foreign investment

2

II.Direct or indirect market entry and choice of entity

8

III. Commercial contracting

20

IV.Labor and employment law considerations

26

V.Immigration laws

34

VI.Intellectual property laws

40

VII. Export control and economic sanction laws

46

VIII. U.S. antitrust laws

56

As reported earlier, a new corporate restructuring law will be enacted in Germany. The new law's centerpiece will be the so-called stabilization and restructuring framework ("SRF"). The German Parliament (the Bundestag) passed the law on 17 December 2020. On 18 December 2020 the law was also accepted by the Federal Council (the Bundesrat). It will come into force on 1 January 2021, already.

Wie bereits berichtet erhält Deutschland ein neues Restrukturierungsrecht für Unternehmen, dessen Herzstück der sogenannte Stabilisierungs- und Restrukturierungsrahmen („SRR“) ist. Der Bundestag hat das entsprechende Gesetz am 17. Dezember 2020 verabschiedet. Am 18. Dezember 2020 wurde das Gesetz auch durch den Bundesrat gebilligt. Es wird bereits am 1. Januar 2021 in Kraft treten.