Covid-19 has had a staggering impact on the U.S. economy in just eight months. Businesses large and small are struggling to stay afloat, with over 3,600 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings in the first half of the year.[i] By the third quarter of 2020, the number of Chapter 11 bankruptcies of companies with assets over $1 billion had doubled from the same period in 2019[ii] and the U.S. GDP had fallen 2.4%.[iii] Given the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, economists predict that a full economic recovery is likely to take years.[iv]
John Doyle Construction Limited (in liquidation) v Erith Contractors Limited sees the first consideration of a claim for summary enforcement of an adjudication decision by a company in liquidation following the Supreme Court’s decision in Bresco Electrical Services Limited (in liquidation) v Michael J Lonsdale (Electrical) Limited.
On 6 September 2020, the England and Wales High Court approved the second scheme of arrangement proposed by Codere (an international gaming group) in a little over five years, following a fully contested convening hearing spread over three days.
In the convening judgment ([2020] EWHC 2441 (Ch)), the Court concluded that the various fees payable to the members of an ad hoc committee of scheme creditors did not fracture the single class proposed by Codere.
'Chapter 11 bankruptcy', the US insolvency regime, often features in the UK headlines. When Lehman Brothers filed under Chapter 11 in 2008, it marked the start of the global financial crisis. Chapter 11 (which refers to part of the US Bankruptcy Code) is a restructuring tool designed to rescue companies. Its closest UK counterpart is Administration, under Schedule B1 to the Insolvency Act 1986.
The UK Government has announced new laws to enhance the scrutiny and transparency of pre-pack administrations.
What are pre-pack administrations?
A pre-pack administration is when the sale of a distressed company and its assets is negotiated before, or shortly after, the appointment of administrators.
Last month, the German Federal Ministry of Justice published draft legislation that could fundamentally change the restructuring landscape in Germany.
An essential part of the law is the introduction of a corporate stabilisation and restructuring regime, which establishes a comprehensive legal framework for non-consensual out-of-court restructurings in Germany on the basis of the EU's 2019 restructuring directive.
On Tuesday 6 October 2020 the Dutch Senate adopted the long-awaited legislative proposal for the Act providing for court confirmation of a private restructuring plan (Wet homologatie onderhands akkoord (“WHOA”)). The act introducing the 'Dutch scheme' will enter into force in the beginning of next year at the latest.
The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act (CIGA) came into force on 26 June 2020 and introduced a number of temporary and permanent reforms, with the aim of supporting businesses and the economy during the pandemic.
The reactivation of wrongful trading rules at the end of last month marks the return of personal liability risk for directors of businesses that continue to trade while on the brink of insolvency.
On Friday 18 September 2020 the German Federal Ministry of Justice published draft legislation which has the potential of fundamentally changing the restructuring landscape in Germany.
An essential part of the law is the introduction of a corporate stabilisation and restructuring regime, which establishes a comprehensive legal framework for out-of-court restructurings in Germany on the basis of the EU Restructuring Directive of 20 June 2019 (Directive (EU) 2019/1023) (the Preventive Restructuring Framework).