The recent Privy Council decision in Sian Participation Corp (In Liquidation) v Halimeda International Ltd[2024] (SPC) has overturned a principle of English law relating to the interaction between a contractual agreement to arbitrate and traditional insolvency measures where a debt is said to be disputed without substantial grounds.

10 years after the publication of Revision 6 (2014 edition) of the Model Form of Contract for the design, supply and installation of electrical, electronic and mechanical plant (MF/1), the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has released Revision 7 (2024 edition), shortly followed by an erratum containing a summary of corrections.

Regular users of the MF/1 may be comforted to know that the risk profile of the contract has not changed though the door has been opened to extending the duration of liability for latent defects, as discussed below.

Buying parts of a distressed company may offer great opportunities for buyers. When a company is struggling but not yet insolvent, external financing might dry up and the sale of non-core activities may be a last resort to generate fresh cash.

The Abu Dhabi Global Market (the “ADGM”) courts have recently handed down their decision in NMC Healthcare Limited & Others v Shetty & Others ([2024] ADGMCFI 0007). The decision deals with several important principles in relation to fraudulent/wrongful trading liabilities under ADGM law. Given the ADGM re-domiciliation (or continuation) regime, enabling companies incorporated elsewhere to be redomiciled to ADGM with relative ease, the decision is likely to be of interest beyond the borders of the ADGM.

Another groundbreaking judgment from the ADGM Courts in the NMC matter 📢🇦🇪👨🏻⚖️ and another example of the ADGM Courts drawing important parallels between ADGM and English law.

English proceedings re NMC Health Plc are also ongoing. In his judgment at CFI on 8 July 2024, Sir Justice Andrew Smith found that:

1. The ADGM Courts can make an order in respect of the fraudulent carrying on of the business of a company prior to the time at which that company was continued in the ADGM.

Introduction

What happens when monies are loaned for a specific purpose but that purpose fails? Should those monies fall within the general assets of the recipient upon bankruptcy or insolvency?

Question

In the recent decision Sian Participation v Halimeda (Sian), the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (the Privy Council) held on a BVI appeal that a winding-up petition should not be stayed or dismissed merely because the underlying debt is subject to a generally-worded arbitration agreement.

In the most significant decision of the decade on a matter of U.S. bankruptcy law, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered its highly anticipated decision in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma L.P., 603 U.S. ____ (2024) on June 27, 2024, striking down the non-consensual third party releases that were the cornerstone of Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization by a vote of 5-4. In doing so, the Court said:

When a contracting party declares bankruptcy, it is crucial to grasp the implications for existing contracts. This article highlights the most important legal ramifications for the non-bankrupt parties involved.

Continuation or Termination