A new bill, which the UK Government introduced to Parliament on 12 May 2021, seeks to extend the existing directors’ disqualification regime to the directors of dissolved companies.
This week’s TGIF looks at the decision of the Federal Court of Australia in Kellendonk v State of Western Australia, in the matter of Jasienska-Dudek (a Bankrupt) [2021] FCA 418, where former mortgagees satisfied the Court that property disclaimed by the bankruptcy trustee should vest in them on the basis of a prior dealing between themselves and the bankrupt.
Key takeaways
This week’s TGIF considers David Djordjevich v Richard Trygve Rohrt in his capacity as liquidator of ACN 091 518 302 Pty Ltd (in liq) ACN 091 518 302 [2021] VSC 178, a Victorian Supreme Court decision that focuses on the circumstances in which a court will order an inquiry into the conduct of a liquidator and the interests that such an inquiry is intended to serve.
Key takeaways
Last week was a busy week for the courts: we reported on the landlord-led challenges to the New Look CVA and the Virgin Active restructuring plan. Neither judgment made happy reading for landlords, with all challenges dismissed in New Look and the restructuring plan sanctioned despite their objections in Virgin Active. The story has slightly improved for landlords today with the court revoking the Regis CVA. There are important findings from Regis, but in itself the judgment will not be sufficient to turn the tide.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spanish Government has approved a number of financial support measures to address companies’ liquidity requirements, including the creation of two guarantee schemes (líneas de avales) managed through the Spanish Official Credit Institute (Instituto de Crédito Oficial – ICO) in relation to financings granted to companies and the self-employed:
This week’s TGIF considers the most recent case involving Gunns Limited where the Full Federal Court confirmed that the ‘peak indebtedness’ rule has been abolished in a partial win for Gunns creditor.
Key takeaways
On 12 May 2021, the High Court sanctioned Virgin Active’s Part 26A restructuring plan which had been heavily contested by certain landlords. This is the third restructuring plan to use cross-class cramdown (first used in the DeepOcean Group and subsequently in Smile Telecoms), and the first to bind dissenting landlord classes to lease compromises.
There has been much debate in recent years around the use made of certain UK restructuring tools – the company voluntary arrangement and, more recently, the new restructuring plan – to restructure commercial property leases. Commercial tenants argue that compromise is necessary to address high fixed costs that are no longer sustainable, but landlords have often been critical of the approach taken. This debate has become more acute in the context of the pandemic, as many High Street businesses subject to mandatory closure have built up significant rent arrears that need to be addressed.
This week’s TGIF considers the decision of the Federal Court in In the matter of Thousand Angeles Island Pty Ltd (in liq) (No 2) [2021] FCA 283, where the Court held that only a ‘theoretical conflict’ existed for a liquidator entering into a deed where he was also bankruptcy trustee of the company’s sole shareholder.
Key takeaways
On 30 April 2021, reforms to the UK’s regime governing sales in administration by way of a ‘pre-pack’ to a connected party purchaser came into force.
The centrepiece of the reforms is a new requirement for a connected party purchaser to obtain an opinion from an independent ‘evaluator’ on whether the terms of the sale are reasonable.
While the reforms add additional process points that must be navigated in relevant cases, they will bring improved transparency to an important rescue tool which has, at times, attracted warranted criticism.