Overview
Introduction
Non-consensual third-party releases are provisions in reorganization plans that release non-debtor parties from liability to other non-debtor parties without the consent of all potential claimholders. These releases are frequently included in chapter 11 plans of reorganization. Most circuit courts allow these releases under certain circumstances; however, there is a split among circuit courts as to whether such non-consensual third-party releases are permitted by the Bankruptcy Code.
引言
按照《中华人民共和国企业破产法》(“《企业破产法》”)第三十二条[1]规定,管理人有权起诉请求法院撤销破产企业在一定期间内的个别清偿行为。债权人在面对该类个别清偿撤销诉讼时,时常面临举证困难、法律适用不明确等困境。
我们近期代理某金融机构债权人处理一宗个别清偿纠纷诉讼二审程序。本文将尝试结合这一案件,提出我们对上述法律规定的思考,讨论债权人应对个别清偿撤销诉讼的“困境”与“突围”,并且为债权人提供缓释该类纠纷带来的潜在风险的思路。
一、债权人应对个别清偿撤销纠纷的困境
为充实破产企业偿债资产、维护债权人公平受偿,《企业破产法》赋予管理人针对债务人破产前一定期间内特定行为的撤销权。本文关注的是《企业破产法》第三十二条指向的债务人在破产申请受理前6个月内的个别清偿行为,或称“偏颇性清偿行为”。依照该条规定,撤销该类行为需要满足以下条件:
As the economy continues to face challenges and the threat of bankruptcy becomes more prevalent among businesses, landlords must be more vigilant in protecting their interests in commercial leases. One area of particular concern is leases that fall under Section 467 of the Internal Revenue Code (“Section 467 Leases”).
Key Points:
The U.K. government has published its much-anticipated proposals for regulating the cryptoasset industry. These proposals, currently in the form of a consultation, will see many (but not all) cryptoasset-related activities being brought within the regulatory perimeter for financial services in the U.K.
近年来,越来越多的企业面临债务困境,由于该等企业较多成立时间久、体量巨大,且存在经营多元化、债权债务形式多样化的情形,企业资金链的断裂易引发债务风险,实践中迫切需要进行债务重组,使债权人得到受偿,让企业重获新生。从目前情况来看,信托工具越来越多地被应用于债务重组中,包括在破产重整前的债务重组阶段,也包括在破产重整阶段。根据中国信托业协会于2022年12月12日发布的《2022年3季度中国信托业发展评析》,截至2022年3季度末,我国信托资产规模余额约为21.07万亿元。另根据建信信托有限责任公司(“建信信托”)发布的《建信信托2021年年度报告》,截至2021年12月31日,建信信托破产重整服务信托规模超2,300亿元[1];根据中信信托有限责任公司(“中信信托”)发布的《中信信托二〇二一年年度报告》,截至2021年12月31日,中信信托特殊资产服务信托业务受托规模近160亿元[2]。
On October 12, the Honorable Robert D. Drain, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York, issued his final decision from the bench in the bankruptcy cases of supermarket chain Tops Holdings II Corporation (“Tops”). The decision came in an adversary proceeding seeking to avoid four dividend payments totaling $375 million from 2009–2013 paid to the Tops’ private equity investors (the “PE Group”) as constructive and actual fraudulent transfers and also hold the director-defendants responsible for breaching their fiduciary duties.
Last month, Judge Caproni of the Southern District of New York issued a ruling stating that if a commercial lease does not require a landlord to hold a security deposit in trust and if there is no state statute generally requiring landlords to do so, the security deposit may not be recoverable by the tenant when the landlord files for bankruptcy. See 10FN Inc. v. Cerberus Business Finance LLC, 21-5996 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 18, 2022).