Cross-border insolvency has ventured into new territory as a judgment is released from the first contemporaneous sitting of the Federal Court of Australia and the High Court of New Zealand.
Section 90-15 of the Insolvency Practice Schedule (the IPS) confers on Courts wide powers to adjust rights related to companies in external administration. Here, the administrators of a mining group obtained orders approving their entry into a deed to fund the ongoing operation of the group pending sale and limiting their liability under the deed to the company’s assets. The Court accepted the administrators’ evidence that this funding was urgently required to continue the Group’s operations pending a sale, the prospects of which were thereby maximised.
On June 25, 2021, Inversiones CG Financial Chile Dos S.P.A. and certain affiliates, which manage investments in mainly Chilean financial institutions, filed a petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Case No. 21-10968). The company estimates $500 million to $1 billion in assets and $1 billion to $10 billion in liabilities.
On June 20, 2021, CP Holdings LLC and Pacrim U.S. LLC, holding companies for a portfolio of non-debtor subsidiaries which own and operate assisted living and memory care residences and offer third-party management services in the senior care space, filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Case No. 21-10950).
On June 13, 2021, Washington Prime Group Inc. and several affiliates, which administer a REIT and are headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, filed petitions under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (Lead Case No. 21-31948).
On June 9, 2021, East Greenwich, R.I.-based jewelry company Alex and Ani, LLC filed a petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware along with several affiliates. The lowest filed case number is 21-10917 (A and A Shareholding, Co., LLC). The company estimates $100 million to $500 million in both assets and liabilities.
On June 7, 2021, Zuca Properties LLC of Geneva Switzerland, the owner of two penthouse condominium units located at 470 Broome Street in New York’s Soho neighborhood, filed a petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (Case No. 21-11082). The company estimates $10 million to $50 million in assets and $50 million to $100 million in liabilities.
On June 7, 2021, Katerra Inc., a Scottsdale, AZ-based “technology-enabled construction company,” filed a petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (Case No. 21-31861) along with several affiliates. The company estimates $500 million to $1 billion in assets and $1 billion to $10 billion in liabilities.
The last 12 months has seen a number of court applications being made for extensions of time to register a security interest under s293 of the Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (Cth) (PPSA) and/or s588FM of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), to avoid collateral vesting in the grantor upon an insolvency event.
On 10 May 2021 in Badenoch Integrated Logging Pty Ltd v Bryant, in the matter of Gunns Limited (in liq)(receivers and managers apptd)[i] the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia abolished the application of the Peak Indebtedness Rule to a running account ‘single transaction’ under section 588FA(3) of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the Act) in unfair p