The UK Government has introduced a new suspension of the wrongful trading provisions contained in s214 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (IA 1986) to apply from 26 November 2020 to 30 April 2021.

The Act on confirmation of private restructuring plans (Wet homologatie onderhands akkoord) – which introduces a framework allowing debtors to restructure their debts outside formal insolvency proceedings (the “Dutch Scheme“) – was adopted by the Dutch Senate on 6 October 2020 and will enter into force on 1 January 2021.

We reported in September that New Look's CVA had been approved by creditors, including provision for 400 of its store rents to be linked to turnover - see https://blog.charlesrussellspeechlys.com/post/102gf9i/a-new-look-for-commercial-rents

However, it seems that the controversial CVA is now going to be challenged in the courts by a number of the landlord creditors, including British Land and Land Securities. This will obviously be unwelcome news for the retailer on top of the arrival of a second lockdown, which will inevitably cause further disruption for its business.

The damage that the COVID pandemic has done to the food and beverage sector has been widely reported. Plenty of well-known and well-loved restaurants and pubs have entered into an insolvency process or formally restructured their debts in an effort to survive.

This summer’s landmark Supreme Court decision in Michael J Lonsdale (Electrical) Ltd v Bresco Electrical Services Ltd (in Liquidation) [2020] UKSC 25 (“Bresco”) would have doubtless been interesting news for Insolvency Practitioners (“IPs”) engaged in the construction sector.

Following its decision in July to consider restructuring options in light of its mounting debts, the popular restaurant chain Pizza Hut has reached an agreement with its creditors by way of a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) that will see 215 of its 244 restaurants (88%) continue trading, as well as retaining around 5,000 of its 5,450 employees (92%).

Van de lasten onder dwangsom aan Alvat (1997) en DIT (2013) tot het kostenverhaal op Bavin (2014) en North Refinery (2019), de handhaving van milieurecht in faillissementssituaties blijft een uitdaging voor gemeenten, provincies en omgevingsdiensten. De rechtbank Rotterdam wil nu een einde maken aan alle onduidelijkheid.

On 29 September 2020, the Dutch Senate’s justice committee decided that the Dutch Scheme bill can be dealt with as a formality (hamerstuk) without further debate. It did so after the Dutch Government submitted to the Dutch Senate’s justice committee its memorandum of reply (Memorie van Antwoord) regarding the Dutch Scheme, or to use the full title: the Act on confirmation of private restructuring plans (commonly referred to as the WHOA, after its Dutch acronym). This blog highlights the various topics covered in the memorandum of reply.

The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 came into force on 26 June 2020 introducing a number of temporary and more permanent reforms, summarised in my colleague Jess’ post here.

Following the recent Supreme Court decision in Bresco Electrical Services Ltd (In Liquidation) v Michael J Lonsdale (Electrical) Ltd, it is clear that companies in liquidation have the right to adjudicate a dispute. However, a successful adjudication is only half the battle: the insolvent company must still persuade the court to enforce the decision.