Legislation and proposed legislation

Government consults on proposals for technology neutrality in the distribution of company meeting communications

The Government has proposed a technology neutral mode of distributing company meeting notices and materials which aims to facilitate innovation and reduce economic and time costs for companies, while maintaining an appropriate level of shareholder engagement.

Introduction

A significant factor in the success of restructurings negotiated in French out-of-court processes (whether ad hoc mandates or conciliations) is the absolute confidentiality of the discussions conducted by a company and the relevant stakeholders (usually creditors, existing or new sponsors or key clients) under the supervision of a court-appointed insolvency practitioner.

In this case, the High Court held that the proceeds of the sale of timber and land under a timber plantation scheme were not held on trust for investors by the scheme operators, with the result that they were available to secured creditors of the scheme in priority to the investors.  In particular, the High Court found that a trust will not arise without clear intention by the parties, and a court will not infer a trust simply because it thinks it is an appropriate means of protecting or creating an interest.  When establishing a managed investment scheme, parties shou

Key points

Justice Black has confirmed in his written reasons for judgment in ReNexus Energy Ltd (subject to deed of company arrangement) [2014] NSWSC 1910 (Nexus) the utility of section 444GA to achieve debt for equity restructures of listed companies.

This case highlights that the fiduciary duty to avoid conflicts of interest in particular will be strictly adhered to, with questions of fairness or unfairness of the relevant transaction being irrelevant.  Directors are reminded of the need to take great care to manage potential risks when involved in transactions in which they are acting as director of more than one company.  In particular, directors should check the rules in the companies’ constitutions around conflict of interest and if there is any concern, disclose their interest and seek approval of the companie

Het einde van 2014 nadert met rasse schreden. Om een liquidatie, juridische fusie of splitsing voor het einde van het jaar te voltooien, dienen bepaalde termijnen in acht te worden genomen. Hieronder treft u een procesbeschrijving van deze frequent gebruikte herstructureringsinstrumenten aan.

Fusie / splitsing

Op 3 september 2014 heeft de regering een wetsvoorstel (het ‘Wetsvoorstel”) ingediend waardoor een bestuursverbod kan worden opgelegd voor maximaal 5 jaar aan bij faillissement betrokken personen aan wie een verwijt kan worden gemaakt voor de oorzaak van dat faillissement.

Inleiding

Op dit moment bestaat er al een aantal civielrechtelijke instrumenten om fraude of wanbeleid bij rechtspersonen aan te pakken zoals:

In een recente uitspraak heeft het Hof Den Bosch een nadere uitwerking gegeven van de werking van artikel 61 van de Faillissementswet (“Fw”), die van belang is voor ondernemers die gehuwd zijn na het maken van huwelijkse voorwaarden (Hof Den Bosch 12 augustus 2014, GHSHE:2014:2773).

Huwelijkse voorwaarden en faillissement

Key points

First occasion where a deed administrator has sought leave under section 444GA of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (theAct) in respect of a publicly listed company. The Court granted leave for 98.2% of each shareholders’ holding in Mirabela Nickel Limited (Mirabela) to be transferred to certain unsecured creditors as part of a broader recapitalisation, under a deed of company arrangement (DOCA), without shareholder approval.  

The Court found that the appointment of voluntary administrators to a company constituted oppressive conduct under section 232 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) in circumstances where it was part of a clear strategy by the controlling shareholder to gain control of the company’s business, to the exclusion of the minority shareholders.  This case provides some useful observations on the operation of section 232, particularly around action by a parent company “of the affairs of” a subsidiary.