ECT held Hanjin containers hostage

On 1 September 2016 the Seoul Central District Court (6th Bench of Bankruptcy Division) decided on the request of Hanjin of 31 August 2016 to commence a rehabilitation procedure for the company since Hanjin is in a situation where it is unable to repay its payable debts without causing a substantial hindrance to the continuance of its business.

In Hussain v CSR Building Products Limited; In the matter of FPJ Group Pty Ltd (in liquidation) the Federal Court held that a retention of title (ROT) clause secures the purchase price of the goods it covers, and that payment of that price will not be an unfair preference since the creditor has not received payment of an “unsecured debt” within the meaning of section 588FA of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).

A recent decision of the Federal Court provides a timely warning for businesses engaged in cross-border trade where debts may be expressed in a foreign currency.  The take away point of the decision is that in issuing bankruptcy notices based on a judgment debt expressed in a foreign currency and allowing for payment in Australian currency, care must be taken to ensure the correct foreign exchange rate is applied.

A recent case[1] is a reminder to creditors in a voluntary winding up that the Court has the power to appoint an additional or special purpose liquidator (SPL) to carry out a set function in the orderly liquidation of a company where it is 'just and beneficial' to do so.

What is a special purpose liquidator?

As Europe is facing a severe economic and social crisis, the European Union is taking action to promote economic recovery, boost investment and safeguard employment. The economic crisis has a direct effect on people, jobs and businesses. It has led to an increase in the number of failing businesses. In the period between 2009 and 2011, an average of 200,000 firms went bankrupt per year in the European Union. About 25% of these bankruptcies have a cross-border element. About 50 % of all new businesses do not survive the first five years of their life.

The final Report of the Whittaker Review into the Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (Cth) (PPSA) was tabled in Federal Parliament on 18 March, 2015.  The Report can be found here.  Our focus here is on key issues in the Report for the hire industry.  There are many, many other recommendations in the 542 page Report which we do not discuss here.

In Kisimul Holdings Pty Ltd v Clear Position Pty Ltd, a decision seemingly inconsistent with established law, the Supreme Court of NSW earlier this year held that an omission in the affidavit supporting a statutory demand did not amount to “some other reason why the demand should be set aside”. The NSW Court of Appeal has now reversed the decision, restoring a degree of certainty in this much-litigated area of law.

The Law

Approximately 11 years ago, largely as a result of public resentment of bonuses being paid to directors of insolvent companies, the Corporations Act was amended by the Corporations Amendment (Re-Payment of Director’s Bonuses) Act 2003. The amendment made it possible for liquidators to not only seek to recover director bonuses but to also recover any “unreasonable director-related transactions” pursuant to the newly added section 588FDA of the Corporations Act.

Legislation

The Full Court of the Federal Court has recently confirmed that the “slip rule” can be used to retrospectively extend the life of a creditor’s petition, but has highlighted that the rule only applies if certain conditions are met.

The law