In Servis-Terminal LLC v Drelle [2025] EWCA Civ 62, the English Court of Appeal held that a bankruptcy petition cannot be presented based on an unsatisfied foreign judgment where the foreign judgment has not been recognised in that jurisdiction. This update considers the effect that decision may have on statutory demands and applications for the appointment of liquidators based on unrecognised foreign judgments in the British Virgin Islands.

The Hierarchy of the Courts of the Eastern Caribbean

A note on In the matter of Restore Builders Limited En Désastre [2024] JRC 290.

The Royal Court of Jersey has recently held, for the first time, that the actions of a Jersey company director constituted wrongful trading and ordered that he be personally liable for the company's debts and disqualified as a director for ten years.

Introduction

In an unprecedented turn of events, two recent proceedings in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands considered the same complex legal issues just one week apart.

A Cayman Islands scheme of arrangement is a court approved compromise or arrangement between a company and its creditors or shareholders (or classes thereof). A scheme of arrangement is frequently used to implement a financial restructuring by varying or cramming in the rights of the relevant creditors and/or shareholders of a company but may also be used to complete corporate transactions such as a group restructuring or reorganisation, acquisitions, mergers and take-private transactions.

The Grand Court of the Cayman Islands recently confirmed expressly for the first time that it has jurisdiction to wind up a segregated portfolio company ("SPC") on the insolvency of one or more, but not all, of its segregated portfolios, and to appoint restructuring officers over those segregated portfolios. The judgment is In the matter of Holt Fund SPC

Background

A Members Voluntary Liquidation ("MVL") is a process undertaken by a solvent company to wind up its affairs in an orderly manner when the company has concluded its activities and the shareholders wish to distribute the remaining assets amongst themselves.

To avail of a MVL, the company must be solvent i.e. the directors must be able to execute a statutory declaration that they are of the opinion that the company will be able to pay its debts in full within 12 months of the commencement of the winding up.

The steps involved

A recent English law case has highlighted an issue relevant to those involved in Channel Islands-related insolvencies – and particularly to insolvency practitioners ("IPs") who take on appointments as administrators – about the interplay between insolvency legislation and employment law.

Introduction

This article first appeared in Volume 20, Issue 1 of International Corporate Rescue and is reprinted with the permission of Chase Cambria Publishing - www.chasecambria.com.

Synopsis

Walkers acted as Cayman Islands counsel to Oriente Group Limited (the "Company”) in respect of its successful petition for the appointment of Mr Kenneth Fung of FTI Consulting (Hong Kong) Limited, Mr Andrew Morrison and Mr David Griffin of FTI Consulting (Cayman) Ltd as joint restructuring officers (the "Joint Restructuring Officers") pursuant to Section 91B of the Cayman Islands Companies Act (as amended), being the first petition under the new restructuring officer regime, which came into force on 31 August 2022.