ICC Judge Burton’s judgment in Dale & Ors v BDO LLP (Re NMCN PLC and NMCN Sustainable Solutions Ltd) [2025] EWHC 446 (Ch) follows an administrators’ application under ss 235 and 236 Insolvency Act 1986 for the former company auditors, BDO LLP, to deliver up audit files for 2018 and 2019 to enable the administrators to investigate whether BDO had breached duties owed to the companies. The application was resisted. The points of contention were:
(1) whether, as the companies’ auditors, BDO were an “officer” for the purposes of s 235;
The judgement of Hodge Malek KC, sitting as a deputy High Court judge, in Marko Ventures Ltd v London Antiaging Clinic Ltd [2025] EWHC 340 (Ch) deals with a contested application for an administration order under para 12(1)(c) Sch B1 Insolvency Act 1986. The order appointing joint administrators was sought in respect of London Antiaging Clinic Ltd by Marko Ventures Ltd, the majority shareholder in and principal funder of the company, which runs a health, beauty and wellbeing clinic in London.
On 26 February 2025, Deputy Master Scher handed down judgment in the case Suman Bhatia v Christopher Purkiss, as liquidator of JD Group Limited [2025] EWHC 359 (Ch). Wedlake Bell LLP (partner Edward Saunders), and Nora Wannagat (Tanfield Chambers) acted for the successful liquidator.
A copy of the judgment is available here.
Background
Starting life as a market trader, Balvinder Shergill went on to run a number of companies, mostly in the furniture business. Two of his early companies used the trading style Houghton Furnishing. After they stopped doing business, Mr Shergill went on to become involved as a director in five other companies.
On December 31, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued its long awaited opinion in the disputes arising from the controversial “uptier” transaction executed by Serta Simmons Bedding, L.L.C. (“Serta”) in 2020 and the confirmation of Serta’s chapter 11 plan by the Southern District of Texas Bankruptcy Court in 2023. The Fifth Circuit reversed former Bankruptcy Judge David Jones’ summary judgment ruling that the 2020 uptier transaction was permissible under Serta’s existing credit agreements.
Section 216 Insolvency Act 1986 provides that a person who has been a director of a company at any time in the 12 months before it goes into insolvent liquidation is prohibited for five years from being a director of, or directly or indirectly being concerned in or taking part in, the promotion, formation or management of a company with the same or similar name to the liquidated company (a “prohibited name”). Section 217 imposes personal liability on a director for debts incurred by a company which acts in breach of s 216.
The Delaware Chancery Court placed Arrowood Indemnity Company in liquidation on November 8, 2023, by a liquidation order. The court found Arrowood to be insolvent by the court, and appointed a receiver to liquidate Arrowood’s assets, evaluate any claims made against Arrowood and evaluate the payment of claims made against it.
Background
In an opinion issued on August 16, 2024 (In re Robertshaw US Holding Corp., Bankr. S.D. Tex., Case No. 24-90052, Docket No.
重组上市交易（或称借壳上市）通常指收购方（或称借壳方）在取得上市公司控制权的同时或一定期间内，实施重大资产重组将外部资产注入上市公司，以使得上市公司主营业务、资产或收入发生根本变化，实现上市公司业务发展方向的转变，实现借壳方资产证券化的一种交易形式。上市公司作为交易主体参与此类交易，且该类交易的实施流程及审核流程与其他类型的上市公司控制权交易差别较大，本篇作为上市公司控制权收购专题系列文章的最后一篇，拟专题介绍A股重组上市的市场情况、交易架构，并进一步分析此类交易中的重点关注问题。
一、重组上市市场动态
经统计2011年至2024年6月30日期间成功完成的重组上市项目，各年度项目数量变化趋势、各板块占比及民营企业与国资企业占比情况如下：
引言
在新《公司法》实施的第一天，即2024年7月1日，北京市西城区人民法院微信公众号发布了其审结的首例适用新《公司法》第54条规定的加速到期规则的案件。
在该案中，经债权人申请，西城法院在执行程序中追加案涉公司的股东张某为被执行人。进而，西城法院根据新《公司法》第54条，对案涉公司股东张某适用加速到期规则，判决其履行提前缴纳出资的债务，在其未出资的范围内向债权人承担补充赔偿责任。
一、西城法院案例简析[1]
（一）案情概要
李某系案涉公司的前员工。因该公司拖欠工资，李某提起劳动仲裁。经仲裁委调解，双方达成调解协议，约定：公司应于2023年4月底前支付拖欠李某的工资70,000余元。随后，仲裁委据此出具了《调解书》。
因该公司未履行《调解书》项下的付款义务，李某以该公司为被执行人向西城法院提出强制执行申请。由于该公司名下没有可供执行的财产，西城法院裁定终结本次执行程序。