This article looks at how to deal with bankrupt Claimants and the effect that their bankruptcy has on both pre and post litigated claims, where the Credit Hire Organisations (CHOs) may continue to pursue the claim. We have focused on the law surrounding bankruptcy including what types of claim remain vested in a Claimant as well as how to deal with such a claim and issues that may arise.

The liquidity-fueled lull in restructuring activity provides both an interesting historical echo of the late 1990s and a useful opportunity for market participants to take note of a deceptively interesting opinion in Giuliano ex rel. Consolidated Bedding, Inc. v. L&P Financial Services Co. (In re Consolidated Bedding, Inc.), Case No. 19-50727, 2021 WL 2638594 (Bankr. D. Del. June 25, 2021) (Shannon, J.).

On June 25, 2021, Inversiones CG Financial Chile Dos S.P.A. and certain affiliates, which manage investments in mainly Chilean financial institutions, filed a petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Case No. 21-10968). The company estimates $500 million to $1 billion in assets and $1 billion to $10 billion in liabilities.

Creditors can set aside fraudulent conveyances of their debtors by a revocatory action, also known as actio pauliana. This action is not the same if the debtor is bankrupt. There is the non-bankruptcy actio pauliana and the bankruptcy actio pauliana. Civil codes govern the former and the Bankruptcy Law covers the latter. Creditors under the non-bankruptcy actio pauliana have fewer rights and benefits than those under the bankruptcy actio pauliana.

Last year I published an article about “COVID-19’s Impact on Chapter 11 Cases”, suggesting its impact for debtors, secured lenders, unsecured creditors, and equity interest holders may be to turn the Chapter 11 process into true reorganizations of companies, rather than mostly asset sales of the Debtor’s assets as has been the situation for many years.

On June 20, 2021, CP Holdings LLC and Pacrim U.S. LLC, holding companies for a portfolio of non-debtor subsidiaries which own and operate assisted living and memory care residences and offer third-party management services in the senior care space, filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Case No. 21-10950).

As witnessed repeatedly from countless national news sources, bankruptcy bulletins and scholarly articles, bankruptcies within the retail and restaurant industries have been booming. Within Fredrikson & Byron’s national practice alone, landlord and lessor clients found themselves wrapped up in many of these national bankruptcy cases, including those for CEC Entertainment, Inc. (better known as Chuck E. Cheese), Pier 1 Imports, Inc., and Vitamin OldCo Holdings, Inc., (f/k/a GNC Holdings, Inc.), amongst many others.

In brief

On 14 May 2021, the Supreme People's Court of the PRC (SPC) and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)  signed a Record of Meeting setting out a framework to facilitate the mutual recognition of and assistance to insolvency proceedings between Mainland China and Hong Kong ("Arrangement"). The Record of Meeting is supplemented by the SPC's Opinion and the HKSAR Government's Practical Guide, which together provide the "Framework". 

In the days leading up to a Chapter 11 filing, companies seeking bankruptcy protection commonly ask whether they can continue to pay some of their vendors after the bankruptcy case is filed. On the flip side, in the days following a Chapter 11 filing, vendors whose customer recently filed a bankruptcy case have the same question – can we still get paid?

In Re:Malaya Sibuku; Ex P: Kaya Karisma Sdn Bhd [2021] 5 CLJ 403, various submissions were advanced by a judgment debtor (“Debtor”) in an appeal against the Senior Assistant Registrar’s (“SAR”) decision in granting leave to the judgment creditor (“Creditor”) to commence bankruptcy proceedings against the Debtor.