This note summarises the duties that directors of companies incorporated in England and Wales are subject to

This note summarises the duties that directors of companies incorporated in England and Wales are subject to.

This note explains those duties, and matters that directors should consider in relation to them, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Directors' Duties and Related Matters, in the Context of COVID-19

EMEA UK 2 July 2021

Scope and Purpose of This Note

This note summarises the duties that directors of companies incorporated in England and Wales are subject to.

This note explains those duties, and matters that directors should consider in relation to them, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Justice Zacaroli has handed down his judgment in Hurricane Energy plc [2021] EWHC 1759 (Ch).

Summary

• The Court declined to approve the cross-class cram down of Hurricane’s shareholders as part of the Part 26A restructuring plan because the available evidence did not demonstrate that the shareholders were “no worse off” as a result of the restructuring plan. On that basis the restructuring plan failed.

In another move to protect small business owners, the Federal Government has permanently raised the minimum debt required to serve a statutory demand from $2,000 to $4,000, effective today.

The increase was introduced by the Corporations Amendment (Statutory Minimum) Regulations 2021 (Cth) (Regulations). The new threshold applies to all statutory demands served on or after 1 July 2021. The 21-day period to comply with a statutory demand remains unchanged.

This article debunks the myths surrounding court-sanctioned winding-up in Hong Kong and lays out the process clearly, so you know what to expect.

The term “winding-up” refers to the sale of a company’s assets to settle its debts and distribute the surplus (if any) to its shareholders. Once this process is complete, the company is dissolved.

From 1 July 2021, directors in the UK could be subject to a wrongful trading claim if their company goes into liquidation or administration.

Wrongful trading

This means that directors may be personally liable to contribute to the company’s assets:

The Hong Kong government will introduce a long-awaited statutory corporate rescue procedure (CRP) in 2021, bringing the regime more in line with international practice in jurisdictions such as the UK and the USA.

The current lack of a CRP in Hong Kong means that there are limited options available to distressed companies and the lack of a moratorium on creditor enforcement jeopardises legitimate restructuring efforts. The Companies (Corporate Rescue) Bill is timely given the difficulties brought by the current economic downturn, itself exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19.

The German Federal Court of Justice was recently asked to decide whether a waiver in favour of company director had been validated by the preliminary insolvency administrator's consent.

Background

In Re Freeman FinTech Corporation Ltd [2021] HKCFI 310, the Hong Kong court sanctioned a scheme of arrangement in respect of a debt restructuring in which the governing law of part of the debt was not Hong Kong law and the creditor to whom this debt was owed did not submit to the jurisdiction of the Hong Kong court. In this article, we discuss the background and rationale for the decision and provide some observations on what the decision may mean for future debt restructurings.

The decision provides new judicial guidance for determining the boundaries of cross-class cram down tests. 

On 28 June 2021, the High Court declined to sanction a restructuring plan proposed by Hurricane Energy plc (Hurricane), an AIM listed oil drilling company, under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006 (Act). The plan would have seen shareholders diluted to 5% of Hurricane’s equity, with the remaining 95% issued to bondholders as consideration for a partial debt-for-equity swap.