The coronavirus pandemic is sending shock waves through the business world. If a GmbH (German limited liability company) finds itself in financial distress, the management in particular will be under pressure and must fight for the survival of the business. At the same time, there are various scenarios in which managing directors could be held liable for not implementing crisis prevention measures or exercising the necessary diligence during the crisis.
Liability for inadequate crisis prevention
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions to businesses and their cash flow, with some pushed to the brink of insolvency. The directors of a company should be aware of their duties and potential personal liability if the company continues to trade while it is insolvent. These duties and potential liability may also apply to officers primarily responsible for the management of the company.
Overview of directors' duties
A director owes various statutory and fiduciary duties to the company, including:
Hogan Lovells Publications | 06 May 2020
Five things retailers should consider in the COVID-19 era
Die weltweite Ausbreitung des Coronavirus sorgt für heftige Turbulenzen im Wirtschaftsleben. Gerät eine GmbH in finanzielle Schieflage, steht besonders die Geschäftsführung unter Druck. Sie kämpft um das wirtschaftliche Überleben der Gesellschaft. Gleichzeitig kommen verschiedene Szenarien für die Haftung des Geschäftsführers in Betracht, wenn dieser keine Krisenprävention durchgeführt hat oder in der Krise nicht die erforderliche Sorgfalt anwendet.
Haftung wegen unzureichender Krisenprävention
Following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) which has seen the global economy descend into a state of turmoil, companies around the world strive to weather the storm of unprecedented challenges to their businesses. As Malaysia undergoes the fourth phase of its Movement Control Order to further curb the spread of COVID-19, companies are already planning or putting in place the necessary measures to soften the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses.
As a director or manager of a UAE company, you will know that like individuals, companies experience times of good health and occasional periods of sickness.
In this note, we focus on you, as directors (which includes managers) of “onshore” limited liability companies (“LLCs”), noting of course that the rules may also apply to certain free zone entities as well. We want you as directors to be certain of your duties and responsibilities in the good times but also sure of the actions you should or could take if things go wrong for your company, and financial difficulties arise.
Nicola Sharp of business crime solicitors Rahman Ravelli explains wrongful trading and the responsibilities placed on directors.
In response to the crisis caused by Covid-19, Business Secretary Alok Sharma announced in March a relaxation of the UK’s insolvency framework. Included in this – along with key payment safeguards for creditors and suppliers - was a temporary suspension of wrongful trading provisions with retrospective effect from 1 March, for an initial period of three months.
This week’s TGIF considers a decision of the Federal Court which enabled administrators of Virgin to send electronic notices, conduct electronic meetings and absolved them from personal liability for leases for four weeks due to COVID-19.
Background
On 20 April 2020, administrators were appointed to Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd and 37 of its subsidiaries (together, the Virgin Companies).
In brief
The North America Tax Practice Group presented The Future of IP Planning, the fourth webinar in the series The Importance of Tax in the Response to COVID-19 on 1 May 2020.
Recent weeks have witnessed seismic shifts in the oil and gas industry because of crashing oil prices, demand destruction associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and crude oil storage reaching record capacity levels. Upstream producers are especially vulnerable to these market pressures and have begun shutting in wells, asserting force majeure, and cutting costs. As counterparties to distressed producers, midstream players face new challenges in navigating contractual relationships and mitigating risk.