Cancellation of commercial agreements under German insolvency law
Commercial agreements usually provide for extraordinary termination rights or even automatic cancellation in the case of insolvency of one of the parties. Such a cancellation right may, however, contradict the general principles of German insolvency law.
Under the new liability standard set out in section 64 sentence 3 of the GmbHG, which was introduced by the Act to Modernise the Law Governing Private Limited Companies and to Combat Abuses (MoMiG), the managing director of a company is liable for payments to shareholders which necessarily cause the insolvency of the company. The requirement for causality of the payment for insolvency and actual determination of insolvency were matters of dispute. The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has now established clarity on both points (judgment of 9 October 2012 II ZR 298 / 11).
In insolvency proceedings, claims for repayment of shareholder loans – particularly if granted to a company limited by shares or a limited commercial partnership – are generally subordinate. In its judgment of 15 November 2011 (II ZR 6/11), the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) addressed whether and for what period this also applied to corresponding claims by former shareholders.
Following the entry into force of the Act to Modernise the Law Governing Private Limited Companies and to Combat Abuses (MoMiG), an atypical silent shareholder must still be treated as a subordinate insolvency creditor for the purposes of section 39(1) no. 5 of the Insolvency Act (InsO) in the event that the company becomes insolvent, assuming the status of the silent shareholder is similar to that of a shareholder in a GmbH (private limited company).
Welcome to this special edition of the DRInsider, the regularly published Newsletter of the Wolf Theiss Disputes Group, in which we provide an overview of recent developments in CEE/SEE.
Covid-19 is top of the agenda for businesses globally — and for good reason.
It has now been classified as a worldwide pandemic and numbers of those affected are on the rise each day. It has already had some devastating effects on the markets and now with some countries being on complete lockdown, issues such as survival of businesses and trading while potentially becoming insolvent need to be seriously considered by companies and their directors.
Many businesses – from manufacturers ("OEMs") to retailers - are reliant on receiving regular supplies from third parties for their trade. COVID-19 has produced an instant global economic shock that is – inevitably – affecting global supply chains. It is unclear whether the economic effects of COVID-19 will be long or short term, but here are some of the things that businesses which are dependent on their supply chain should be asking themselves.
What is the length of the supply chain and what jurisdictions does it cross?
30 March – 5 April 2020 COVID-19 Weekly Report | 06/04/2020 © Copyright LBR 2020 2 Table of contents 1. Executive summary............................................................................................................................................ 3 2. Key legal issues this week ................................................................................................................................. 4 3. Recent developments ........................................................................................................................................ 5 4.
Financial institutions continue to prepare for the anticipated cessation of the publication of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) benchmark after the end of 2021 and its replacement with “risk-free” overnight rates, including reformed SONIA (for sterling) and the new SOFR rate (for U.S. dollars). Transitioning affected financial products to the new rates and amending legacy books is a massive project for any sizable institution.
Regardless of a company’s success or confidence in its strategy, management, and board, there are few situations public companies face that are more daunting than an unsolicited approach by an activist investor. And with activist activity continuing to rise—2018 saw a record number of companies targeted by activists, a record number of activist campaigns launched, a record number of board seats won, and a rising bench of first-time activists—all companies need to be prepared.