Directors who oppose the winding-up of an insolvent company in the hope that a restructuring proposal would come to fruition should tread carefully and consider seriously whether to put the company into liquidation.

Germany eases directors' duty to file for insolvency

November 14, 2022

AUTHORS Dr. Wolfram Prusko | Dr. Joachim Glckler | Dr. David Ehmke

With effect as of November 9, 2022, Germany eases directors' duty to file for insolvency. In response to global business uncertainty and the current energy crisis, Germany enacted the Law on the Temporary Adjustment of Restructuring and Insolvency Law Provisions to Mitigate the Impact of Crises (SanInsKG).

With rising insolvency rates, driven in particular by the number of creditors’ voluntary liquidations reaching record highs, the decision in the recent Court of Appeal case of PSV 1982 Limited v Langdon [2022] EWCA Civ 1319 serves as a timely reminder for directors of the personal risks involved in re-using the name of a liquidated company.

On 24 October 2022, Dubai Court of First Instance declared Arabtec Holding Company bankrupt and approved the liquidation of its assets. The decision highlights the responsibilities of directors, board members and managers of all companies, and the possibility they can be held liable and accountable under UAE Laws for the mismanagement and the fallout of a company.

The Court appointed two trustees to list the assets of the bankrupt company, complete the liquidation and pay the creditors. Regarding the company’s governance, directors, managers and current assets, the Court ruled:

Can a Company Voluntary Arrangement (“CVA”) complete, but still remain in place and bind creditors?

The simple answer is yes; but it does require (a) the terms of the CVA to be carefully drafted to allow notice of completion to be filed before the end of the CVA term; (b) compliance with the terms of the CVA, and (c) careful consideration of the position of the supervisors, creditors and company.

Judicial comments cast doubt on the ability to compromise US law-governed debt effectively based on Chapter 15 recognition alone.

Directors of Australian companies face significant personal monetary – and potential criminal and adverse professional – consequences if they allow the company to trade whilst insolvent.

Australian insolvent trading laws are harsher, and more frequently utilised to prosecute directors personally, than in many other jurisdictions including in the US and the UK.

Accordingly, frequent assessment of a company's solvency by its directors is crucial, particularly in financially difficult times, as are active steps to address any potential insolvency.

External administrators often occupy quasi-judicial offices which, among other things, require them to:

Als Reaktion auf die aktuellen Verwerfungen auf den Energie- und Rohstoffmärkten und die damit zusammenhängenden finanziellen Belastungen für Unternehmen tritt am 9. November 2022 das Gesetz zur vorübergehenden Anpassung sanierungs- und insolvenzrechtlicher Vorschriften zur Abmilderung von Krisenfolgen (Sanierungs- und insolvenzrechtliches Krisenfolgenabmilderungsgesetz – SanInsKG) in Kraft. Kern des SanInsKG ist eine zeitlich befristete Entschärfung des Insolvenzeröffnungstatbestands der Überschuldung gemäß § 19 InsO.

The Supreme Court, in a key judgment handed down on 5 October 2022 (BTI 2014 LLC v Sequana SA and others [2022] UKSC 25), has provided some important clarification around the scope of directors’ duties in the context of companies that are nearing insolvency.

Factual background