A credit institution appealed the ruling that approved the agreement claiming that the creditors meeting had allowed the presence and vote by a city council that, in its opinion, did not have such right because it was the holder of 100% of the share capital of the insolvent party.

This ruling resolved an issue originating from a personal and joint and several guarantee granted by two companies to secure the obligations assumed by a Dutch company under a junior financing agreement. In light of the Dutch company's default on one of its payments under that agreement, the creditor companies sued the debtor, and the court issued a resolution ordering the debtor company to pay the amount claimed.

Key Points

• Court considers the impact of the Spanish Insolvency Act on guarantees governed by English law
• Court holds that the liability under the guarantee was not extinguished

The Facts

The Provincial Court of Zaragoza has ruled on an appeal lodged by the General Treasury of Social Security against a Mercantile Court decision approving a liquidation plan that considered the transfer of the insolvent company as a productive unit and exonerated the buyer from social security debts.

The legal issue to consider was whether the magistrate of the Mercantile Court had the power to declare the buyer of an insolvent company exempt from paying the social security debts acquired prior to said transfer, as it did.

The Spanish High Court has recently issued a decisión (cassation appeal) confirming that insolvency proceedings are not a valid reason to justify non-use of a trademark. It is the 22nd December ruling (see here).

On Dec. 18, Spain’s High Court said it would investigate claims of mismanagement by Abengoa creditors’ against the former chairman and the former CEO of the engineering and energy firm struggling with serious financial problems. In its ruling, the High Court asked Felipe Benjumea, the former chairman whose father founded the company, to post a bond of 11.5 million euros ($12.5 million) to cover potential liabilities within 24 hours.

Análisis GA&P | Febrero 2016 1 N. de la C.: En las citas literales se ha rectificado en lo posible —sin afectar al sentido— la grafía de ciertos elementos (acentos, mayúsculas, símbolos, abreviaturas, cursivas...) para adecuarlos a las normas tipográficas utilizadas en el resto del texto. Ante las dificultades competenciales y materiales en asuntos derivados del concurso de acreedores, siempre resultan sumamente interesantes las conclusiones alcanzadas por jueces o magistrados especialistas en materia mercantil en sus diferentes reuniones periódicas.

Analysis GA&P | February 2016 1 Given the jurisdictional and material difficulties arising in the context of insolvency proceedings, the conclusions reached by judges specialised in corporate and commercial matters, in their various regular meetings, are invariably of tremendous interest. The recent conference held in Pamplona at the beginning of last November was no exception, particularly so, as far as this paper is concerned, in relation to the employment and Social Security aspects of a production unit transfer. As is well known, the referral of arts.

La Ley 40/2015, de 1 de octubre, de Régimen Jurídico del Sector Público (“LRJSP”) -publicada en el BOE del 2 de octubre de 2015- modifica en su Disposición Final 5ª varios preceptos de la Ley Concursal (“LC”), entre ellos el artículo 90.1.6º LC. En concreto, se ha incorporado a este precepto el siguiente texto:

«Los créditos garantizados con prenda constituida sobre créditos futuros solo gozarán de privilegio especial cuando concurran los siguientes requisitos antes de la declaración de concurso:

Law 25/2015, of 28 July, on the second-chance mechanism, financial burden reduction and other social support measures, ratifies and confirms the content of Royal Decree-Law 1/2015, of 27 February, amending the Insolvency Act (Ley Concursal –“LC”), among other laws.