This week’s TGIF considers In the matter of BCA National Training Group Pty Ltd (in liq) [2023] NSWSC 366, in which the priority between a liquidator’s remuneration and expenses claims and the claims of preferred creditors was clarified.
Key takeaways
Businesses are still struggling to recover post-Covid, with corporate insolvency figures continuing to rise. Recent research shows that the most common company insolvency procedure is creditors’ voluntary liquidation (CVL) and in March 2023, there was the highest monthly total of CVLs since January 2019.
The sectors that appear to have been hit the hardest are construction; wholesale and retail; accommodation and food services.
In Reel Action Sports Fishing Pty Ltd v Marine Engineering Consultants Pty Ltd, [1] the Court offered a timely warning to liquidators of the dangers of adopting and acting on an incorrect understanding of the ownership of contested property. The Court ordered damages against the liquidator personally, despite his position as agent for the company in liquidation.
Background
In a decision likely to be welcomed by both debtors and lenders, the High Court has held that a charge granted by Avanti Communications Limited (“Avanti”) was properly characterised as a fixed charge (rather than a floating charge) notwithstanding that the chargor retained an element of control over the charged assets. A key plank of the decision was that the relevant assets were not ‘fluctuating assets’ or ‘stock in trade’ that the chargor might be expected to dispose of in the ordinary course of its business.
简介
在 2022 年 12 月，中国最终结束了长达 3 年的新冠疫情遏制措施。作为按名义 GDP 计算的世界第二大经济体和按购买力平价计算的最大经济体，世界一直在屏息期待着中国经济在推动全球经济反弹中做出贡献。
尽管中国在 2023 年第一季度实现了4.5% 的增长，但信号仍然喜忧参半。 《南华早报》2023 年 4 月 30 日报道称，中国制造业采购经理人指数下探 49.2，为改革开放后的最低水平。 文章称，国家统计局的一位高级经济师认为，4月份下滑的主要原因是“市场需求不足和一季度制造业快速复苏的高基数效应”。 这显示，中国的提振效应需要时间来沉淀。 与此同时，许多公司和企业集团可能在陷入困境并寻求整顿、重组或清算。 这其中不乏在全球各地都有投资和业务的公司和企业集团。
In In re CII Parent, Inc.,1 the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware affirmed a secured lender’s prepetition exercise of its proxy rights and its subsequent removal and replacement of the directors/managers of the debtor’s non-bankrupt subsidiaries, effectively cutting off the debtor’s ability to pursue effective relief in the bankruptcy case.
Relevant Facts
Avanti Communications Limited (Company) appointed administrators to affect a sale. The sale included items under a ‘Relevant Assets’ definition. These items consisted of were a satellite payload, certain equipment used in the operation of network and ground station facilities, certain satellite network filings and certain ground station licences which entitled the company to operate the ground station assets.
In a recent case involving Savannah AG Research Pty Ltd (Savannah), the Federal Court of Australia considered an application for relief by Savannah’s majority shareholder under section 447A(1) or section 447C(2) Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) which alleged that the directors did not hold a genuine opinion Savannah was insolvent or likely to become insolvent and were motivated by an improper purpose.
Section 363(m) of the Bankruptcy Code is one of the most important and well-known statutes to bankruptcy practitioners. This section of the Bankruptcy Code protects a good faith asset purchaser who purchases assets from a debtor’s bankruptcy estate from having the sale unwound when the sale (or an aspect of the sale) is challenged by an appeal.
“within three (3) business days of termination of the mediation, the Debtors shall publicly disclose the terms of the last offers extended by each of the Mediation Parties, respectively.”[Fn. 1]
Say what!?
Whoever heard of such a thing—a requirement that the “last offers” of the mediating parties be publicly disclosed?
And this requirement is in a “consensual” mediation order entered in the Genesis Global Holdco, LLC, bankruptcy.[Fn. 2]
Context
Here’s the context.[Fn. 3]