This 2nd article in our 2-part series on ‘Employment Contracts vis-à-vis CIRP’ examines the validity of ipso facto clauses which permit employees to terminate their employment on the occurrence of an insolvency event; and acknowledges the duelling priorities of upholding contractual freedom and ensuring that the debtor remains a ‘going concern’.

We have recently published a few blogs on the hot topic of company insolvencies, including more specifically about:

Oral arguments happened on January 9, 2024, at the U.S. Supreme Court in U.S.Trustee v. Hammons.Here is a link to the transcript of those arguments.

The Hammons question is this:

Weiß ein Forderungsverkäufer von der Zahlungsunfähigkeit seines Schuldners, muss sich der Factor diese Kenntnis im Rahmen eines echten Factorings nicht allein deshalb zurechnen lassen, weil der Factoringvertrag Informations- und Unterstützungspflichten des Forderungsverkäufers vorsieht.

Überblick

The English Court of Appeal has today overturned the restructuring plan sanction order made by the High Court in April 2023.

The keenly awaited judgment raises some difficult issues for Adler in the context of its restructuring, but more broadly clarifies a number of points in relation to restructuring plans.

How the court uses its discretion to sanction a plan

Looking into the crystal ball at the start of the year to forecast future trends isn’t possible, but one common theme that we expect will continue to impact upon both directors and officers and insolvency practitioners (IP) is the increasing rise of corporate insolvencies.

Звернення до суду із заявою про відкриття провадження у справі про банкрутство — це комплексне і складне завдання. Заявникам у таких справах необхідно не лише враховувати положення законодавства, а й зважати на значну кількість суперечливих позицій, викладених у постановах Верховного Суду. Бар’єром, зокрема, може стати наявний підхід до категорії «спір про право» у справах про банкрутство.

Key points

The English High Court decision of Hunt v Singh [2023] EWHC 1784 (Ch) has provided the most substantive authority on directors' duties to creditors since the decision of the Supreme Court in BTI 2014 LLC v Sequana SA and others [2022] UKSC 25 (“Sequana”). The case specifically considered the point at which a director’s duty to take into account the interests of creditors arises.

Whether you are starting a new venture, or you have been a company director for several years, you must understand your responsibilities.

Not complying with directors’ duties can lead to disqualification, financial penalties, and even imprisonment.

In this article, you will find the scope of directors’ duties, as set out in the Companies Act 2006 and other legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.