Judgment and award creditors often fret that US courts are unfriendly and the tools to unravel complicated asset protection schemes are inadequate. In an encouraging ruling refuting this sentiment, the Southern District of New York recently reiterated its endorsement for reverse veil piercing as a remedy for unsatisfied judgment creditors seeking to hold corporate entities responsible for judgment liabilities of shareholders and directors.

In brief

The UAE has issued Federal Law No. 48 of 2023 in relation to insolvency (the "New Insolvency Law"), which replaces Federal Law No. 9 of 2016 and comes into effect on 1 May 2024. Although the previous law was more progressive compared to the previous insolvency articles embedded in the old Commercial Code of 1993, at least in relation to the numerous insolvency matters and other protective composition and restructuring witnessed by the courts.

We have set out below some of the key characteristics of the New Insolvency Law:

Introduction

In bankruptcy, attorney´s fees are a fundamental element of the process when establishing the correct compensation for those professionals representing the interests of the parties involved. This matter sometimes sparks intense debates in the legal field, particularly regarding the classification of these credits as concurrent or non-concurrent. In this regard, especially when constituted after the declaration of bankruptcy, the matter of the concurrent vs. non-concurrent nature of attorney´s fees had different perspectives over the years.

In 2021, the FCA published its Guidance for IPs on how to approach regulated firms. Since then, there have been changes in the legal framework affecting firm failure, changes in the regulatory framework and changes in the UK economic climate.

The FCA is consulting on amendments to reflect these changes including:

Die Anforderungen der Finanzverwaltung an die Steuerfreiheit von unternehmensbezogenen Sanierungen steigen in der Praxis.

The Court of Civil Appeal (CCA) delivered an interesting judgment on the adequacy of affidavit evidence when making a bankruptcy order. The CCA, acting solely on the basis of affidavit evidence, upheld an order of the Bankruptcy Court adjudging the appellant (Mr Balgobin) bankrupt pursuant to Section 8 of the Insolvency Act. The issues raised on appeal by the Appellant and which the CCA had to determine on were:

The Supreme Court of Gibraltar has confirmed that the court does not have the power to extend the time for the filing of an application to set aside a statutory demand issued under the Insolvency Act 2011.

A party that claims it is owned monies (the amount must be more than £750) is entitled to issue a statutory demand against the debtor. If the debtor does not apply to the court to set aside the demand within 21 days of being served, the court has no power to extend the time for doing so.

In the current market, investors are increasingly considering their options in relation to the stressed and distressed credits in their portfolios. Whilst mindful of stakeholder relationships, secured lenders may, in some circumstances, wish to consider the "nuclear option": enforcing their share pledge over a holding company of the operating group (ideally, such pledge being over a single company which directly or indirectly holds the entire business - a "single point of enforcement").

In the recent decision of Foo Kian Beng v OP3 International Pte Ltd (in liquidation) [2024] SGCA 10 (dated 27 March 2024), the Singapore Court of Appeal upheld a director’s breach of duty by authorising the payment of a dividend and the repayment of a loan to himself. The decision, considering Sequana, sheds further important light on the directors’ duty to consider or act in the interest of the company’s creditors, coined as “creditor duty”.

The Facts – Briefly Stated

Legal proceedings need to be filed before the end of any relevant limitation period, otherwise they will be time-barred — often irreparably. There are various reasons why a person may delay commencing proceedings – for example, they may be waiting on litigation funding before prosecuting their claim or need more time to gather evidence in order to decide whether to proceed.