HMRC has taken an increasingly active role in opposing restructuring plans with which it does not agree
Previously in this series, we explored whether restructuring plans present an alternative to formal insolvency, as well as the court's ability to exercise a cross-class cram down on opposing creditors.
The court orders a disqualified director of an insolvent company to pay personal compensation to creditors.
This is only the second time the courts have considered a personal compensation order against a disqualified director since their introduction in 2015.
What happened?
Secretary of State v Barnsby [2023] EWHC 2284 (Ch) concerned an individual who was the sole director and majority shareholder of a company that sold package holidays.
After a delay of more than a year, an act on preventive restructuring (the "Act") implementing the EU directive on preventive restructuring frameworks finally became effective in the Czech Republic on 23 September 2023. The long-awaited Act introduces a brand-new legal tool preventing the insolvency of viable enterprises in temporary financial distress.
What is preventive restructuring and why use it?
Introduction
In commercial contracts, it is not uncommon to find provisions allowing for contractual discretion on the part of one or more parties, such as the discretion to vary certain interest or payment terms, to choose a port of delivery, or an option to purchase. While such provisions give a certain amount of decision-making power to the party that has been conferred the discretion, they are not without limit. These limits were explored in the Singapore High Court decision of Maybank Singapore Ltd v Synergy Global Resources Pte Ltd [2023] SGHC 258.
Insolvency practitioners and other potentially affected stakeholders, such as company directors and corporate trustees, should watch this space carefully to keep abreast of any changes to their obligations.
The new Italian Insolvency Code came into effect on 15 July 2022, effectively changing the status quo by attempting to resolve the financial distress of companies and minimise damage through restructuring outstanding debt. The code makes restructuring frameworks the first measure to help debtors restructure their debt to prevent further insolvency and liquidation. More importantly, it is a break from the status quo in insolvency law whereby maximising a creditor’s return is of the utmost importance. Instead, preserving the company as a going concern becomes a protected value.
In einer aktuellen Entscheidung hat das BAG festgestellt, dass die Vermutungswirkung des § 125 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 InsO auch dann eingreift, wenn bis zu einem anvisierten Stilllegungszeitpunkt noch viel Zeit vergeht und für ein Unternehmen in der Zwischenzeit – anders als prognostiziert – doch ein Erwerber gefunden wird (BAG, Urteil vom 17. August 2023 – 6 AZR 56/23, PM).
A recent Canadian insolvency filing could provide insight into how U.S. courts will approach Chapter 15 applications from foreign cannabis-related entities.
I was asked to consider doing a post on Artificial Intelligence (AI). There’s so much already out there, so I decided to ask ChatGPT to “write me an interesting post targeted at a professional audience about the impact of AI to the insolvency and restructuring sector.”
This is what it came back with:
Title: "Harnessing the Power of AI in the Insolvency and Restructuring Sector"
Hajime Ueno, Masaru Shibahara and Kotaro Fuji, Nishimura & Asahi
This is an extract from the 2024 edition of GRR's The Asia-Pacific Restructuring Review. The whole publication is available here.
This is an Insight article, written by a selected partner as part of GRR's co-published content. Read more on Insight