Comfort letters can be a useful tool for providing an assurance of support from a parent to a subsidiary company. In some cases they help inform the decision of the board of a subsidiary and its continuing trade. It's possible for such letters to form binding obligations in law, if carefully considered and drafted.

The EAT's judgment

Nortel Networks UK Limited (the company) was a tenant under two leases. The company went into administration. The administrators occupied a small proportion of each of the premises to enable them to carry out the administration. Under the terms of both leases rent was payable quarterly in advance.

The landlord applied to the court for an order directing the administrators to pay the rent as an expense of the administration.

Pre-2006, it was always clear that TUPE applied to transfer employees working in a business when it was bought out of administration. However, changes in 2006 provided that the automatic transfer principle would not apply to any transfer of a business or undertaking where the transferor was the subject of bankruptcy proceedings, which had been 'instituted with a view to the liquidation of the assets of the transferor'.

The bankrupt’s trustee applied for a possession order of his home. The bankrupt unsuccessfully appealed his bankruptcy, the order in litigation that had led to his bankruptcy and the possession order, but he refused throughout to give up possession and applied for a committal order. The court found the bankrupt in contempt of court for failing to give possession and sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment.

On April 11, 2022, Sungard AS New Holdings, LLC and several affiliates have filed a petition for Chapter 11 relief in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (Case No. 22-90018). The company reports $500 million to $1 billion in both assets and liabilities.

On September 10, 2021, Agspring Mississippi Region LLC, along with four affiliates, filed a petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Lead Case No. 21-11238). Agspring Mississippi Region and its affiliates are each subsidiaries of non-debtor Agspring LLC, an agriculture supply chain services company.

On May 31, 2021, Houston, Texas-based OFS International, LLC, also known as OFSi, a privately held company which provides a full complement of services required to supply oil country tubular goods for the oil and gas industry, along with affiliates, filed a petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (Case No. 21-31784).

Alcor Energy, LLC filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Case No. 18-12839).

Egalet Corporation (OCTQX: EGLT), along with two of its affiliates and subsidiaries, has filed a petition for relief under chapter 11 in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (Lead Case No. 18-12439). Egalet, based in Wayne, Pennsylvania, is a specialty pharmaceutical company that develop and manufactures pain-relief medications.