When a debtor files bankruptcy, bankruptcy attorneys and creditors are well aware of the importance of assessing the need for creditors to file proofs of claim and making sure that proofs of claim are timely filed.
Perfect your liens on time or you may lose them. That’s the painful lesson U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Karen B. Owens taught Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. in her recent decision.
Ruling on plaintiff-debtor Southland Royalty Company LLC’s motion for partial summary judgment, Judge Owens found that Halliburton did not obtain a lien on Southland’s production of oil, natural gas, or their proceeds. In re Southland Royalty Co., LLC, 20-10158 (KBO) at 1 (Jan. 21, 2021, Bankr. D. Del.) (the “Opinion”).
As always, there has been a lot going on in insolvency. We have highlighted below a few of the more important developments that we have seen in a very busy 2020 for insolvency lawyers.
Re Tokenhouse VB Ltd (Formerly VAT Bridge 7 Ltd) [2020] EWHC 3171 (Ch)
2020 was a difficult and uncertain year, with unprecedented challenges across the globe, changing the world as we know it. At the start of 2021, the country remained in lockdown and Brexit materialised - with a deal - posing a further seismic shift. It remains unclear what the full effect of either will be on the economy. On the plus side, the active vaccination programme may offer us a route out of the pandemic. But one thing is clear, lawyers are resilient and our flexible fee structures and case funding options prove more important than ever. We are here, ready to help.
China Huiyuan Juice Group Limited [2020] HKCFI 2940 (date of decision: 19 November 2020)
The Hong Kong courts have developed over time three core requirements by reference to which the court assesses whether or not a good reason for making a winding-up-order against a foreign incorporated company in Hong Kong has been demonstrated.
In Short
The Situation: Circuit courts were split on whether mere retention by a creditor of estate property violates the Bankruptcy Code's automatic stay, under 11 U.S.C. § 362(a)(3). The U.S. Supreme Court considered the question inCity of Chicago v. Fulton, in which the City of Chicago had refused to return debtors' vehicles after they filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy petitions.
Die Neuregelung vermindert Haftungsgefahren für Zahlungen bei Insolvenzreife gegenüber der bisherigen Regelung.
In any economic downturn, there is usually an increase in the number of demands made throughout supply chains and in particular by owners / employers on project securities (e.g. for performance issues, upon termination or following insolvency) and the recent global economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic is no different.
Section 546(e) of the US Bankruptcy Code, which Congress enacted to promote stability and finality in financial markets, provides a safe harbor against the avoidance of certain securities transactions. Since the safe harbor’s inclusion in the original Bankruptcy Code, Congress repeatedly has expanded its protections to a growing assortment of financial transactions involving an increasing array of parties, whose involvement in the transaction may give rise to a defense to certain avoidance actions, including constructive fraudulent transfer claims.