The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas awarded on Oct.
1) Premessa.
Il D.L. 27 giugno 2015 n. 83, convertito con modificazioni dalla Legge 6 agosto 2015, n. 132, ha introdotto un importante correttivo in materia di atti dismissivi compiuti in costanza di concordato preventivo, mediante l’inserimento dell’art. 163 bis L.F. (rubricato “Offerte concorrenti”). La ratio dell’intervento normativo, dichiarata dallo stesso legislatore nella relazione d’accompagnamento al disegno di legge di conversione, è duplice:
(i) massimizzare la prospettiva di recovery dei creditori concordatari;
It’s often hard to tell whether the conflict between environmental cleanup laws and bankruptcy statutes is a bug or a feature. The two seem irreconcilable when the intent of environmental laws to protect public health and safety by imposing cleanup costs on the polluter runs headlong into the Bankruptcy Code’s design to give a debtor a fresh start. Frequently, the latter prevails.
On 29 September 2020, the Federal Court of Australia published its much anticipated decision in Habrok (Dalgaranga) Pty Ltd v Gascoyne Resources Ltd [2020] FCA 1395, dismissing Habrok’s attempt to set aside a Deed of Company Arrangement (DOCA). The DOCA had been the culmination of a 15 month administration, and facilitated the recapitalisation, refinance, and relisting of the gold miner Gascoyne Resources Ltd (GCY) and its subsidiaries (together with GCY, the GCY Group).
On October 28, 2020, FERC declined to abrogate or modify firm natural gas transportation service agreements (“Gulfport TSAs”) between Gulfport Energy Corporation (“Gulfport”) and Rockies Express Pipeline LLC (“Rockies Express”) in response to a Rockies Express petition anticipating a potential Gulfport bankruptcy filing. After an expedited paper hearing, FERC concluded that the public interest does not presently require any modification, and thus, that the Gulfport TSAs on file remain just and reasonable.
This week’s TGIF considers the case of Australian Securities and Investments Commission v Bettles [2020] FCA 1568, where the Federal Court of Australia confirmed the need for precision in making allegations of illegal phoenix activity.
Key takeaways
The Insolvency and Companies Court in London handed down judgment on Monday, 19 October 2020 rejecting a shareholder challenge to the 2017 restructuring of Paragon Offshore plc (in liquidation) (the "Company").
The judgment gives helpful guidance on the approach taken by insolvency courts to reviewing, rescinding or varying their orders under rule 12.59 of The Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016.
When stakeholders in a bankruptcy disagree as to how assets should be distributed, the result may be intercreditor litigation that is both expensive and time-consuming. Such litigation can seem antithetical to the purpose of the Bankruptcy Code, which encourages stakeholders to approve a consensual restructuring plan. Nevertheless, many creditors conclude they have no other choice but to litigate.
The Bottom Line
In a decision published October 19, 2020, Judge Frank J. Bailey of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts found that an Indian tribe was not subject to the Bankruptcy Code’s automatic stay.