Thomas v Frogmore: COMI Factors and Improper Motive Reviewed
This article was originally published in International Corporate Rescue, Volume 14 Issue 5, 2017. Please click here to read the original article.
Much has already been written about the proposal for the “Second Chance” directive (“Proposal“) published in November 2016 which is still being debated by the EU bodies – and rightly so. Harmonisation of insolvency law across the EU is needed as one in four insolvency proceedings is a cross-border insolvency and creditors need to know what to expect in other EU countries and that the courts and practitioners cooperate in an efficient way.
The High Court has held that a claim by a creditor under section 423 of the Insolvency Act 1986 does not fall within the jurisdictional gateway permitting service out of the jurisdiction at common law for claims “under an enactment which allows proceedings to be brought”: Orexim Trading Limited v Mahavir Port and Terminal Private Limited [2017] EWHC 2663 (Comm).
Summer is over and Autumn is truly upon us bringing back many of the winds that seemed die down in the golden summer of Macron. Eurosceptic parties have made electoral gains in Germany and in Austria and the same has now happened in the Czech Republic. The hope that Macron and Merkel could push forward a strong integrationist agenda have faded somewhat as the German liberal party (and possibly the German Supreme Court) fight against common budgets and fiscal transfers.
Although many sectors of the Irish economy are experiencing the benefits of economic upturn, a number of Irish homeowners are still dealing with the after-effects of the recession. In this context, some defaulted homeowners are defending repossession proceedings by banks and alternative lenders relying on the EU Directive on Unfair Contract Terms ("UCTD").
A common experience of most European insolvency law systems is the legislators‘ constant swinging backwards and forwards in their attempts to find a balance between the interests of the creditors (which inspired the legislator when insolvency laws were enacted for the first time in1942 in Italy) with those of the debtor and its owners, as well as the need to protect jobs and rescue viable businesses for the benefit of the economy as a whole. The first Italian insolvency law was enacted in 1942, and was modelled on the German Konkursordnung.
EU requirement for national insolvency registers to be established in all Member States (Recast Insolvency Regulation 2015 ((EU) 2015/848))
Will Nevin Partner T +44 20 7466 2199 [email protected]
UK TIMELINE
Kevin Pullen Partner T +44 20 7466 2976 [email protected]
2017Q4 (Oct-Dec)
The INSOL International Channel Islands Seminar took place on 13 September 2017 in Guernsey, where tensions rose high as jurisdictions battled it out for the crown of the "go-to" jurisdiction for cross border restructurings.
In our update this month we take a look at a case in which a non-party costs order was made against a major shareholder in the insolvent claimant company. The court found that the shareholder was the real party to the litigation; it funded the litigation, it was exercising control over the litigation and it would have been the main beneficiary had the litigation succeeded. We cover this, and other issues affecting the insolvency and fraud industry:
Montpelier Business Reorganisation Ltd v Jones & Others (2017)
Background
Applicable law