At first blush, it may seem counterintuitive for financiers to compete to provide loans to debtor companies that have just filed for protection under an insolvency or restructuring procedure, but they have been proven to do so on a large scale in US Chapter 11 cases and for a variety of reasons, whether to protect an existing loan position or taking an opportunity to garner significant, safe returns as a new lender.
Summary
New Rules for Imposing Personal Liability on Directors of Insolvent Companies
When a company enters into an insolvency process, a director may be made personally liable for an insolvent company’s debts on a few limited bases under the Insolvency Act 1986, the most common of which are:
1. wrongful trading: if the director knew or ought to have known that there was no reasonable prospect of avoiding insolvent liquidation and he did not take every step necessary with a view to minimising the loss to creditors;
Husky International Electronics, Inc. v. Ritz, No. 15-145
Under Hong Kong law, the courts’ jurisdiction is ordinarily territorial in nature. A plaintiff or applicant has to obtain permission (“leave”) of the court before it can validly serve a writ or other document initiating a legal action on a defendant or respondent located outside Hong Kong. For actions begun by writ, the procedures and criteria for applications for leave in this respect are set out under Order 11 of the Rules of the High Court (“RHC”).
Did you know that in the recent matter of Chan Kam Cheung v. Sun Light Elastic Ltd & Another1 the petitioner's alternative remedy for winding-up was struck out by the court?
In the recent case of Lau Siu Hung v. Krzystof Marszalek (HCCW 484/2009, 17 June 2013) the Court of First Instance held that an annulment of bankruptcy does not debar a creditor, who has not proved his provable debt, from asserting his claim after the annulment.
Procedural Background
Summary
On December 13, 2011, the Act for the Further Facilitation of the Restructuring of Companies (ESUG), whose material provisions will come into force on March 1, 2012, was announced in the Federal Gazette. The ESUG bundles several reformatory efforts with regard to German insolvency law and will likely have significant effects on the daily practice. Generally, the restructuring of companies in financial crisis will be made easier. The creditors’ influence on the proceedings, including the selection of the person of the insolvency administrator, is increased.
The Fund provides monetary relief to employees when their employers become insolvent. Currently, employees of insolvent employers may apply to the Fund for ex-gratia payment of sums owed to them by their employers under the heads of wages, wages in lieu of notice and severance payment.