A recent English High Court decision has further clarified the position on what amounts to an “abuse of process” when it comes to determining the motive behind the presentation of a winding up petition by a creditor. The High Court has ruled that only where a petition is issued for a purpose other than to ensure the equitable winding-up of a debtor company can it be considered an “abuse of process”, and goes on to outline what may constitute such an abuse.
The UK’s Pension Protection Fund (PPF) is about to publish new guidelines to reflect their increased focus on the approval of Insolvency Practitioner’s (IPs) fees. The guidelines require IPs to provide more regular detail of accruing and anticipated costs to the PPF when they are appointed over employers where Defined Benefit (Final Salary) pension schemes are significant creditors. More specifically IPs will now be required to provide a more detailed explanation of how their proposed remuneration reflects the value provided to creditors.
As we previewed last week, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York recently handed General Motors (“New GM”) an enormous victory that may end up shielding the company from up to $10 billion in successor liability claims.
Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Stern v.
The European Advocate General has today given his opinion in the “Woolworths case” (and two other cases) on the meaning of “establishment” for the purposes of determining when the duty to consult appropriate representatives is triggered under the European Collective Redundancies Directive (the Directive).
What does the crystal ball show regarding developments in the UK restructuring world in 2015?
1. Who will prosper: insolvency litigators or rogue directors?
Sophisticated distressed investors know the benefits of acquiring assets through a § 363 sale in a bankruptcy case. The primary benefit, of course, is acquiring assets free and clear of pre-existing liens, claims and interests. There are some occasions, however, where it is not practical for a buyer to request that a sale be run through a bankruptcy process, especially when the value of the assets and/or a sharp decline in the assets’ value does not justify the time and expense associated with a chapter 11 filing.
The Implications of the Willmott Growers Decision
On 4 December 2013 the High Court handed down its decision in Willmott Growers Group Inc v Willmott Forests Limited (Receivers and Managers Appointed (In Liquidation)) [2013] HCA 51 (Willmott Growers case), clarifying the scope of a liquidator’s statutory power of disclaimer.
Is anyone ready for a test on bankruptcy appellate jurisdiction? For the second time in a week, the Sixth Circuit addressed its appellate jurisdiction in bankruptcy appeals, this time in the context of orders denying the substantive consolidation of two separate chapter 7 bankruptcy estates, In re Cyberco Holdings and Teleservices Group. On the heels of its decision in Lindsey v.