The Court of Appeal has recently overturned the commonly held belief that a validation order would normally be made if the disposition made by a company subject to a winding up petition was done so in good faith and in the ordinary course of business at a time when the parties were unaware of the existence of the petition.
1. The starting point
Section 127 Insolvency Act 1986 provides:
Gift vouchers are often considered an easy and convenient option when purchasing gifts for friends and family. For the relative with unusual taste, the friend who lives in another part of the UK or the husband and wife to be who already have everything, a gift voucher may appear to be the ideal gift. But what happens if, before the recipient has the opportunity to redeem the voucher, the relevant retailer becomes insolvent?
In terms of current insolvency law consumers are ordinary creditors who rank at the bottom of the statutory hierarchy of creditors.
Last year we reported on a decision of the Scottish Court of Session which suggested that greater leniency may apply to the interpretation of performance bonds in Scotland than in England (see our earlier Law-Now here). A further decision from the Court of Session issued last month would appear to support this trend.
Fife Council v Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc
Last years decision of the High Court in Kean v Lucas (Re J&R Builders (Norwich) Ltd) [2016] EWHC 2684 (Ch)puts into further context a number of cases concerning the rights of creditors to requisition a meeting to replace a creditors’ voluntary liquidator (or by analogy officeholders generally). But does it provide any answers?
References below to ‘Sections’ or ‘Rules’ are references to the Insolvency Act 1986 and Insolvency Rules 1986 respectively.
The Law at a Glance
ADVISORY | DISPUTES | TRANSACTIONS “Gagging orders”: an office holder’s secret weapon December 2016 Introduction Practitioners are fully aware of the extensive powers available under ss 235 and 236 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (IA 1986) allowing administrators and liquidators as office holders (OHs) to require individuals and organisations to disgorge information.
This article looks at the forthcoming pre-action protocol for debt claims in its current form, with an anticipated implementation date around October this year.
There might be further changes ahead, and a shift in the implementation timetable, so please watch this space for further updates.
This article was first published in The Gazette, and the original article can be found online here.
It’s important to consider all your options before opting for bankruptcy. David Pomeroy and Rachel Maddocks, of Ashfords, explain.
Key Points
- Reaffirms the importance of considering whether an applicant’s position would be improved by the making a vesting order
- Useful guidance on the extent of the court’s powers when granting a vesting order.
The Facts
Trustees’ Application
Trustees in bankruptcy issued an application for a declaration that a property owned by a company (the Property) was in fact owned by the bankrupt. The trustees contended that the Property had been bought from the sale proceeds of a property owned by the bankrupt’s father, but expressly held on trust for the bankrupt (the Trust Property).
The Facts
In an important Court of Appeal (CoA) decision handed down on 1 March 2017, the CoA has clarified the position for banks, lenders and insolvency practitioners regarding realisation of assets after certificates of completion have been issued in individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs).