In Short -
The Situation: The High Court of Australia has confirmed in Bryant v Badenoch Integrated Logging Pty Ltd [2023] HCA 2 that the "peak indebtedness rule" is no longer available to liquidators when assessing the...more
In Short -
The Situation: Historically, creditors pursued by liquidators under the unfair preference regime could rely on a statutory set-off as a defence to the claim, reducing or eliminating their liability to repay...more
Background -
In February 2020, the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) ("Act") was amended to add a new class of voidable transactions for companies that are being would up known as "creditor-defeating dispositions". This change was...more
Background -
During a winding up, the statutory duty of a liquidator is to gather in the estate of the company, which includes recovering any amounts owing to the company. Creditors then submit proofs of debt and receive...more
A Refresher: Running Account Defence and Peak Indebtedness Rule -
The Full Court's decision was an appeal from a first instance judgment, in which the liquidators for Gunns Limited ("Gunns") successfully argued that 11...more
In response to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia in 2020, the federal government injected an unprecedented level of stimulus into the Australian economy and introduced temporary law reforms aimed at...more
During the better part of 2020, the federal government has injected an unprecedented level of stimulus into the Australian economy in an attempt to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19. As a result, despite a significant...more
10/15/2020
/ Australia ,
Bankruptcy Reform ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Creditors ,
Debt Restructuring ,
Insolvency ,
Landlords ,
New Rules ,
Relief Measures ,
Small Business
The Situation: When determining and quantifying unfair preference claims in Australia, does the Corporations Act permit liquidators to value transactions forming part of a single "continuous business relationship" (such as a...more
The Situation: Should liquidators be personally liable for the costs of unsuccessful appeals, without an entitlement to reimbursement by the company or its creditors in relation to those costs?
The Conclusion: The general...more
The Situation: A liquidator can reject a "double proof" for what is, in substance, the same debt as another accepted proof of debt.
The Question: When are liquidators justified in rejecting what could arguably be a double...more
The Federal Court of Australia rules that receivers appointed to a company in liquidation are entitled to pay employee entitlements and fees.
In Kirman v RWE Robinson & Sons Pty Ltd (in liq), in the matter of RWE Robinson...more
The Situation: Section 553C of the Corporations Act 2001 (WA) ("Act") provides that if a creditor and a company in liquidation have mutual dealings, the creditor must offset any sum the creditor owes to the company in...more
The Situation: The statutory moratorium period for voluntary administrators to restructure an insolvent company often is too short to find a solution. Administrators frequently utilise "holding" deeds of company arrangement...more
The Background: The administrators of an Australian auction house and gallery business applied to the Federal Court of Australia for directions to recover in excess of $1 million in fees and costs incurred with respect to...more
On 9 March 2018, an updated version of the Australian Securities Exchange's ("ASX") Guidance Note 8 came into effect to include guidance on a listed entity's continuous disclosure obligations in the context of the new...more
3/21/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
ASX Listing Rules ,
Australia ,
Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Guidance Update ,
Insolvency ,
Mergers ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Safe Harbors ,
The Corporations Act
The Federal Court of Australia has provided judicial guidance about what constitutes taking possession by seizure under the Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (Cth) ("PPSA"). Knauf Plasterboard Pty Ltd v Plasterboard West...more
In Mighty River International Ltd v Hughes [2017] WASCA 152, the Western Australian Court of Appeal delivered a landmark decision approving the use of a "holding" deed of company arrangement ("DOCA")....more