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
In Short -
The Situation: When winding up a company, liquidators must distribute any surplus funds following the satisfaction of any secured debts. The Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) contains a regime which provides that...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
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: 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
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