Peter de Graaf

September 17, 2025

Reduction of amount for which the director is liable

2022-07-04T09:57:58+02:004 July 2022|companies in financial distress, employees, posts|

A director is liable under article 2:248 paragraph 1 of the Dutch Civil Code (BW) to make good the deficit in the bankruptcy if the board has manifestly mismanaged its duties and it is plausible that this was a major cause of the bankruptcy. Based on paragraph 4 of this article of law, the court can mitigate the amount for which the director is liable under certain circumstances.

The wage guarantee scheme: continued payment of wages in the event of the employer’s bankruptcy

2022-06-28T07:24:52+02:0027 June 2022|companies in financial distress, employees, posts|

The Unemployment Insurance Act includes a scheme that entitles employees to payment in the event of payment problems on the part of the employer. The regulation is also called the wage guarantee regulation. It also regulates which benefits an employee can claim in case of bankruptcy of the employer. In this article I will discuss the main provisions of the wage guarantee scheme that apply in the event of bankruptcy and I will go into a recent judgment of the Supreme Court on this subject.

The position of the SME entrepreneur as a creditor in a WHOA arrangement

2022-02-22T08:41:47+01:0017 February 2022|posts|

On 1 January 2021, the Homologation Underhand Arrangement Act (WHOA) entered into force. This law introduced a new restructuring instrument. Its purpose is to prevent companies from being declared bankrupt while they are still (partially) viable. The statutory scheme includes a minimum protection for (smaller) SMEs. This is also referred to as the 20% rule. In this article I will explain the position of the SME as a creditor in a WHOA settlement.

Can a cash payment made after the bankruptcy date be reclaimed?

2022-02-22T08:53:45+01:0017 February 2022|companies in financial distress, employees, news, posts|

Recently, the Supreme Court issued an interesting judgment involving two important principles of bankruptcy law, namely the principle of fixation and the principle of paritas creditorum. The case concerned a situation in which, after the bankruptcy date, a cash payment was made from the bankrupt's bank account to a creditor. The central question was whether the trustee could recover the payment from the creditor. This article discusses the case, the relevant principles and the Supreme Court's opinion.

Rejection of homologation request WHOA agreement

2022-02-01T15:05:46+01:001 February 2022|companies in financial distress, posts|

The Homologation Underhand Arrangement Act (WHOA) went into effect on January 1, 2021. In the meantime, a substantial number of rulings have been issued on it. It remains to be seen how practice will develop and whether it can be said whether the introduction of the Act has been a success. To date, the number of (published) granted homologation requests is still relatively small. 

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