Significant cases

Huddersfield Fine Worsteds Ltd

These highly significant cases concerned whether under the Insolvency Act 1986 Sch.B1, administrators were obliged to pay protective awards and payments in lieu of notice to employees (whose contracts of employment had been adopted by the administrator) in priority to the expenses of the administration. The case required consideration of changes to the Insolvency Act brought about by the Enterprise Act 2000. The Court of Appeal had to decide between conflicting decisions of the High Court.  The urgency of the case is reflected in the fact that the Court of Appeal heard the appeal the day after the High Court had given its ruling in Ferrotech.