The ability of bondholders to sue bond issuers to enforce their rights without going through the cumbersome process of instructing a bond trustee has long been in question.
However, an important ruling in New York court, obtained by Kobre & Kim on behalf of a group of international bondholders, took the first step in establishing standing.
With New York law governing a vast amount of emerging market company debt, this could allow global bondholders to dramatically speed up creditor response times.
U.S. courts traditionally have been a generous forum for foreign judgment creditors.
A recent ruling from a New York state court has further broken down barriers for recognition of a foreign judgment in the U.S., even when the debtor is subject to a foreign insolvency proceeding.
The New York decision is part of a trend of U.S. courts rejecting "fairness" and "corruption" challenges to Russian courts' judgments. Similar challenges can be overcome with the aid of proper counsel.
