DUTCH SAME-SEX COUPLES HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS AS OPPOSITE-MARRIED COUPLES IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN
Spigthoff represented plaintiff
According to a recent court ruling in the Netherlands Antilles (Court of First Instance, 17 July 2008), a same-sex couple that was married in the Netherlands and subsequently moved to the Netherlands Antilles (Curacao), has the same rights under Netherlands Antilles law (or Aruban law as the case may be) as Netherlands Antilles opposite-married couples as far as health insurance is concerned. Dr. Douwe Boersema of Spigthoff Attorneys & Tax Advisers on Curacao represented the couple.
Same-sex couples have been able to marry in the Netherlands for the last seven years. However, Aruba and the …
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HEALTH INSTITUTIONS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN
Quality of health care is regulated
Secondary health care in the Netherlands Antilles is provided in hospitals. There are seven hospitals on Curaçao, with a total of 1,187 beds, 46% of them in the Sint Elizabeth Hospital (Sehos) and 16.9% in various specialized institutes for the disabled and drug addicts.
The Netherlands Antilles National Ordinance on Health Institutions (NOHI) provides rules for governing institutions providing healthcare in the Netherlands Antilles. The definition of health care institutions in the NOHI is very broad.
The NOHI regulates, amongst others, (i) the establishment of healthcare providers in the Netherlands Antilles; …
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MORATORIUM OF PAYMENTS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN (II)
The debtor may make an offer of composition
The nature of a Netherlands Antilles’ moratorium differs substantially from a moratorium under US law and does, in particular, not cause pending proceedings to be stayed. Generally, a moratorium in the Netherlands Antilles protects a debtor from claims existing at the time of the moratorium. It does not prevent litigating such claims, but judgments obtained cannot be enforced.
During a moratorium, the creditor is prevented from enforcing ordinary agreements against the party to which the moratorium is granted. Instead, creditors may file their claims with the administrator in the moratorium. If the performance of the …
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MORATORIUM OF PAYMENTS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN (I)
An opportunity to recover
Many companies face financial difficulties. Sometimes bankruptcy is the only option. The goal of the bankruptcy is the liquidation of the assets of the company and not to save the business, and this procedure is, therefore, not always the best procedure for realizing the full value of the company as a going concern.
Under the laws of the Netherlands Antilles, a temporary suspension or moratorium of payments (‘surséance van betaling’) is a general suspension of a debtor’s obligations ordered by the court. Only the debtor himself may request a moratorium, on the grounds that he is unable to …
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SECURITY RIGHTS AND DUTCH CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE LAW
Foreign security rights may be valid and enforceable
According to Netherlands Antilles law, the question as to whether or not a security right may be created in a certain receivable must be determined according to the law governing that receivable. Netherlands Antilles international private law determines that the law that governs the receivable is the law that governs the underlying contract of the receivable.
However, if the minimum requirements of a Netherlands Antilles security right have been met, a foreign law governed security right may be valid and enforceable, as if it were a Netherlands Antilles security right.
It is not decisive whether or …
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OFFICE DISBURSEMENTS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN
Not always charged at actual cost
Most law firms charge their fees on the basis of hourly rates, which are determined by the seniority of the attorneys involved. It is also standard practice for Netherlands Antilles law firms to charge office disbursements separately as a percentage, e.g. 6%, of their legal fees. Such disbursements comprise, amongst other things, phone and fax costs, secretarial support, including overtime, and photocopying.
Only specific expenses and disbursements, e.g. bailiff costs, court costs, courier costs, translation costs and travel costs, are charged at actual cost. Most clients expect a law firm obtain prior approval regarding all ‘unexpected’ major …
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CORPORATE PENSION FUNDS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN
Only legal entities may serve as a fund
According to the Netherlands Antilles National Ordinance on Corporate Pension Funds only legal entities may serve as a corporate pension fund. The foundation (‘stichting’) is the legal form most used for these purposes.
The main reason for using a foundation instead of a legal entity of which the equity is divided in shares is that there are no shareholders interest which could conflict with the interest of the participants in the pension fund.
Furthermore, Netherlands Antilles corporate law includes some specific provisions for foundations that are used as a pension fund. Participants …
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INVESTMENT TREATIES AND THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Russia relatively immune
In the May 2008 issue of Business Law International (Volume 9, No 2, pp. 100-113), an article by Noah Rubins and Azizjon Nazarov was published. In this article, ‘Investment Treaties and the Russian Federation: Baiting the Bear?‘, the authors look at international treaties for the encouragement and protection of foreign investment such as the Energy Charter Treaty 1994 (ECT) as well as bilateral investment treaties (BITs).
The Energy Charter Treaty provides, a.o., that each Contracting Party shall encourage and create stable, equitable, favorable and transparent conditions for Investors (as defined in the ECT) of other Contracting Parties …
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EMERGENCY MEASURES FOR CREDIT INSTITUTIONS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN
The Central Bank has certain regulatory powers
Not all banks perform well. Sometimes things go wrong. In the Netherlands Antilles the Central Bank has certain powers to take over control, if necessary. The Central Bank may request the Court of First Instance to subject a bank (credit institution) to the emergency measure pursuant to Article 28 of the National Ordinance on the Supervision of Banking and Credit Institutions 1994.
The court may authorize the Central Bank to transfer all or part of the obligations of the credit institution and to partially or entirely liquidate the credit institution. The authorization shall …
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MAY LAWYERS SEARCH FOR METADATA IN DOCUMENTS RECEIVED FROM OPPOSING COUNSEL?
A lawyer may ethically review a document for metadata
Lawyers frequently send and receive documents or computer files in electronic form. An electronic document typically includes data that may or may not be visible when viewing the document on the computer screen or as printed out, e.g. the original author’s name, the creation date of the document, and the amount of time spent editing it. These hidden data are called “metadata”.
Legal Blog Watcher Robert J. Ambrogi discusses the question whether it is ethical to search for metadata in a document you receive from …
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HARRY POTTER AND THE BATTLE OVER COPYRIGHT LAWS
Can the author come up with a legal spell to prevent the publishing of a HP encyclopedia?
J.K. Rowling is the renowned author of the famous fantasy books about the life of wizardry student Harry Potter. Since the release of the first book in 1997, the series have gained huge popularity worldwide. The books have spawned a series of Potter movies, Potter video games and themed merchandise. The commercial success of the Potter brand has made Rowling one of the highest-earning authors in history. Like with many popular and commercially successful products, there are …
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WHO OWNS THE MOON?
No one does actually
You may have heard about people selling parts of the moon: they claim that you can become co-owner of moon lots for about US$ 40 per acre.
However, in my opinion, the moon belongs to no one, period! No state or government can claim ownership and neither can an individual. To state that it is mankind’s heritage and that ‘mankind’ could claim ownership is ridiculous and even arrogant: it would be a kind of colonialism. The same applies to other celestial bodies and, in fact, to the whole universe.
On the other hand, …
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