The Cayman Islands Weavering Decision One Year Later: Reflections by Weavering’s Counsel and One of the Joint Liquidators

Last month marks the one-year anniversary of the decision handed down by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands (Court) against the directors of Weavering Macro Fixed Income Fund, in which both directors were found to have breached their duties and were ordered to pay damages in the amount of USD$111 million.  In the days and weeks which followed, many stakeholders offered their own critique of the decision as well as the “checklist” promulgated by Mr. Justice Andrew Jones QC of the steps which an independent non-executive director of an investment fund should take in order to properly discharge his duties.  Some critiques were lucid and objective dispositions of the decision, and some were not.  Perhaps it was the size of the award, or that it was the first time that directors of a failed Cayman Islands investment fund had been found liable in damages for a fund’s losses, which provoked such interest; but no doubt the views expressed by many were, and are, influenced by personal circumstances.  But what has been the true impact of the decision, and what mark has it left on the laws relating to directors generally?  In this article Mourant Ozannes’ Shaun Folpp, who acted for Weavering with respect to both the first instance proceedings and the recent appeal, and Mr. Ian Stokoe of PwC Corporate Finance and Recovery (Cayman) Limited, one of Weavering’s Joint Official Liquidators, explore these very issues, and reflect on one of the most talked about decisions ever to be handed down by the Court.  For background on the decision, see “Cayman Grand Court Holds Independent Directors of Failed Hedge Fund Weavering Macro Fixed Income Fund Personally Liable for Losses Due to their Willful Failure to Supervise Fund Operations,” Hedge Fund Law Report, Vol. 4, No. 31 (Sep. 8, 2011).

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