Supreme Court rules rehabilitation creditors retain rights despite missed filing deadlines

The Supreme Court ruled that creditors in corporate rehabilitation proceedings do not lose their claim rights even if they miss filing deadlines due to a lack of individual notification, provided the administrator was aware of the debt.

In a decision under case number 2025Da217253, the court stated that a creditor who remains unaware of proceedings and fails to file by the end of the creditors' meeting does not forfeit rights if the administrator knew or could have easily known about the debt. This ruling clarifies the application of Articles 251 and 252 of the Debtor Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy Act when administrative oversight is evident.

The court found such claims remain valid despite the approval of a rehabilitation plan, though the specific content of the rights is subject to modification under the plan's terms. These unconfirmed claims, having bypassed the formal investigation and determination procedures, derive their specific altered status directly from the interpretation of the rehabilitation plan itself.

Regarding how these plans should be read, the justices dictated that interpretation must follow the methods used for legal acts. Courts are instructed to analyze the objective meaning of the plan's language reasonably; where wording is unclear, judges must consider the context of the plan's creation, the true intent of stakeholders, and general social justice to reach a conclusion consistent with common sense and transaction norms.