This week’s TGIF considers the decision in Dudley (Liquidator) v RGH Construction Fitout & Maintenance Pty Ltd (No 2) [2019] FCA 1355, where the Court exercised its discretion to cure a procedural irregularity in a mothership proceeding.

This week’s TGIF considers a recent decision of the Victorian Court of Appeal where a company’s creditors successfully opposed an application by the company’s liquidators to compromise proceedings commenced on the company’s behalf.

This week’s TGIF considers whether a flexible payment arrangement between a subsidiary and its holding company creditor meant the parent suffered no loss on the insolvency of the subsidiary.

What happened?

On 17 August 2017, the West Australian Court of Appeal published its reasons in Perrine v Carrello [2017] WASCA 151 drawing a close to the long-running dispute between the Perrines and the liquidator (Liquidator) of their failed pod-home building company (PodCo).

In the decision of Saker, in the matter of Great Southern Limited[2014] FCA 771, the Federal Court of Australia held that statutory obligations, not trust obligations, require receivers and liquidators to hold and apply funds for the benefit of employees pursuant to s 561 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).

FACTS

In Willmott Growers Group Inc v Willmott Forests Limited (Receivers and Managers Appointed) (In Liquidation) [2013] HCA 51, the High Court has confirmed that a liquidator of a landlord company has the power to disclaim a lease. The effect of the disclaimer is to terminate the leasehold interest of the lessee.

FACTS

This week’s TGIF examines a recent decision of the NSW Supreme Court which considered whether funds held in certain bank accounts of a failed Ponzi scheme should be returned to investors or paid to creditors of the companies.

What happened?

Since freezing orders were obtained by ASIC in 2017, details surrounding the infamous Courtenay House ‘Ponzi’ scheme operated from a small office at Westfield in Bondi have slowly emerged.

This week’s TGIF takes a look at the recent case of Mills Oakley (a partnership) v Asset HQ Australia Pty Ltd [2019] VSC 98, where the Supreme Court of Victoria found the statutory presumption of insolvency did not arise as there had not been effective service of a statutory demand due to a typographical error in the postal address.

What happened?

The NSW Supreme Court has given a Landlord leave to commence proceedings against a company for rent and make good costs arising after the date of the DOCA.

BACKGROUND

In the decision Young, Jr (on behalf of debtor-in-possession of Buccaneer Energy Ltd) v Buccaneer Energy Ltd [2014] FCA 711, the Federal Court of Australia considered whether Chapter 11 proceedings under the United States Bankruptcy Code should be recognised as a foreign main proceeding under the Cross-Border Insolvency Act 2008 (Cth) (CBIA) and Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (Model Law).

After nearly 20 years, the long running Bell litigation is almost over, with the Supreme Court of Western Australia having approved the settlement between the liquidators of the Bell group of companies and the syndicate of banks involved in the litigation (Re Bell Group (In Liq); Ex Parte Antony Leslie John Wooding as Liquidator of the Bell Group Ltd (In Liq) [2013] WASC 409).

BACKGROUND