For many years, Machiavelli Ristorante Italiano in the Sydney CBD was the place for the business and political elite to be seen and to talk business.
More recently, the Supreme Court of New South Wales was the place for the new owners of the Machiavelli Ristorante to be seen to litigate their partnership disputes.
The case is In the matter of Bicher & Son Pty Ltd [2020] NSWSC 711 (9 June 2020) (Black J).
In early June 2020, Social Ventures Australia (SVA) alongside the Centre for Social Impact (CSI), published a report (Report) detailing the likely impact of COVID-19 on the charity sector.
The judgment in RCR Tomlinson Ltd (Admins apptd) [2020] NSWSC 735 provides clarification regarding the classification of circulating and non-circulating assets for the purpose of section 561 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Act). The decision provides useful guidance for insolvency practitioners classifying circulating and non-circulating assets.
Whilst the power of a chairperson to exercise a casting vote at creditors’ meetings is a useful mechanism to resolve a deadlock in voting, it does not confer unconstrained discretion. The recent Glenfyne Appeal[1] provides valuable guidance as to the appropriate exercise of a casting vote and also serves as a reminder of the Court’s significant powers to review and reverse failed creditors’ resolutions due to the exercise of a casting vote.
On 13 December 2019, in Franz Boensch as Trustee of the Boensch Trust v Scott Darren Pascoe[1] the High Court unanimously dismissed an appeal from a judgment of the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia, in which the appellant sought compensation from his former trustee in bankruptcy pursuant to section 74P of the Real Property Act 1900 (NSW) (RPA).
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly reshaped the global business landscape. Some companies that only months ago seemed unstoppably profitable have been brought to an existential brink by extended lockdowns, supply chain failures, and other obstacles caused by the pandemic. Other companies who have experienced less disruption (or in some cases windfalls) stand at the threshold of opportunity even as they prepare themselves for the challenges of the 'new normal'.
It is said that Sisyphus, the ancient king of Ephyra, is destined for eternity to roll a boulder uphill, only to watch it roll down again. Perhaps Sisyphus should have been a liquidator. One could certainly forgive the liquidator of Aberdeen All Farm Pty Ltd (In Liq) (Aberdeen) for thinking so.
After taking appointment in February 2018, Aberdeen has been embroiled in Supreme Court litigation, by which certain parcels of land were claimed to have been held on trust for Barry McWhinney as a result of an alleged fraud.
The Supreme Court of New South Wales has helpfully given guidance to the liquidators of the RCR Tomlinson Group on a number of unsettled questions that have challenged insolvency practitioners (particularly liquidators of construction companies) when assessing whether certain intangible rights and assets are circulating assets.
The questions include:
Section 561 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) provides that accrued employee entitlements must be paid in priority to the holder of a circulating security interest in a winding up.
Until recently, it was unresolved whether the property subject to a circulating security interest should be determined as at the date the liquidation began, on a continuous basis, or at some other unidentified date.
Samantha Gilbert speaks to compliance leaders from the healthcare, financial services, insurance, IT and commercial sectors on what to expect from the new “business as usual” and enforcement. Conduct reviews, increased regulatory scrutiny and long-term digitisation are some key issues for compliance teams to prepare for.