Guo v Xu [2021] NSWSC 460

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Guo v Xu [2021] NSWSC 460 Hearing dates: 6 and 7 April 2021 Date of orders: 3 May 2021 Decision date: 03 May 2021 Jurisdiction: Equity - Commercial List Before: Rees J Decision: Application to vacate freezing order and release undertaking refused with costs; freezing order extended. Catchwords: CIVIL PROCEDURE – interim preservation – freezing orders – shares purchased by Chinese investors in Australian mining companies with assistance of plaintiff – plaintiff sues in Hong Kong for 49% profits under contract – plaintiff seeks equitable relief in respect of shares, dividends and capital gains – ex parte freezing order in 2018 – freezing order extended by consent in 2019 until end of Hong Kong proceedings – $22.7M frozen – defendants hold further $1M dividends on their undertaking – plaintiff seeks to extend freezing order while defendants seek to have freezing order discharged and release from undertaking. FREEZING ORDERS – by consent after negotiation – whether freezing order in aid of foreign proceedings is final or interlocutory – whether exceptional circumstances or material change in circumstances sufficient – principles at [161]-[172]– exceptional circumstances required and not present. PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW – foreign judgments and orders – whether an account of profits is a "money judgment" within s 3 Foreign Judgments Act 1991 (Cth) – see [203]-[210]. Legislation Cited: Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW) s 37A Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) Foreign Judgments Act 1991 (Cth) ss 3, 5, 6 Foreign Judgments Regulations 1992 (Cth) reg 3 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) r 25.14 Cases Cited: Abigroup Ltd v Abignano (1992) 39 FCR 74; [1992] FCA 567 Abraham v Abraham [2012] NSWSC 254 Adam P Brown Male Fashions Pty Ltd v Philip Morris Inc (1981) 148 CLR 170; [1981] HCA 39 Agar v Hyde (2000) 201 CLR 552; [2000] HCA 41 Allen v Jambo Holdings Ltd [1980] WLR 1252 Argyle Building Services v Franek [2020] VSC 166 Australian Mortgage & Finance Co Pty Ltd v Rome Euro Windows Pty Ltd [2014] NSWSC 996 Banner Homes Group Plc v Luff Developments Ltd [2000] Ch 372 Barnes v Addy (1874) LR 9 Ch App 244 Bhushan Steel Ltd v Severstal Export GmbH [2012] NSWSC 583 Cardile v LED Builders Pty Ltd (1999) 198 CLR 380; [1999] HCA 18 Channel Tunnel Group Ltd v Balfour Beatty Construction Ltd [1993] AC 334 Circaz Pty Ltd v Manolidis [2003] NSWSC 455; (2003) 45 ACSR 542 Commissioner of State Revenue (Vic) v Snowy Hydro Ltd (2012) 43 VR 109; [2012] VSCA 145 Commonwealth Bank of Australia v Saleh [2005] NSWSC 843 Davis v Turning Properties Pty Ltd [2005] NSWSC 742; (2005) 222 ALR 676 Gothard v Fell (2012) 203 FCR 236; [2012] FCA 495 Hall v Nominal Defendant (1966) 117 CLR 423; [1966] HCA 36 Hutchinson v Nominal Defendant [1972] 1 NSWLR 443 Jaken Properties Australia v Naaman [2020] NSWSC 1554 Keynes Capital Global Ltd v Guo [2020] NSWCA 178 Keynes Capital Global Ltd v Guo (No 2) [2020] NSWCA 336 Lachlan v HP Mercantile Pty Ltd (2015) 89 NSWLR 198; [2015] NSWCA 130 Mighty River International Ltd v Mineral Resources Ltd [2020] WASCA 44 Ninemia Maritime Corp v Trave Schiffahrtsgesellschaft mbH & Co KG (the Niedersachsen) [1984] 1 All ER 398 Pallant v Morgan [1953] Ch 43 RD Werner & Co Inc v Bailey Aluminium Products Pty Ltd (1988) 18 FCR 389; [1988] FCA 142 Severstal Export GmbH v Bhushan Steel Ltd (2013) 84 NSWLR 141; [2013] NSWCA 102 Short v Crawley (No 42) [2009] NSWSC 1110 Siebe Gorman & Co Ltd v Pneupac Ltd [1982] 1 WLR 185 Varley v Varley [2006] NSWSC 1025 Wambo Coal Pty Ltd v Ariff [2007] NSWSC 589; (2007) 63 ACSR 429 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Hui (Annie) Guo (Plaintiff)