NHB Enterprises Pty Ltd v Corry (No 7) [2021] NSWSC 741

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: NHB Enterprises Pty Ltd v Corry (No 7) [2021] NSWSC 741 Hearing dates: 20-24 July, 26-27 August 2020, 7-8 September 2020 (further written submissions) Date of orders: 24 June 2021 Decision date: 24 June 2021 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Bell P Decision: (1) Declare that the First Respondent was in contempt of this Court by engaging in the conduct in the circumstances described in each of Charges 1, 2 and 4 (being paras 20, 21 and 23) of the Statement of Charge annexed to the Applicants' Notice of Motion filed on 20 December 2019. (2) Dismiss Charge 3 against the First Respondent, being para 22 of the Statement of Charge annexed to the Applicants' Notice of Motion filed on 20 December 2019. (3) Declare that the Second Respondent was in contempt of this Court by engaging in the conduct in the circumstances in the first alternative described in para 24 of the Statement of Charge annexed to the Applicants' Notice of Motion filed on 20 December 2019. (4) Dismiss the charge against the Third Respondent, being para 25 of the Statement of Charge annexed to the Applicants' Notice of Motion filed on 20 December 2019. (5) Dismiss the Notice of Motion filed by the First Respondent on 17 July 2020 with costs. (6) Direct the parties to file any submissions on the question of costs of no more than 4 pages by 2 July 2021, and any reply of no more than 2 pages by 16 July 2021. (7) Fix a directions hearing in relation to the remaining phase of the hearing at 9.30am on 22 July 2021, with any proposed directions as to the penalty hearing to be filed with the Associate to Bell P and served by 9.30am on 20 July 2021. Catchwords: CONTEMPT – alleged failure to comply with previous court orders – alleged breach of prohibited contact order – alleged deliberate frustration of execution of search orders – whether settlement with one party of claim underpinning contempt charge against him precluded Applicants from pursuing contempt charge. Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) s 91 Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) ss 60(3), 140, Pt 55 rr 6-7 Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW) s 61(2) Supreme Court Rules 1970 (NSW) Pt 40 r 8 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) Cases Cited: Abram v National Australia Bank Ltd [1997] NSWCA 7 Alexander v Crawford [2003] NSWSC 426 Anderson v Hassett [2007] NSWSC 1310 Australasian Meat Industry Employees' Union v Mudginberri Station Proprietary Limited (1986) 161 CLR 98; [1986] HCA 46 Australian Consolidated Press Limited v Morgan (1965) 112 CLR 483; [1965] HCA 21 Australian Securities and Investments Commission v Sigalla (No 4) (2011) 80 NSWLR 113; [2011] NSWSC 62 Baker v Paul [2013] NSWCA 426 Barkley v Barkley-Brown [2010] NSWSC 746 Bellerive Homes Pty Ltd v FW Projects Pty Ltd [2019] NSWSC 193 Blair v Curran (1939) 62 CLR 464; [1939] HCA 23 Canadian Transport (UK) Ltd v Alsbury (1952) 7 WWR (NS) 49; [1953] 1 DLR 385 CCOM Pty Ltd v Jiejing Pty Ltd (1992) 36 FCR 524 Chamberlain v Deputy Commissioner of Taxation (1988) 164 CLR 502; [1988] HCA 21 Chamberlain v The Queen (No 2) (1984) 153 CLR 521; [1984] HCA 7 Cohen v Double Bay Bowling Club [2019] NSWSC 1625 Commonwealth Bank of Australia v Salvato (No 4) [2013] NSWSC 321 Concrete Constructions Pty Ltd v Plumbers and Gasfitters Employees' Union (No 2) (1987) 15 FCR 64 Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union v BHP Steel (AIS) Pty Ltd [2001] FCA 1758 Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union v Boral Resources (Vic) Pty Ltd (2015) 256 CLR 375; [2015] HCA 21 Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union v Grocon Constructors (Victoria) Pty Ltd (2014) 47 VR 527; [2014] VSCA 261 Coward v Stapleton (1953) 90 CLR 573; [1953] HCA 48 Dowling v Prothonotary of the Supreme Court of New South Wales (2018) 99 NSWLR 229; [2018] NSWCA 340 Ekes v Commonwealth Bank of Australia (2014) 313 ALR 665; [2014] NSWCA 336 Eshow v Zaia [2020] NSWCA 10 Fortune Holding Group Pty Ltd v Zhang (No 2) [2017] VSC 738 Furlong v Wise & Young [2019] NSWSC 1718 Geneva Laboratories Limited v Prestige Premium Deals Pty Ltd [2016] FCA 1441 Grant v John Grant & Sons Proprietary Limited (1954) 91 CLR 112; [1954] HCA 23 Harmsworth v Harmsworth [1987] 1 WLR 1676 He Kaw Teh v The Queen (1985) 157 CLR 523; [1985] HCA 43 He v Sun [2021] NSWCA 95 In Re South American and Mexican Company; Ex parte Bank of England [1895] 1 Ch 37 In the matter of Jimmy's Recipe Pty Limited [2020] NSWSC 93 Isaacs v The Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation Ltd (1957) 58 SR (NSW) 69 Keir v Leeman (1844) 6 QB 308 Keir v Leeman (1846) 9 QB 371 Kerridge v Simmonds (1906) 4 CLR 253; [1906] HCA 66 Kirkpatrick v Kotis (2004) 62 NSWLR 567; [2004] NSWSC 1265 Knowles v Roberts (1888) 38 Ch D 263 Kostov v YPOL Pty Ltd (2018) 98 NSWLR 1002; [2018] NSWCA 306 Land Enviro Corp Pty Ltd v HTT Huntley Heritage Pty Ltd (2008) 72 NSWLR 160; [2008] NSWSC 185 Lane v The Registrar of the Supreme Court of New South Wales (Equity Division) (1981) 148 CLR 245; [1981] HCA 35 Lewis v Ogden (1984) 153 CLR 682; [1984] HCA 26 Louis Vuitton Malletier SA v Design Elegance Pty Ltd (2006) 149 FCR 494; [2006] FCA 83 Mahaffy v Mahaffy (2018) 97 NSWLR 119; [2018] NSWCA 42 Markisic v Commonwealth of Australia (2007) 69 NSWLR 737; [2007] NSWCA 92 Matthews v ASIC [2009] NSWCA 155 McDonnell v Novello [2006] NSWSC 1186 Mirus Australia Pty Ltd v Gage [2017] NSWSC 1046 NCR Australia v Credit Connection [2005] NSWSC 1118 NHB Enterprises Pty Ltd v Corry [2019] NSWSC 1659 O'Connor v Hough [2016] 2 Qd R 543; [2016] QSC 4 Pang v Bydand Holdings Pty Ltd [2011] NSWCA 69 Port of Melbourne Authority v Anshun Proprietary Limited (1981) 147 CLR 589; [1981] HCA 45 Prudential Assurance Co Ltd v McBains Cooper [2000] 1 WLR 2000 Reid v Howard (1993) 31 NSWLR 298 Reliance Financial Services Pty Ltd v Allyma Express Holdings Pty Ltd (No 2) [2018] NSWSC 1776 Sigalla v TZ Limited [2011] NSWCA 334 Sun v He [2020] NSWSC 802 Tomlinson v Ramsey Food Processing Pty Limited (2015) 256 CLR 507; [2015] HCA 28 Toyota Finance Australia Limited v AJI Enterprise Group Pty Ltd [2019] NSWSC 33 Weissensteiner v The Queen (1993) 178 CLR 217; [1993] HCA 65 Witham v Holloway (1995) 183 CLR 525; [1995] HCA 3 Wyszynski v Bill [2005] NSWSC 110 Zhu v Treasurer of the State of New South Wales (2004) 218 CLR 530; [2004] HCA 56 Texts Cited: D Foskett, Foskett on Compromise (9th ed, 2020, Sweet & Maxwell) Category: Principal judgment Parties: NHB Enterprises Pty Ltd (First Applicant) Finn Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd (Second Applicant) Alexander Stephen Corry (First Respondent) Boriana Corry (Second Respondent) Rimon Ghaly (Third Respondent) Representation: Counsel: