Forkserve Pty Limited v Jack & 1 Ors [2000] NSWSC 1064

Reported Decision : [2001] 19 ACLC 299

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Forkserve Pty Limited v Jack & 1 Ors [2000] NSWSC 1064 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Equity FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 1736/98 HEARING DATE(S) : 15/02/00, 16/02/00, 16/05/00 JUDGMENT DATE : 17 November 2000

Forkserve Pty Limited (Plaintiff) PARTIES : Leon Jack (First Defendant) Aussie Forklift Repairs Pty Limited (Second Defendant) JUDGMENT OF : Santow J

COUNSEL : J T Johnson (Plaintiff) C Stomo (Defendants) SOLICITORS : English Kearns (Plaintiff) Gunn Hamilton & Blay (Defendants) CATCHWORDS : RESTRAINT OF TRADE — Corporations — Employee — meaning of director or executive officer for purposes of s235 of the Corporations Law as applicable to "officer" — Duties, if any, in relation to customer list where taken with consent — Duty not to canvass customers of employer while still employed — s235 of Corporations Law — Confidentiality attaching to customer list — Business cards. LEGISLATION CITED : Corporations Law, s60; s232 Barnes v Addy (1874) 9 Ch App 244 Chew v R (1992) 173 CLR 626 Commissioner of Corporate Affairs v Bracht (1988) 14 ACLR 728 Commissioner for Corporate Affairs v Green [1978] VR 505 Dalysmith Corporation (Australia) Pty Limited v Cray Personnel Pty Limited (NSWSC, Young J, 14 April 1997, unreported) Faccenda Chicken Limited v Fowler & Ors [1987] 1 Ch 117 Green & Anor v Bestobell Industries Oty Limited (1982) 1 ACLC 1 Grove v Flavel (1986) 4 ACLC 654 Hedges v NSW Harness Racing Club Limited (1991) 5 ACSR 291 Knight v Bulic (1994) 13 ACSR 553 Mordecai v Mordecai & Ors (1988) 12 NSWLR 58 CASES CITED : N P Generations Pty Limited T/as Leon Jack Hooker v Feneley [2000] SASC 240 On the Street v Cott (1990) 3 ACSR 54 Ormonoid Roofing and Asphalts Limited v Bitumenoids Limited (1930) 31 SRNSW 347 Peninsular Real Estate Limited v Harris (1992) 2 NZLR 216 R v Byrnes (1995) 17 ACSR 551 R v Cook; Ex parte Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) (1996) 20 ACSR 618 Residues Treatment & Trading Co Limited v Southern Resources Limited (1989) 15 ACLR 416 Rosetex Company Pty Limited v Licata 12 ACSR 779 Southern Resources Limited v Residues Treatment and Trading Co Limited (1990) 3 ACSR 207 Sycotex Pty Limited v Baseler & Ors (1994) 13 ACSR 766 Wessex Dairies Limited v Smith [1935] 2 KB 80 Wright v Gasweld Pty Limited (1991) 22 NSWLR 317 DECISION : Employee in breach of fiduciary duty only in respect of one established instance of client canvassing while employed.