MARONIS HOLDINGS LTD & ORS v. NIPPON CREDIT AUSTRALIA LTD & ORS [2000] NSWSC 138

Reported Decision : (2000)18 ACLC 609

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : MARONIS HOLDINGS LTD & ORS v. NIPPON CREDIT AUSTRALIA LTD & ORS [2000] NSWSC 138 revised - 18/04/2000 CURRENT JURISDICTION: EQUITY FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 1946/94 HEARING DATE(S) : 01/03/2000 JUDGMENT DATE : 9 March 2000

Maronis Holdings Limited (First Plaintiff) Girvan Corporation (New Zealand) Ltd (In Liq.) (Second Plaintiff) Nippon Credit Australia Ltd (First Defendant) Paul Francis Petersen (Second Defendant) PARTIES : Warren Alexander Duncan (Third Defendant) Alan Raymond Ambler (Fourth Defendant) Christopher Raymond McCulloch (Fifth Defendant) Robert Vincent Ramsay (Sixth Defendant) Brian Wilson & 46 Ors t/as Clayton Utz (Seventh Defendant) JUDGMENT OF : Bryson J at 1

J.E. Marshall for Plaintiff P. Kerr for First Defendant M. English for Second Defendant COUNSEL : P.W. Hopkins for Third Defendant P. Thompson for Fourth Defendant S. Burns for Sixth Defendant P. Durack for Seventh Defendant Henry Davis York for Plaintiff Allen Allen & Hemsley for First Defendant English Kearns for Second Defendant SOLICITORS : P.W. Hopkins for Third Defendant Thompson Eslick for Fourth Defendant Fifth Defendant in Person Greaves Wannan & Williams for Sixth Defendant Minter Ellison for Seventh Defendant CATCHWORDS : PRACTICE and PROCEDURE - subpoenas - access to documents and information. - CORPORATIONS - Investigation - transcripts of examinations and s.600 proceedings - provisions of s.25 and s.127 of CL limiting access - inspection of documents produced by ASIC on subpoena. Plaintiffs subpoenaed ASIC to produce examination transcripts and other documents which ASIC was restricted from disclosing - ASIC produced documents to Court - defendant (examinees) applied to Court for direction preventing access and inspection by plaintiffs - Judge inspected documents and allowed inspection by lawyers for plaintiffs subject to controls on communicating information - consideration of circumstances in which inspection of non-party's documents is allowed - legitimate forensic purpose. LEGISLATION CITED : Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 1989 ss. 22, 23, 24, 25, 127 Supreme Court Rules Pt.23 Johns v. Australian Securities Commission and Ors (1993) 178 CLR 408 Commissioner for Railways v. Small (1938) 38 SR (NSW) 564 CASES CITED : Burchard v. Macfarlane [[1891] 2 QB 241 Marcel v. Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [1992] Ch. 225 National Employers' Mutual General Association v. Waind & Hill [1978] 1 NSWLR 372 R v. Saleam (1989) 16 NSWLR 14 DECISION : See para.32