Gerard Cassegrain & Co Pty Ltd v Cassegrain; Cassegrain v Gerard Cassegrain & Co [2010] NSWSC 91

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Gerard Cassegrain & Co Pty Ltd v Cassegrain; Cassegrain v Gerard Cassegrain & Co [2010] NSWSC 91

HEARING DATE(S) : 20 November 2009

JUDGMENT DATE : 19 February 2010

JURISDICTION : Equity

JUDGMENT OF : Austin J

(1) Leave to be granted to amend statements of claim in derivative and in oppression proceedings, subject to some variations; DECISION : (2) subject to certain undertakings and indemnities being given, leave to be granted to bring derivative claims in oppression proceedings, and to join another person as defendant; (3) short minutes of orders to be brought in to reflect the Court's reasons; (4) plaintiff in each proceedings to pay defendants' costs thrown away by amendment, and subject thereto, costs of applications to be costs in the proceedings

CATCHWORDS : CORPORATIONS - statutory derivative action - pleadings - company asserts breach of duty against director and recipient from company of Torrens land - application for leave to amend to plead that director was agent for recipient - whether amendment alleged recipient had actual or imputed knowledge of wrongdoing - oppression proceedings - application to add derivative claims arising out of same facts - whether statutory derivative claims and oppression claims may be combined in single proceedings - whether company required to be a plaintiff in proceedings containing statutory derivative claims

LEGISLATION CITED : Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), s 56 Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), ss 79, 180-182, 232-234, 236-237

Aon Risk Services Australia Ltd v Australian National University [2009] HCA 27 Brady v Stapleton (1952) 88 CLR 322 Cassegrain v Cassegrain [1998] FCA 811 Chahwan v Euphoric Pty Ltd trading as Clay & Michel [2008] NSWCA 52 Curtis v Price (1804) 12 Ves 89, 103 (33 ER 35, 40) Denis Cassegrain v Gerard Cassegrain & Co Pty Ltd [2008] NSWSC 976 Ehsman v Nutectime (2006) 56 ACSR 705, [2006] NSWSC 887 Fiduciary v Morningstar Research (2005) 53 ACSR 732, [2005] NSWSC 442 Gerard Cassegrain & Co Pty Ltd v Cassegrain [2009] NSWSC 466 Goozee v Graphic World Group Holdings Pty Ltd (2002) 42 ACSR 534, [2002] NSWSC 640 CASES CITED : Horton v Jones (No 2) (1939) 39 SR (NSW) 305 Intagro v ANZ Banking Group (2004) 50 ACSR 224 Keyrate Pty Ltd v Hamarc Pty Ltd (2001) 38 ACSR 396, [2001] NSWSC 491 Lakshman v Law Image [2002] NSWSC 888 Maher v Honeysett & Maher Electrical Contractors [2005] NSWSC 859 Matyear v Prismex Technologies Pty Ltd [2008] NSWSC 677 Metyor v Queensland Electronic Switching Pty Ltd (2002) 42 ACSR 398; [2002] QCA 269 Minister v Tweed Byron Aboriginal Land Council (1990) 71 LGRA 201 Noakes v Harvy Holmes & Son (1979) 26 ALR 297 Swansson v RA Pratt Properties Pty Ltd (2002) 42 ACSR 313, [2002] NSWSC 583 Yorke v Lucas (1985) 158 CLR 661