Riverwood Legion & Community Club Ltd v Repaja & Co Pty Ltd [2015] NSWSC 383

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Riverwood Legion & Community Club Ltd v Repaja & Co Pty Ltd [2015] NSWSC 383 Hearing dates: 11 February 2015; further written submissions 12 and 23 February 2015; 3 and 6 March 2015 Decision date: 09 April 2015 Jurisdiction: Equity Division Before: Stevenson J Decision: Plaintiff entitled to judgment against First, Second, Fourth and Fifth defendants Catchwords: EQUITY – general principles – unjust enrichment –funds misappropriated by employee with assistance of fraudster – funds paid to fraudster who used part of funds to "repay" funds earlier advanced to fraudster by innocent party – whether innocent party a volunteer – whether innocent party liable to account for benefit received – whether innocent party entitled to change of position defence – whether innocent party not liable to account for funds because funds used to acquire bank cheque in favour of vendor of real property to innocent party – whether personal claim still available if innocent party used funds to acquire indefeasible title in real property Legislation Cited: Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) Evidence Act 1995 (Cth) Real Property Act 1990 (NSW) Cases Cited: Austin v Khaliffe [1966] 2 NSWR 632 Australasian Conference Association Ltd v Mainline Constructions Pty Ltd (in liq) [1978] HCA 45; (1978) 141 CLR 335 Australian Financial Services and Leasing Pty Ltd v Hills Industries Ltd [2014] HCA 14 Barclays Bank Ltd v Quistclose Investments Ltd [1970] AC 567 Barnes v Addy (1874) LR 9 Ch App 244 Black v S Freedman & Co (1910) 12 CLR 105 Break Fast Investments Pty Ltd v Giannopoulos (No 5) [2011] NSWSC 1508 Conlan (as liquidator of Oakleigh Acquisitions Pty Ltd) v Registrar of Titles [2001] WASC 201 Foskett v McKeown [2001] 1 AC 102 Heperu Pty Ltd v Belle [2009] NSWCA 252; (2009) 76 NSWLR 230 LHK Nominees Pty Ltd v Kenworthy [2002] WASCA 291; (2002) 26 WAR 517 Re French Caledonia Travel Service Pty Ltd (in liq) [2003] NSWSC 1008; (2003) 59 NSWLR 361 Re Hallett's Estate; Knatchbull v Hallett (1879) 13 Ch D 696 Robb Evans of Robb Evans and Associates v European Bank Limited [2004] NSWCA 82; (2004) 61 NSWLR 75 Super 1000 Pty Ltd v Pacific General Securities Ltd [2008] NSWSC 1222 Sze Tu v Lowe [2014] NSWCA 462 Wambo Coal Pty Ltd v Ariff [2007] NSWSC 589 Westdeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale v Islington London Borough Council [1996] 2 All ER 961 Texts Cited: J D Heydon and M J Leeming, Jacobs' Law of Trusts in Australia, (7th ed 2006, LexisNexis Butterworths) K Mason, J W Carter and G J Tolhurst, Restitution Law in Australia, (2nd ed 2008, LexisNexis Butterworths) P W Young, C Croft and M L Smith, On Equity, (2009, Lawbook Co.) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Riverwood Legion & Community Club Ltd (Plaintiff) Repaja & Co Pty Ltd (First Defendant) Divna Repaja (Second Defendant) Simon de Munck (Fourth Defendant) Tina Fistar (Fifth Defendant) Representation: Counsel: H N Newton (Plaintiff) N Obrart (Fifth Defendant)