Inner West Demolition (NSW) Pty Limited v Silk [2018] NSWDC 136

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Inner West Demolition (NSW) Pty Limited v Silk [2018] NSWDC 136 Hearing dates: 9 October 2017 – 13 October 2017, 16 October 2017, 23 November 2017 - 24 November 2017; 1 December 2017; 8 December 2017; 16 March 2018 Date of orders: 30 May 2018 Decision date: 30 May 2018 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Dicker SC DCJ Decision: (1) Judgment for the plaintiff; (2) The defendant is to pay the plaintiff's costs of the proceedings as agreed or assessed; (3) The parties are to bring in agreed Short Minutes of Order giving effect to these reasons including the amount found and any interest claimed on it, within seven days; (4) Liberty to the parties to apply in relation to the costs order made in (2) above; (5) Exhibits to be returned after 28 days. Catchwords: Corporations law – alleged insolvent trading action against director– whether consent of liquidators to proceedings obtained prior to proceedings being commenced – was company insolvent at the relevant time – were there reasonable grounds for suspecting that the company was insolvent or would become insolvent – whether statutory defences available to defendant director-adequacy of documents available to expert witness-Jones v Dunkel inferences Legislation Cited: Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 (NSW) Cases Cited: ASIC v Edwards (2005) 220 ALR 148; [2005] NSWSC 831 ASIC v Plymin (No 1) [2003] VSC 123, (2003) 46 ACSR 126 ASIC v Rich [2009] NSWSC 1229 Campbell Street Theatre Pty Ltd (Receivers and Managers Appointed) (In liquidation) v Commercial Mortgage Trade Pty Ltd [2012] NSWSC 669 Campbell v Brazel [2016] NSWSC 198 Commercial Union Assurance Co of Australia Ltd v Ferrcom Pty Ltd (1991) 22 NSWLR 389 Condon v Watson (2009) 174 FCR 314 Crabtree-Vickers Pty Ltd v Australian Direct Mail Advertising & Addressing Co Pty Ltd [1975] HCA 49; (1975) 133 CLR 72 Deputy Commissioner of Taxation v Clark [2003] NSWCA 91; (2003) 57 NSWLR 113 Deveigne v Askar [2007] NSWCA 45 Elliott v ASIC [2004] VSCA 54 Expile Pty Ltd v Jabb's Excavations Pty Ltd [2003] NSWCA 163; (2003) 45 ACSR 711 Fabre v Arenales (1992) 27 NSWLR 437 FAI Traders Insurance Co Ltd v Ferrara (1996) 41 NSWLR 91 FAI Traders Insurance Co Pty Ltd v FAI (CTP) Pty Ltd [2015] NSWSC 2137 Geeveekay v Director of Consumer Affairs (2008) 19 VR 512 GR Securities v Baulkham Hills Private Hospital (1986) 40 NSWLR 361 Hall v Poolman [2007] NSWSC 1330; (2007) 65 ACSR 123 Harrison v Lewis [2001] VSC 27 Harvey v Burfield (2002) 84 SASR 11; [2002] SASC 314 Hawkins v Bank of China (1992) 26 NSWLR 562 In the matter of Matlic Pty Ltd (in liquidation) [2014] NSWSC 1342 In the matter of Re Swan Services Pty Ltd (in liquidation) [2016] NSWSC 1724 In the matter of Universal Consultants Group Pty Ltd [2016] NSWSC 1508 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298 Lewis v Doran (2004) 50 ACSR 175 Manly Council v Byrne [2004] NSWCA 123 Masters v Cameron (1954) 91 CLR 353 McLellan, in the matter of The Stake Man Pty Ltd v Carroll [2009] FCA 1415; (2009) 76 ACSR 67 Newell v De Costi [2018] NSWCA 49 Payne v Parker [1976] 1 NSWLR 191 Powell v Fryer [2000] SASC 97; (2000) 18 ACLC 480 Powell v Fryer [2001] SASC 59; (2001) 37 ACSR 589 Re Glass Recycling Pty Ltd [2014] NSWSC 439 Re Kukulovski [2015] NSWSC 2040 Re Swan Services Pty Ltd (in liquidation) [2016] NSWSC 1724 RHG Mortgage Corporation Ltd v Ianni [2016] NSWCA 270 Sandell v Porter (1966) 115 CLR 666 Southern Cross Interiors Pty Ltd (in liquidation) v Deputy Commissioner of Taxation (2001) 53 NSWLR 213 The matter of Golden Plantation Pty Ltd [2011] NSWSC 1610 Tourprint International Pty Ltd v Bott [1999] NSWSC 581 Treloar Constructions Pty Ltd v McMillan [2017] NSWCA 72 Williams Group Australia Pty Ltd v Crocker [2016] NSWCA 265 Zappia v Grant Baines Transport Pty Ltd [2010] NSWSC 98 Texts Cited: Corporations and Associations Law: Principles and Issues, sixth edition, Lexis Nexis, Gooley et al Category: Principal judgment Parties: Inner West Demolition (NSW) Pty Limited (Plaintiff) Thomas John Silk (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: A Gerard (Plaintiff) H W Somerville (Defendant)