Eastone Mining Pty Ltd v Eastone Holding Pty Ltd [2019] NSWSC 1850

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Eastone Mining Pty Ltd v Eastone Holding Pty Ltd [2019] NSWSC 1850 Hearing dates: 21 March 2019, last written submissions received 12 April 2019 Decision date: 19 December 2019 Jurisdiction: Equity - Corporations List Before: Rees J Decision: Plaintiff successful in part: see [72] Catchwords: CORPORATIONS — Joint venture agreement — Company and shareholders parties to Agreement — No constitution — Relationship between replaceable rules and joint venture agreement.

CORPORATIONS — Directors and officers — Removal of director — Purported removal by board — No constitution — Joint Venture Agreement provided for shareholder nominees — No power for other directors to remove — Declaration of no validity.

CORPORATIONS — Meetings of members — Reasonable time and place — Whether Beijing reasonable place — Australian company — Australian and Hong Kong corporate shareholders — Directors variously in Western Australia, New South Wales and China — Beijing unreasonable. Legislation Cited: Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), ss 134, 135, 136, 180, 181, 182, 203C, 248C, 248D, 248F, 248G, 249H, 249R, 1322 Mining Act 1978 (WA) Cases Cited: Bell v Burton (1993) 12 ACSR 325 Carr v Finance Corp of Australia Ltd (No 1) (1981) 147 CLR 246; [1981] HCA 20 Cody v Live Board Holdings Ltd (2014) 97 ACSR 606; [2014] NSWSC 78 Colbern Nominees Pty Ltd v Prime Minerals Ltd (2009) 74 ACSR 236; [2009] WASC 289 Commissioner of Taxation v Sara Lee Household & Body Care (Aust) Pty Ltd (2000) 201 CLR 520; [2000] HCA 35 Coombs v Dynasty Pty Ltd (1994) 14 ACSR 60 Cordiant Communications (Australia) Pty Ltd v Communications Group Holdings Pty Ltd (2005) 55 ACSR 185; [2005] NSWSC 1005 Hickey v Aselford [2003] NSWSC 185 Howard v Mechtler (1999) 30 ACSR 434 at 444; [1999] NSWSC 232 In the matter of BG Iron and Steel Pty Ltd [2014] NSWSC 1283 In the matter of Lesso Building Material Trading (Sydney) Pty Ltd (administrators appointed) [2018] NSWSC 1486 In the matter of Mosman & Co Pty Ltd [2019] NSWSC 1155 Lee v Chou Wen Hsien [1984] 1 WLR 1202; [1985] BCLC 45 Mackay v Dick (1881) 6 App Cas 251 McMaster v Eznut (2006) 58 ACSR 199; [2006] WASC 109 Nullagine Investments Pty Ltd v Western Australian Club Inc (1993) 177 CLR 635; [1993] HCA 45 Petsch v Kennedy (1971) CLC ¶40-015 Re Duomatic [1969] 2 Ch 365; [1969] 1 All ER 161 Re Rectron Electronics Pty Ltd [2013] VSC 384 Russell v Northern Bank Development Corp Ltd [1992] 3 All ER 161; [1992] BCLC 1016 Shearwood (Trustee), in the matter of Allied Resource Partners Pty Ltd v Allied Resource Partners Pty Ltd [2017] FCA 1451 Smith v Sadler (1997) 25 ACSR 672; (1997) 15 ACLC 1,683 Wun v CellOS Software Ltd (2018) 132 ACSR 316; [2018] FCA 1947 Texts Cited: Austin & Black's Annotations to the Corporations Act (LexisNexis, looseleaf) C Gleeson, "Filing of submissions without leave" (Summer 2011–2012) Bar News 59 Ford, Austin & Ramsay's Principles of Corporations Law explain (LexisNexis, looseleaf) Hammerschlag's Commercial Court Handbook (LexisNexis, 2019) L.S. Sealy, "The Enforcement of Partnership Agreements, Articles of Association and Shareholder Agreements" in P.D. Finn, ed., Equity and Commercial Relationships (Law Book Company, 1987) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Eastone Mining Pty Ltd ACN 622 915 244 (Plaintiff)