Daily Banking: Monday, 20 April 2015 View in browser

A daily Bulletin listing our choice of Decisions of Superior Courts of Australia.
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Daily Banking

Executive Summary (One Minute Read)
Commissioner for Consumer Protection v Unleash Solar (in liq) Pty Ltd (FCA) - corporations - Commissioner granted leave to commence proceedings against company in liquidation
Golden Mile Property Investments Pty Ltd (in liq) v Cudgegong Australia Pty Ltd (NSWCA) - real property - equity - mortgages - entitlement to compensation for resumed land - appeal allowed - matter remitted to Land and Environment Court
Kissane Family Pty Ltd as Trustee for the Kissane Family Trust v Burns (NSWSC) - contract - funding of promotional tour by soccer team - funder entitled to return of funds it lent to promotor
Veall v Veall (VSCA) - Wills and estates - refusal to grant probate - testator lacked testamentary capacity when making Will - appeal dismissed
Gekko Developments Pty Ltd v Centa Company Pty Ltd (QSC) - contract - no agreement for conditional or unconditional payment of amount to plaintiff
Summaries With Link (Five Minute Read)
Commissioner for Consumer Protection v Unleash Solar (in liq) Pty Ltd [2015] FCA 348
Federal Court of Australia
McKerracher J
Corporations - Commissioner sought leave to commence proceedings against company in liquidation pursuant to s471B Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) - in substantive proceedings Commissioner sought relief including injunction pursuant to s232 Australian Consumer Law (Cth) - purpose of application to ensure assets dealt with such that no person derived advantage inconsistent with legislative scheme - standing - service out of jurisdiction - delay - complexity of factual and legal issues - held: there was serious question in dispute and appropriate explanation for delay - liquidator had notice and had not raised objection - leave granted.
Commissioner
Golden Mile Property Investments Pty Ltd (in liq) v Cudgegong Australia Pty Ltd [2015] NSWCA 100
Court of Appeal of New South Wales
Macfarlan, Emmett & Gleeson JJA
Real property - equity - corporations - mortgages - applicant was registered proprietor of land resumed by second respondent (Transport NSW) - proceeding concerned entitlement to compensation under Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act 1991 (NSW) (JTA) - at time of acquisition applicant had been deregistered under s601AB(2) Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) - prior to acquisition first respondent contracted to buy resumed land from company (Stacks) which was exercising power of sale under registered mortgage over resumed land granted by applicant (first mortgage) - dispute between applicant and first respondent concerned which of them was entitled to compensation under JTA - part of compensation had been paid by Transport NSW to Stacks and to another company (RTS), which was mortgagee under a second registered mortgage over resumed land granted by applicant - held: trial judge erred in dealing with question whether Stacks breached duty to applicant in exercising power of sale under first mortgage - leave to appeal granted - appeal allowed - matter remitted to Land and Environment Court to determine respective interests that applicant and first respondent had in resumed land.
Golden
Kissane Family Pty Ltd as Trustee for the Kissane Family Trust v Burns [2015] NSWSC 423
Supreme Court of New South Wales
Lindsay J
Contract - questions concerning construction and operation of contract relating to funding of promotional tour of Australia by soccer team - plaintiff provided money to promotor but suffered shortfall in financial return - meaning of clause of principal contract between plaintiff, promotor and guarantors which provided that funds provided by plaintiff to cover costs of tour would be repaid to plaintiff “from the distribution of ticket sales” - admissibility of extrinsic evidence - contractual context - competing contentions - indebitatus assumpsit - held: amount repaid to plaintiff fell short of “the funds advanced” - plaintiff entitled against promotor to be repaid balance on promoter’s default in repaying outstanding balance of “the funds advanced” - entitlement enforceable in debt or under law of restitution - plaintiff entitled to return of funds lent by it to promotor and not repaid but “retained” by promotor - guarantors accepted guarantee obliged them to make good promotor’s default - judgment for plaintiff.
Kissane
Veall v Veall [2015] VSCA 60
Court of Appeal of Victoria
Santamaria, Beach & Kyrou JJA
Wills and estates - testamentary capacity - appellants were executors of 10 December 2010 will and sought its admission to probate - respondent was deceased’s daughter - respondent objected to grant of probate on grounds deceased lacked testamentary capacity and did not know and approve of contents of will - primary judge upheld objection on grounds that although testator had testamentary capacity it was not persuaded testator knew of and approved of contents of Will - appellants appealed - suspicious circumstances - capacity of testator to evaluate claims on bounty - held: deceased  lacked testamentary capacity at time of making December Will - notice of contention upheld - Court not persuaded trial judge erred in holding he could not be affirmatively satisfied testator knew and approved the contents of the December will - appeal dismissed.
Veall
Gekko Developments Pty Ltd v Centa Company Pty Ltd [2015] QSC 87
Supreme Court of Queensland
P McMurdo J
Contract - defendant owner of shopping centre signed option to purchase granted to plaintiff company - dealings between parties to end of shopping centre being sold - plaintiff claimed parties agreed that in consideration of plaintiff giving up claim to contractual entitlement to property, defendant would pay amount to plaintiff - defendant denied contract made - whether amount was promised to be paid - whether  consideration for a promise to pay - held: defendant did not contractually promise to pay amount to plaintiff, conditionally or unconditionally - option agreement had been terminated - plaintiff failed to prove alleged agreement - judgment for defendant.
Gekko