Lawyers

What’s in a word – dVT boss tackles Lloyds of London

dVT’s Riad Tayeh dVT Group’s Riad Tayeh has plenty on his plate in this, the second year of the 21st century’s first pandemic. For starters the mid-tier firm’s co-founder may have to facing potentially ruinous recovery action courtesy of Timbercorp liquidators Craig Shepard and Mark Korda after the KordaMentha duo extracted a favourable decision from Victorian Supreme Court last month. As a consequence, Tayeh and…


Privilege dispute leaves liquidator with costs

Cor Cordis Melbourne partner Bruno Secatore. The week wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t revisit briefly the ongoing slugfest between Cor Cordis Melbourne boss Bruno Secatore and Deloitte as the former delves into the latter’s lengthy involvement with the Bob Jane tyre empire. As liquidator of Bob Jane Group entity Last Lap Pty Ltd Secatore has succeeded in having summonses for public examination issued to…


VA Verney falls on sword at 11th hour

11th hour sword fall – Greyhouse Partners’ Ben Verney. Sydney based insolvency practitioners Chris Palmer and Liam Bailey supplanted Melbourne counterpart Ben Verney late last year after court orders were agreed less than a day before Verney and the creditors wanting him gone were due to put their conflicting arguments before NSW Supreme Court Corporations judge Ashley Black. On Monday December 28, short minutes of…


Proof of debt decisions could cost Victorian a VA

Greyhouse Partners’ Ben Verney. O’Brien Palmer’s Chris Palmer. Victorian practitioner Ben Verney is clinging tenaciously to the administration of Icon Constructions (NSW) Pty Ltd but decisions he made in respect of proofs of debt at the first meeting could see him stripped of the appointment before the year is ended. Lawyers for Owners Corporations (OCs), developers and unit owners claiming for building defects – this…


Respected liquidator dodges inquiry bullet, for now

Jones Partners’ Bruce Gleeson. Highly regarded Jones Partners’ principal Bruce Gleeson has dodged a bullet after NSW Supreme Court judge Ashley Black this week chose not to initiate an inquiry into his conduct as liquidator of Military History Tours Australia Pty Ltd (MHT), a company which offered travel to sites like Gallipoli until relations with Swiss-based cruise ship operator MSC Cruises SA soured in 2014….


Guillotine evaded, but indemnity costs the price

DCL Advisory’s Thomas Dawson. A recent decision of the NSW Supreme Court has highlighted why liquidators and their legal advisors need not think an absolute guillotine order precludes them from having a fresh crack, though in winning a motion to amend, liquidator Thomas Dawson has also copped an indemnity costs order for delay. In Dawson as liquidator of J R Line and Safety Services Pty…


Ex-VA back as liquidator after incumbent ousted

DW Advisory’s Paul Weston. Worrells partner Simon Cathro. Paul Weston has been appointed liquidator of South Pelagic Holdings Pty Ltd at a meeting convened at the behest of creditors seeking to punt Worrells’ Simon Cathro, whom a court had in February appointed to replace the company’s then administrator, Weston. Independence breach you shrill? No. Not a bit of it. At least not according to Weston…


Auxilium’s Cockatoo coup bails out ex-receivers

Auxilium Partners’ Bob Jacobs. There will be jubilation in certain quarters following the sale last week of Pluton Resources’ iron ore operation on Cockatoo Island, located in the aptly named Buccaneer Archipelago off West Australia’s northern coast. Whilst Pluton receiver and Auxilium Partners principal Bob Jacobs can claim credit for succeeding where a procession of his predecessors failed, KordaMentha’s John Bumbak and Janna Robertson (now…


DCoT’s Busby Affidavit aimed at ousting FTI duo

FTI Consulting’s Joanne Dunn. FTI Consulting’s John Park. It might not deliver the impact of a best seller like The Bourne Identity but around FTI Consulting QLD’s Central Plaza HQ at least we reckon The Busby Affidavit is quite the page turner. Contained within this innocuously monikered document lies nothing less than a bid by the Deputy Commissioner of Taxation’s (DCoT) to relieve FTI’s Joanne…


Liquidator’s departure announced by lawyer

Departed Hall Chadwick – David Ross. You know a referral relationship must be tight when an insolvency firm’s lawyer announces the resignation of a senior partner by posting the orders listing the exads the partner’s retiring from on social media. That’s at least what we thought when we saw a post by DSS Law’s Ben Skinner recently declaring that he had “had the pleasure of…