[2025] FCA 211
General information, not legal advice.
Federal Court of Australia
2025-03-18
Perry J
Original judgment source is linked above.
Pursuant to rule 11.10 of the Corporations Rules, a warrant be issued and addressed to the Sheriff to arrest Teddy Panella, and to bring him before the Court to be examined under section 596A of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) about the examinable affairs of the First, Second and Third Defendants, detaining him in custody in the meantime.
(1) This rule applies if a person is summoned or ordered by the Court to attend for examination, and:
(a) without reasonable cause, the person:
(i) fails to attend at the time and place appointed; or
(2) The Court may:
(a) issue a warrant for the arrest of the person summoned or ordered to attend for examination; and
(b) make any other orders that the Court thinks just or necessary.
In light of my findings in Firepower Operations (No 2) that Mr Johnston's failure to answer the examination summons occurred in circumstances where he deliberately set out to obtain a medical certificate for the purposes of avoiding his attendance at the examination, whether warranted by the state of his health or not, Mr Johnston had acted in deliberate disregard of the Court summons. Further, in contending that the medical certificate obtained in those circumstances constituted a reasonable excuse, Mr Johnston put forward a case which was, once the true facts were revealed, bound to fail.
In my view, those circumstances constitute special circumstances of the kind referred to by Sheppard J in Colgate-Palmolive, which warrant an order that costs be payable on an indemnity basis.
Indemnity costs are not designed to punish a party for persisting with a case that turns out to fail. They are not awarded as a means of deterring litigants from putting forward arguments that might be attended by uncertainty. Rather, they serve the purpose of compensating a party fully for costs incurred, as a normal costs order could not be expected to do, when the Court takes the view that it was unreasonable for the party against whom the order is made to have subjected the innocent party to the expenditure of costs.
4.2 The Liquidator's conduct on 10 December 2024
by its lax conduct effectively invites the litigation; unnecessarily protracts the proceedings; succeeds on a point not argued before a lower court; prosecutes the matter solely for the purpose of increasing the costs recoverable; or obtains relief which the unsuccessful party had already offered in settlement of the dispute.
We note that the arret [sic] warrant is only stayed until 10:15am, and that the examination proceedings do not commence until 10:15am.
In order to vacate the orders before the stay is lapsed, we propose that consent orders be sent to her Honour's associate around 10:00 am once the liquidator has sighted Mr Panella in or around at Courtroom 18D.
We propose that the form of order is that Order 2 and 3 of the orders made on 9 December 2024 be vacated.
Please confirm if your client consents to the above proposal.
Our client would require the consent orders to include a costs order on the indemnity basis and forthwith before our client can consider that proposal. You have not provided any reason why the warrant should be discharged. The only reason for the vacation of the order is because Mr Panella has now decided to attend his examination. Our client was put to the costs of the warrant application, and on issue of a warrant, the appropriate order is that costs be paid on the indemnity basis: Hughes, in the matter of Firepower Operations Pty Ltd (in liquidation) (No 3) [2010] FCA 141; (2010) 183 FCR 150 at 154, [18]- [24].
These costs should be payable forthwith in the fixed sum of $10,000 for wasted costs and the costs of the application. If that is not agreed, our client will claim further costs incurred in connection with the costs argument.
We understand that Mr Panella is in court for his examination. On that basis, it therefore seems appropriate that orders 2 and 3 made by the court on 9 December 2024 be vacated.
Further, and as foreshadowed in our client's interlocutory process and at the hearing yesterday, our client seeks that his costs thrown away by reason of the non-attendance by Mr Panella on 9 December 2024 and in connection with the warrant, be paid, on the indemnity basis, forthwith. It therefore seems appropriate, subject to what those who act for Mr Panella say, that the parties exchange submissions by no later than 4pm on 11 December 2024 in respect of the question of costs.
(1) The purpose of the lump sum costs provisions is the avoidance of the expense, delay and aggravation involved in protracted litigation arising out of taxation (at [11] citing Innes v AAL Aviation Ltd (No 2) [2018] FCAFC 130 at [12]).
(2) The costs fixed should be proportionate to the nature, including the complexity, of the case (at [11] citing Innes at [17]).
(3) In assessing quantum, the court is entitled to take into account the evidence that is before it, its own observations of the proceedings and the judge's own assessment experience (at [11] citing Innes at [18]).
(4) Of its nature, determination of a gross sum is not the result of a process of taxation or assessment of costs (at [12] citing Harrison v Schipp [2002] NSWCA 213; 54 NSWLR 738 at [22]).
(5) The gross sum can only be fixed broadly having regard to the information before the court, which involves applying a much broader brush than would be applied on taxation (at [12] citing Harrison at [22]).
(6) The approach taken to estimate costs must be logical, fair and reasonable (at [12] citing Harrison at [22]).
(7) Although it is the usual practice of the court when making a lump sum costs order to apply a discount to the amount that the party was liable to pay to its lawyers, that does not mean that the court must apply a percentage discount to the sum sought. Rather, the court must be astute not to cause an injustice to the successful party by applying an arbitrary "failsafe" discount on the costs estimate. Thus, if the court can be confident that there is little risk that the sum includes costs that might be disallowed on assessment the case for a discount is seriously undermined (at [13] citing Hancock v Rinehart (Lump sum costs) [2015] NSWSC 1640 at [57]).
(a) preparing an interlocutory application and supporting affidavits in these proceedings and the filing fee in connection to that application (Application); > > (b) preparing for and appearing at the hearing of this Application before Perry J on 9 December 2024, which included cross examination of Ms Nguyen by plaintiff's counsel, Michael Rose.
(1) attendance of more than one solicitor to instruct on the interlocutory application was "excessive" and it is adequate compensation to allow 2.5 hours for the principal solicitor to instruct without deduction; and
(2) counsel had already prepared submissions and solicitor work in relation to submissions is excessive.
I certify that the preceding sixty-one (61) numbered paragraphs are a true copy of the Reasons for Judgment of the Honourable Justice Perry.
Anglo-Cyprian Trade Agencies Ltd
Paphos Wine Industries Ltd
AOU21 v Minister for Home Affairs (No 2) [2021] FCAFC 212
Broadway Plaza Investments Pty Ltd v Broadway Plaza Pty Ltd (No 3) [2021] NSWSC 1537
Colgate Palmolive Co v Cussons Pty Ltd [1993] FCA 801; (1993) 46 FCR 225
Consolidated Byrnes Holdings Ltd v Hardel Investments Pty Ltd [2009] FCA 399; (2009) 176 FCR 348
Hamod v New South Wales [2002] FCA 424; (2002) 188 ALR 659
Hughes, in the matter of Firepower Operations Pty Ltd (in liq) (No 3) [2010] FCA 141
Hughes, in the matter of Firepower Operations Pty Ltd (in liq) (No 2) [2009] FCA 1457
Jadwan Pty Ltd v Rae & Partners (A Firm) [2023] FCAFC 182
Kazar (Liquidator) v Kargarian; In the matter of Frontier Architects Pty Ltd (in liq) [2011] FCAFC 136; (2011) 197 FCR 113
Krejci, in the matter of Sydney Exotic Aquariums Casula Pty Ltd (in liq) [2024] FCA 1409
Oshlack v Richmond River Council [1998] HCA 11; (1998) 193 CLR 72
Seafolly Pty Ltd v Madden (No 6) [2015] FCA 1369
Wills v Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Skills Quality Authority (Costs) [2022] FCAFC 43
(2011) 197 FCR 113
(1993) 46 FCR 225
(2009) 176 FCR 348
(2002) 188 ALR 659
(1998) 193 CLR 72
(2010) 183 FCR 150