REASONS FOR JUDGMENT
1 This proceeding was commenced by the first plaintiff (BCI Finances) on 15 January 2015 in the South Australia District Registry of this Court. It was subsequently transferred to the New South Wales District Registry.
2 On the same day that the proceeding was commenced, BCI Finances applied for urgent interlocutory relief against some of the defendants. That relief was granted in part. Subsequent applications led to further interlocutory relief being granted by the Court.
3 When the proceeding was commenced, BCI Finances was the only plaintiff. At that time, six individuals were named as defendants along with four corporate entities associated with one or more of those individuals. There were ten defendants altogether.
4 The number and identity of the defendants has not changed since the proceeding was instituted. However, on 5 June 2015, I added as additional plaintiffs the second, third and fourth plaintiffs, each of which was wound up in insolvency by order of the Supreme Court of NSW made on 2 March 2015 upon the application of the Commissioner of Taxation (Cth) (the Commissioner).
5 The defendants may be sensibly grouped into four separate groups. These are:
(a) The Gary Binetter group comprising the first, fifth, seventh and ninth defendants;
(b) The Andrew Binetter group comprising the fourth, eighth and tenth defendants;
(c) The Margaret Binetter group comprising the second and third defendants; and
(d) Michael Binetter, who is the sixth defendant.
6 The defendant parties have conducted the litigation so far in the groups which I have identified. The defendants' legal representation has corresponded with those groupings.
7 There is also a group of third parties (the Nudie parties) who are not parties to this proceeding but who are affected by certain freezing orders made by the Court against them some time ago. Those parties are Nudie Franchising Systems Pty Limited (ACN 102 561 923), Nudie Foods Pty Limited (ACN 107 914 554), Nudie Pty Limited (ACN 102 660 024), Real Juice Pty Limited (ACN 102 224 842), Nudie Foods Australia Pty Limited (ACN 110 000 265) and Tamarama Fresh Juices Australia Pty Limited (ACN 003 994 072).
8 The final hearing of this proceeding is fixed to commence on 31 August 2015 with a current estimate of five days. The matter is factually complex. The evidence is largely documentary although the plaintiffs intend to call three or four witnesses. It is very unlikely that the defendants will call any witnesses or tender any documents.
9 Each group of defendants has applied to the Court for an order that the plaintiffs provide security for that group's costs. The Nudie parties have also applied for security for their costs.
10 The plaintiffs do not suggest that the Court should determine the question of security upon a basis that ignores the current groupings of the defendants or which assumes that the level of representation reflected in those groupings is inappropriate. The plaintiffs accept that the Court should consider the provision of security for each of the particular groups which I have identified. The plaintiffs also accept that, because they are insolvent, the Court's jurisdiction to order security has been engaged. The issues in dispute relate to the manner in which the Court's discretion should be exercised.
11 The only known creditor in the liquidation of the plaintiff corporations is the Commissioner. The Commissioner is the person who will derive the entire benefit of this proceeding should the plaintiffs be successful. The Commissioner is funding the present proceeding pursuant to a Deed of Indemnity entered into between the liquidators of the plaintiffs and the Commissioner in early 2015 (Principal Deed of Indemnity), the execution of which was approved by the Court (as to which see Sheahan, In the Matter of BCI Finances Pty Ltd (In Liq) [2015] FCA 121). Most of the terms of the Principal Deed of Indemnity have been kept confidential as between the liquidators of BCI Finances and the Commissioner.
12 Soon after the proceeding was commenced, some of the defendants raised the question of security for costs. Thereafter, the parties engaged in many communications back and forth concerning the form which any security should take and the quantum of such security. For some time now, there has been no real dispute between the plaintiffs, on the one hand, and the defendants, on the other hand, of the need for appropriate provision to be made by way of security for the defendants' costs.
13 Each of the Gary Binetter group and Andrew Binetter group seeks security in the amount of $500,000. Michael Binetter initially sought security in the amount of $510,000 but, as a result of the joinder of the additional plaintiffs, now seeks $900,000. The Margaret Binetter group seeks $350,000. The Nudie parties seek protection for the costs which they have already incurred and which they will incur in the future.
14 The Nudie parties claim an order for security in the amount of $200,000. They point to the fact that substantial costs have already been incurred by them in addressing the freezing orders made against them - as at 21 May 2015, those parties say that they have incurred costs totalling $85,590.19 - and that further costs will be incurred in respect of the final hearing of the plaintiffs' claims. However, they acknowledge that no substantive relief is sought against them. Rather, it is clear that the causes of action which underpin the freezing orders obtained against the Nudie parties are the causes of action pleaded and relied upon against the defendants.
15 The Nudie parties submit that the appropriate way of addressing the claims for security made by the defendants and the Nudie parties is for the Court to join the Commissioner as a party to the proceeding. They also seek the costs of their application for security.
16 The Gary Binetter group, the Andrew Binetter group, the Margaret Binetter group and the Nudie parties have reserved their position in relation to seeking an increase in the amount of security depending upon the result of their initial applications for security. They may wish to argue that the amount of security should be increased for the same reasons as are now advanced on behalf of Michael Binetter.
17 The plaintiffs filed a Written Submission on 19 May 2015 in which they contended that they had provided adequate security for the costs of all of the defendants. They argued that adequate security was in place as a result of BCI Finances entering into a Deed of Indemnity dated 28 April 2015 with the Commissioner (Deed of Indemnity). The plaintiffs acknowledge that they have not made any provision for security for the costs of the Nudie parties. The Deed of Indemnity does not mention those parties at all. The plaintiffs argue that they are not obliged to secure the costs of those parties.
18 The defendants are not content with the arrangements made between BCI Finances and the Commissioner in respect of their costs. The defendants seek a more certain arrangement either by way of payment of cash into Court or the provision of one or more bank guarantees in appropriate terms. At my suggestion, some of the defendants have taken up the idea that the most appropriate way of securing their costs is by joining the Commissioner as a party to this proceeding. Other defendants do not support such an order. The Commissioner has been given leave to make submissions on the point. In those submissions, the Commissioner opposes any order joining him as a party to this proceeding. He has proffered an undertaking to the Court as one means of dealing with the outstanding applications for security for costs in the event that the Court is not satisfied that the Deed of Indemnity provides appropriate security for the defendants. The proffered undertaking is considered by the defendants to be inadequate. However, the defendants accept that an appropriately worded undertaking from the Commissioner would be a satisfactory method of securing their costs.
19 The submissions of the defendants and of the Nudie parties are contained in Written Submissions filed on behalf of each of the four defendant groups and on behalf of the Nudie parties. Those documents will be retained in the Court file.
20 Subject to the reservation noted at [16] above, each of the Gary Binetter group and the Andrew Binetter group, on the one hand, and the plaintiffs, on the other hand, agree that:
(a) Security for those defendants' costs must be provided; and
(b) The amount of that security should be $500,000.
21 The dispute between the plaintiffs and those defendants concerns the method by which security is to be provided. The plaintiffs and the Commissioner say that the defendants should be satisfied with the terms and effect of the Deed of Indemnity. The defendants argue that the Deed of Indemnity does not provide adequate protection for them. They variously seek cash, a bank guarantee or the joinder of the Commissioner as a party in order to render him directly amenable to the jurisdiction of the Court in respect of costs. The defendants contend that the Court can and should join the Commissioner as a party even if the only reason for doing so is to render him potentially liable for an order for costs in favour of the defendants.
22 The Margaret Binetter group seeks $350,000 but only to cover the period up to the first day of the hearing. That group reserved the right to seek to top up that amount. The plaintiffs and the Commissioner seek to restrict that group to that amount for the whole case including the hearing. Otherwise, the Margaret Binetter group takes the same points about the adequacy of the Deed of Indemnity as are taken by the Andrew Binetter group.
23 Michael Binetter seeks an order for security in the amount of $900,000 provided either by cash deposit or bank guarantee or the joinder of the Commissioner as a party to the present proceeding.
24 The parties have tendered a great deal of evidence in support of their respective positions including vast amounts of correspondence in which their respective positions have been set out. It is not necessary to traverse that correspondence in detail. It is clear that, right from the start, the defendant parties have been seeking to procure adequate security for their costs. There is no question of delay here. Also, the plaintiffs accept that security must be provided. After all, without the Commissioner's backing, they would have no funds to conduct this proceeding. Further, although the plaintiffs and the Commissioner have sought to restrict the Margaret Binetter group to $350,000 for the whole proceeding, that endeavour is, at best, opportunistic. There seems to be broad agreement that, subject to the potential for an increase in the costs to be incurred in this proceeding brought about by the joinder of additional plaintiffs, $500,000 per defendant grouping is an appropriate amount. I propose to determine the present applications upon the basis that, subject to the reservation to which I have referred at [16] above, $500,000 is an appropriate amount to order in respect of each defendant group as security for their costs.
25 The Nudie parties are in a special position. No relief is sought against those parties. The justification for the freezing orders made against them will have to be assessed when the result of the case is known. At the moment, I have difficulty accepting that those parties need to be present at the final hearing of the plaintiffs' claims. I do not consider that the Nudie parties have made out a case for security.
26 The Nudie parties also seek the costs of the present application. I will not make any order as to the costs of that application at the moment. In my judgment, the appropriate order at the moment is that the costs of that application be reserved to await final judgment in this proceeding. It is likely that the result of the present litigation will have a substantial bearing on whether the Nudie parties should have the benefit of an order for costs at all and, if so, against whom.
27 For all of the above reasons, the only real dispute to be determined by the Court concerning security for costs as between the plaintiffs and the Commissioner, on the one hand, and the defendants, on the other hand, is the form in which security should be provided.
28 As I have already said, the plaintiffs and the Commissioner submit that the Deed of Indemnity provides adequate protection for the defendants. The defendants argue that the Deed of Indemnity is deficient and that the Court should order that cash be deposited with the Court or, alternatively, that an appropriate bank guarantee be provided or, alternatively, that the Commissioner be joined as a party.
29 In order to determine the principal matter in dispute amongst the parties, it is necessary to consider the terms of the Deed of Indemnity.