Background
5 The Company's business was to develop software which unifies biometric technology to enhance business processes through unique and secure identification of individuals. All of the Company's employees had either resigned or were made redundant before 8 August 2019.
6 On 8 August 2019, Daniel Gerard Gough and Damien Simon Crabtree purported to pass a resolution pursuant to s 436A of the Corporations Act appointing the first plaintiffs as voluntary administrators of the Company. The appointment documents in evidence include minutes of a meeting of the directors signed by Mr Gough as chairman and an instrument of appointment signed by Messrs Gough and Crabtree. Searches of the register maintained by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission on 12 June 2019, 9 August 2019 and 13 September 2019 indicate that Mr Gough was appointed as a director on 27 October 2015, Mr Crabtree was appointed as a director on 17 May 2019 and neither resigned prior to 8 August 2019.
7 From the time of their appointment and until 14 August 2019, the first plaintiffs and their staff took a number of steps to advance the voluntary administration of the Company as detailed in Mr Billingsley's affidavit sworn on 26 August 2019 at [14].
8 At around 5.45 pm on 14 August 2019, the first plaintiffs received a letter of the same date from Madison Marcus, lawyers for Mr Napoli and Human IQ Pty Ltd. The letter advised that in around November 2018, the Company, Mr Gough, Mr Crabtree and Human IQ entered into a shareholders agreement in relation to the Company. A copy of a document said to be that shareholders agreement was attached to the letter. The letter stated that:
(1) Under the shareholders agreement, Messrs Gough and Crabtree have the right to appoint one director (and as at the date of signing the shareholders agreement, that director was Mr Gough) and Human IQ had the right to appoint one director.
(2) The appointment of Mr Crabtree as a director on 17 May 2019 was in breach of the shareholders agreement.
(3) On 5 August 2019, Human IQ sent a notice of appointment of Mr Napoli as a director by pre-paid post in accordance with clause 3.5 of the shareholders agreement with the result that his appointment took effect on 7 August 2019.
(4) Under clause 4.1 of the shareholders agreement, a quorum of directors was a minimum of two directors and if there is no quorum a meeting cannot proceed.
(5) Mr Napoli was not notified of, nor did he attend, the meeting of directors to consider the appointment of administrators, nor was he consulted in relation to that appointment.
(6) Mr Crabtree was not entitled to vote at the directors' meeting.
(7) The first plaintiffs had therefore not been validly appointed pursuant to s 436A of the Corporations Act.
9 By a circular to creditors dated 16 August 2019, the first plaintiffs advised creditors that their appointment as voluntary administrators may be contested and of their intention to make an application to the Court concerning it. They said:
We would encourage all creditors to ventilate any concerns that they may have with respect to our appointment as Administrators of the Company and to indicate - whether at the first creditors meeting or in writing before or after that meeting - their consent or opposition with the course proposed by the Administrators in respect of the proposed Court action.
10 The first meeting of creditors of the Company was held on 19 August 2019. At the meeting, the first plaintiffs discussed the need to bring an application in relation to their appointment and no objection was raised to their appointment or the application. Mr Napoli was allowed to attend the meeting as an observer.
11 The first plaintiffs say that an order validating their appointment is justified and consistent with the overriding objects of Part 5.3A because:
(1) The persons acting on the basis that they were directors on 8 August 2019 believed that the Company was insolvent or likely to become insolvent at the time the resolution was passed.
(2) Mr Billingsley believes that the Company is insolvent based on:
(a) The balance sheet of the Company as at 8 August 2019 created on that day discloses a deficit of assets over liabilities of $129,516.50. Since the first plaintiffs have had access to the Company's books and records, it appears that there is further "decay" in the Company's financial position to a deficit of $153,704.49;
(b) The Company's liability to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) may increase because it has several outstanding lodgements. It also has a history of unfulfilled payment arrangements with the ATO;
(c) The Company's profit and loss statement for the period from 1 July 2019 to 8 August 2019 revealed a net loss of $326,015.81; and
(d) The Company is no longer trading and it has no employees so that (save for revenue derived under the Licence Agreement referred to below and $1,0154.54 in cash at bank held as at 8 August 2019) it has no sources of revenue to meet existing liabilities.
(3) On 7 August 2019, the ATO issued director penalty notices to Messrs Gough and Crabtree.
(4) Having reviewed the Company's bank statements for the period between June and August 2019, it appears that there have been movements of money between the Company's bank account and Mr Gough's. While it appears that all amounts taken out were returned, it bears investigation.
12 The Company had an unwritten service and maintenance agreement with a major client for about three years. The Company's final services were to be completed in September 2019. The expected revenue for those final services is approximately $77,724, The first plaintiffs approved entry into a Licence Agreement with Mr Gough for use of the Company's property to enable provision of those services to the client because:
(1) The licence was necessary to enable Mr Gough to provide the service to a longstanding client.
(2) Completion of the work was in the best interest of the creditors of the Company because it would preserve value in the Company's business while the first plaintiffs attempt to initiate a sale of the Company's business and assets, which remains a course they wish to exhaust.
(3) Subject to the terms of the Licence Agreement it will generate income.
(4) The Company did not have the funds to pay the upfront costs (wages, travel expenses and accommodation) necessary to perform the works required and Mr Gough agreed to fund those costs on the basis that he would be reimbursed.
(5) The first plaintiffs in their absolute discretion may elect to terminate the Licence Agreement.
13 The fact of the Licence Agreement has been disclosed to creditors. The revenue derived under the Licence Agreement would not be sufficient to change the first plaintiffs' view of the solvency of the Company.
14 The first plaintiffs believe that the intellectual property and client lists of the Company are assets which hold material value which could be sold to an interested purchaser. For reasons set out in the next paragraph, the first plaintiffs have not advertised the business for sale, but if their appointment is validated, Mr Billingsley would expect a sale process to take about four weeks, or perhaps longer depending on the number of interested parties.
15 Since learning of the issue concerning their appointment, the first plaintiffs have been unwilling to advance the voluntary administration as they are concerned that, if the relief sought in the originating process were not granted, they may face personal liability for any step they take in that respect. The unwillingness of the first plaintiffs to advance the administration was strengthened when the defendant opposed the relief sought at the first case management hearing held on 28 August 2019 before Lee J. The defendant's opposition was only withdrawn on 25 September 2019.
16 Mr Billingsley says that the first plaintiffs would have pressed for orders under s 447A in relation to their appointment as administrators at the case management hearing on 28 August 2019 had the defendant not opposed the orders at that time. In his view, it will take the first plaintiffs four weeks to conduct their functions so that it is likely that an extension of the convening period to 30 September 2019 would have been sufficient if the relief they sought had been granted then.
17 The functions still to be undertaken are:
(1) Exploring opportunities to turn the business of the Company around, sell the business or sell the assets of the Company (specifically its intellectual property) with a view to improving any return to the Company's creditors;
(2) Reviewing the books and records of the Company and taking advice in respect of any recovery actions that might be available were the Company to enter liquidation; and
(3) Weighing the costs/benefits of any possibilities referred to in (1) against any possibilities referred to in (2) for the purposes of making a recommendation to creditors of the Company as to what ought to occur following the end of the convening period and producing a meaningful report pursuant to s 75-225 of Insolvency Practice Rules (Corporations) 2016 (Cth).
Accordingly, the extension now sought is until 31 October 2019.
18 The Company is not trading and there are no employees whose interests the Court would otherwise be concerned about when asked to extend the convening period. In relation to any prejudice to other creditors of the Company arising from the continuation of the statutory moratorium, the first plaintiffs have communicated their intention to apply to the Court for a further extension of the convening period and invited creditors to state whether they consent or oppose the application.
19 By a circular dated 19 September 2019, the first plaintiffs advised that the hearing of the application in relation to their appointment as voluntary administrators was set down for hearing on 30 September 2019 and the application for extension of the convening period until 31 October 2019 was listed for hearing on 27 September 2019. Copies of the interlocutory process and Mr Billingsley's affidavits sworn on 26 August 2019 and 13 and 17 September 2019 were attached to the circular. Those affidavits, along with the affidavit of Christopher Athanassios sworn on 26 September 2019, were read on both applications. The hearing on 27 September 2019 was stood over to 30 September 2019.
20 Other than Mr Napoli, who withdrew his opposition to orders relating to the first plaintiff's appointment as voluntary administrators on 25 September 2019, the first plaintiffs received no notice of any opposition to the request for extension of the convening period or orders in relation to their appointment as voluntary liquidators and no creditor appeared at the hearings on 27 or 30 September 2019 to oppose those orders being made. Counsel for Mr Napoli appeared at both hearings seeking to establish a timetable for dealing with the issue of costs. A form of orders in relation to the issue of costs was agreed between Mr Napoli and the first plaintiffs.