[2025] VSC 221
General information, not legal advice.
Supreme Court of Victoria
2025-04-30
Matthews J
Original judgment source is linked above.
PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE - Costs - Whether leave to proceed against a corporate defendant now in liquidation should be granted so as to pursue making of a costs order - Leave is required - Leave granted, on conditions - Corporations Act 2010 (Cth), s 500(2).
PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE - Costs - Whether leave is required to proceed against a defendant made bankrupt before relevant costs order is made - Leave not required as the costs order is not a provable debt - Foots v Southern Cross Mine Management Pty Ltd (2007) 234 CLR 52 - Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth), ss 58, 60 and 82.
PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE - Costs - Plaintiff seeks order for costs against defendants following Court of Appeal remitting assessment of loss of bargain damages to trial judge, setting aside costs orders previously made by trial judge and reserving the costs of the proceeding to the trial judge - Plaintiff substantially successful following trial, cross-appeal and the outcome of the remitter - No reason to displace ordinary rule that costs follow the event - Costs order made.
(a) Smash pay damages of $100,923.28 to Euromark;
(b) Jason and Malone pay $1,467,099.07 to Euromark;
(c) Euromark pay 50% of Smash's costs on a standard basis from the commencement of the proceeding to 17 May 2019;
(d) Smash, Jason and Malone pay 60% of Euromark's costs of this proceeding on a standard basis from 18 May 2019;
(e) Smash's entitlement to costs be set off against Euromark's entitlement to costs;
(f) there be no order as to the costs of the 2018 proceeding pre-consolidation; and
(g) there be no order as to Dale's costs of the proceeding.
(a) leave to appeal on specified grounds be granted and the appeal be dismissed;
(b) the application for leave to cross-appeal be granted and the cross-appeal be allowed;
(c) the assessment of damages for Euromark's loss of bargain claim, including any interest thereon, be remitted to Lyons J for hearing and determination;
(d) the defendants pay Euromark's costs of the appeal and of the cross-appeal on the standard basis; and
(e) the costs orders made by Lyons J (except for the order in respect of Dale) in the June 2021 Order be set aside and the issue of the costs of the proceeding be reserved to the trial judge.
(a) judgment for Euromark against Smash in the sum of $1,783,096.52, equivalent to £896,006, plus interest of $1,300,585.25; and
(b) the adjournment of the question of the costs of the proceeding to a date to be fixed.
(a) Euromark file and serve short written submissions on costs by 20 March 2025, with such submissions to be served on the liquidators of Smash, on Jason and his trustee in bankruptcy, and on Malone;
(b) The Relevant Defendants file and serve any short written submissions on costs by 3 April 2025;
(c) Euromark file and serve any submissions in reply by 10 April 2025; and
(d) subject to further order, the costs question be dealt with on the papers after 10 April 2025.
(a) Euromark filed submissions on 19 March 2025; and
(b) Jason filed submissions entitled 'Defendants' Submissions on Costs' on 27 March 2025.[10]
(a) costs are a matter that can be determined only by the Court, and cannot be determined through the proof of debt process in a liquidation; and
(b) although Smash's costs liability would not be a provable debt, it might become relevant if the liquidation is terminated or stayed pursuant to s 482(1) of the Corporations Act.[12]
...It was held that Smash had contacted Tesco in February 2012 and discussed the possibility of supplying Tesco directly (the allegation referred to in 9(a) herein); and that while Smash had not engaged in the Planning Conduct (9(b)), Smash had committed the remaining repudiatory breaches alleged at 9(c) to 9(f) herein.
While at first instance it was held that Euromark was not ready, willing and able to perform its obligations as at that date, and so was not entitled to [loss of bargain damages], that finding was overturned on appeal, and Euromark was then awarded damages and interest on the [loss of bargain damages] claim totalling $3,083,681.77. Euromark also succeeded on the Tesco and Wilkinsons claims, and was awarded damages and interest in respect of those claims totalling $100,923.28, and during the trial Smash had paid Euromark the full amount of the WH Smith claim.
I have only addressed the 'Submission of Costs' as the Plaintiff hasn't outlined how the Court should apply the Cost Order if successful.
(a) Whether to grant Euromark leave to proceed against Smash, given that the latter is now in liquidation.
(b) Whether Euromark requires leave to proceed against Jason.
(c) Whether orders for the costs of the proceeding in favour of Euromark should be made against one or more of Smash, Jason or Malone.
Whether to grant Euromark leave to proceed against Smash
... in every winding up, all debts payable by, and all claims against, the company (present or future, certain or contingent, ascertained or sounding only in damages), being debts or claims the circumstances giving rise to which occurred before the relevant date, are admissible to proof against the company.
(a) the liquidator has not opposed the grant of leave;
(b) the costs order would not be a provable debt, so would be unable to be adjudicated in the ordinary course by the liquidator;
(c) even though Smash is in liquidation, there is some (albeit small) utility in pursuing a costs order against Smash. While the possibility of recovering costs against Smash may be low, as that would only arise if the liquidation is terminated or stayed, that possibility does exist. I note for completeness that I have not taken into account Jason's submission on this point (see paragraph 33 above), as he has no standing to make submissions in respect of costs orders against Smash. Even if he did, I do not consider that such a submission tells against granting leave; and
(d) importantly, the condition adequately protects the liquidation process, including the assets available for distribution to creditors of Smash. The condition limits the actions that Euromark can take so as not to divert the attention of the liquidator from their principal function or require the liquidator to incur costs.
Whether Euromark requires leave to proceed against Jason
(a) Section 58(3) of the Act provides (emphasis added):[28]
Except as provided by this Act, after a debtor has become a bankrupt, it is not competent for a creditor:
(a) to enforce any remedy against the person or the property of the bankrupt in respect of a provable debt; or
(b) except with the leave of the Court and on such terms as the Court thinks fit, to commence any legal proceeding in respect of a provable debt or take any fresh step in such a proceeding.
(b) Section 82(1) provides the meaning of 'provable debt' (emphasis added):[29]
... all debts and liabilities, present or future, certain or contingent, to which a bankrupt was subject at the date of bankruptcy, or to which he or she may become subject before his or her discharge by reason of an obligation incurred before the date of the bankruptcy, are provable in his or her bankruptcy.
(a) The majority in Foots reasoned that:[30]
The most that can be said, as Mummery LJ observed in Glenister, is that "[o]nce legal proceedings have been commenced there is always a possibility or a risk that an order for costs may be made against a party". But that risk is not a contingent liability within the sense of s 82(1). The order for costs itself is the source of the legal liability and there is no certainty that the court in question will decide to made an order.
First, the order made falls outside s 82(1) because it was made after bankruptcy, and was thus not a liability "to which a bankrupt was subject at the date of the bankruptcy, or to which he or she may become subject before his or her discharge by reason of an obligation incurred before the date of the bankruptcy" (emphasis added). Secondly ... Mr Foots was under no antecedent obligation to pay costs until the order was made against him. Thirdly, there is no scope in the text or structure of the Act for the notion of an obligation or liability "incidental" to a provable debt.
Had the costs order ... been made and taxed before the appellant's bankruptcy ensued, it would have been a provable debt. Even if the order had not been taxed before bankruptcy, it would nonetheless have been provable as a debt incurred "by reason of an obligation incurred before the date of the bankruptcy"; namely the antecedent making of the costs order. However, the order was made only after bankruptcy had already intervened, and the appellant's liability to meet that order did not arise from an obligation incurred before bankruptcy. Thus, it was not a provable debt and the stay contained in s 58(3) of the Act was not engaged.
Whether orders in favour of Euromark for the costs of the proceeding should be made against Smash, Jason and/or Malone
(a) Jason's submissions as to the utility of making a costs order are, as set out above, misconceived due to his mistaken belief that the costs order would be a provable debt.
(b) Even if Jason had standing to make submissions about Malone, those submissions do not persuade me not to make a costs order against Malone. As I understand it, through previous involvement with an application in this proceeding up to around 19 February 2024, some form of settlement as between Euromark and Malone was reached around that time. This is recorded in the 'other matters' section of the orders I made on 19 February 2024. I do not know and have no evidence as to the content of that settlement and so therefore do not know whether it deals with the costs question. It is no impediment to me making a costs order against Malone.
(a) Euromark have leave pursuant to s 500(2) of the Corporations Act to proceed against Smash in respect of costs, on the condition that no step be taken in the execution of the costs order without leave of the Court on notice to Smash's liquidator;
(b) Smash pay Euromark's costs of this proceeding on the standard basis, including reserved costs, to be taxed in default of agreement; and
(c) Jason and Malone pay:
(i) Euromark's costs of this proceeding on the standard basis, from 18 May 2019; and
(ii) Euromark's costs of proceeding number S ECI 201 01872
SMASH ENTERPRISES PTY LTD (IN LIQ) (A.C.N 091 134 708)
[1] Intending no disrespect and for the sake of convenience and clarity, I refer to Jason by his first name in these reasons. I note that this is also the name used by the parties in the proceeding.
[2] Orders have already been made in the proceeding that there be no order as to the costs of the third defendant, Joseph Dale Harbinson, known as Dale: Orders of Lyons J in Euromark Limited v Smash Enterprises Pty Ltd (ACN 091 134 708) (Supreme Court of Victoria, S ECI 2015 00478, 30 June 2021) [7]. Those orders were not impugned or overturned in subsequent appeals.
[3] Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) sch 2; Euromark Limited v Smash Enterprises Pty Ltd (ACN 091 134 708), (Supreme Court of Victoria, S ECI 2018 01872, commenced by writ on 22 October 2018).
[4] Euromark Limited v Smash Enterprises Pty Ltd [2021] VSC 97 (Trial Reasons).
[5] Euromark Limited v Smash Enterprises Pty Ltd (No 2) [2021] VSC 393 (Costs/Interest Reasons).
[6] Smash Enterprises Pty Ltd v Euromark Ltd [2022] VSCA 267 (Niall, Sifris and Macaulay JJA) (Appeal Reasons).
[7] Euromark Limited v Smash Enterprises Pty Ltd (No 3) [2023] VSC 490 (Remitter Reasons).
[8] The June 2021 Order was made when Euromark had only obtained a 'mixed' result, and the 60% percentage reflected that mixed result. Euromark ultimately had greater success in the proceeding post‑appeal and cross‑appeal, however, Euromark sought to restore the costs order in the June 2021 Order to ensure a greater prospect of actual recovery. This was because the June 2021 Order was made prior to Smash entering liquidation, and would therefore have been a provable debt in the liquidation of Smash: Euromark Limited, 'Plaintiff's Submissions on Costs (Remitter)', Submission in Euromark Limited v Smash Enterprises Pty Ltd (in liq) (ACN 091 134 708), No. S ECI 2015 00478, 19 March 2025, 7 nn 30 (Euromark's Submissions).
[9] Euromark Ltd v Smash Enterprises Pty Ltd (In Liq) [No 2] [2024] VSCA 152, [10]-[11], [18] (Niall and Macaulay JJA).
[10] The outline of submissions entitled 'Defendants' Submissions on Costs', which was filed by Jason, is written in the first-person singular. It is not clear whether these submissions are provided on behalf of all defendants, and in the absence of clarity, I consider that they are submissions of Jason only. I note that no other defendant filed submissions in respect of the costs question.
[11] Leave is required under s 500(2) of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Corporations Act) before Euromark can take any steps against Smash in the proceeding. The application for costs is a step in the proceeding.
[14] Foots v Southern Cross Mine Management Pty Ltd [2007] HCA 56; (2007) 234 CLR 52, [65], [67] (Foots).
[15] Foots [2007] HCA 56; (2007) 234 CLR 52. Euromark also refers to Panorama Investments Pty Ltd v Summit Tower Pty Ltd [2017] VSC 390, where an order for costs was made against a bankrupt after the commencement of his bankruptcy.
[17] Euromark's Submissions [20]-[21] (citations omitted).
[20] Jason Harbinson, 'Defendants' Submission on Costs', Submission in Euromark Limited vs Smash Enterprises Pty Ltd (in liq) (ACN 091 134 708), No. S ECI 2015 00478, 27 March 2025, [3] (Jason's Submissions).
[26] Summer Breeze Pty Ltd v Rohrt (in his capacity as liquidator of Buildark Constructions Pty Ltd (in liq)) [2022] VSC 653.
[27] National Australia Bank Ltd v Market Holdings Pty Ltd (in liq) [2001] NSWSC 253; (2001) 37 ACSR 629, [135].
[30] Foots [36] (citations omitted).
[33] Latoudis v Casey [1990] HCA 59; (1990) 170 CLR 534, 557.
Euromark Ltd
Smash Enterprises Pty Ltd
(2007) 234 CLR 52
(1990) 170 CLR 534