Are the Friggers entitled to an order restraining practitioners?
115 In relation to the Friggers' application for an order to restrain practitioners, Mrs and Mr Frigger submit as follows:
10. The court enjoys an inherent jurisdiction to determine which of its officers are allowed to represent parties to argue cases, which is directed at preserving the proper administration of justice. In so doing, the court takes account of the appearance to a reasonably informed member of the public, and inquires into whether such a person would conclude that justice requires the lawyer be prevented from action.
11. The jurisdiction to disqualify lawyers has been exercised in circumstances such as where the lawyer is likely to be called as a material witness in the case or where the subject matter of the litigation was likely to involve an evaluation of the lawyer's conduct.
12. Because of the potential for conflicting interests, and consequent implications for the integrity of the trial process, the court's inherent jurisdiction to protect the proper administration of justice can operate to disqualify one of its officers from acting as both lawyer and witness. The court views the issue from the perspective of what a air- minded, reasonably informed member of the public would conclude about the requirements for the proper administration of justice: Halsburys Laws of Australia 250-5120
13. The court's exercise of this jurisdiction depends upon both the likelihood that the lawyer will be called as a witness on a material contentious matter, and also the impact of this upon the integrity of the trial process. Due weight is also given to the public interest that a litigant should not be deprived of counsel of choice without good cause, which in the balance may be impacted upon by the level of cost, inconvenience or even impracticability of the lawyer ceasing to act. The lawyer's disqualification may be justified where, for instance, a fair-minded reasonably informed observer would perceive that in acting as a witness there arises the potential for the misuse of confidential information,8 there is the prospect that the lawyer is seen as having a personal interest in the outcome of the case, that the independence and objectivity of the lawyer may be otherwise compromised or that for some other reason the administration of justice would otherwise be imperilled. Delay in making the application to disqualify can, where prejudice will ensue, incline the court against disqualifying the lawyer. At the same time, an application made at a stage too early to determine whether the lawyer may be called as a witness may likewise be denied.
14. Bahonko v Nurses Board of Victoria (No 3) [2007] FCA 491; BC200702374 at [15]-[18] (where the applicant had made serious criminal allegations against a solicitor representing the first respondent, Middleton J ordered that the solicitor be restrained from acting in the proceedings because there was 'a real likelihood of an evaluation of the conduct of [the solicitor] in the proceedings, and a real likelihood that [the solicitor] will need to justify or defend herself in the proceedings',
15. The applicants submit that the respondents' solicitors were each involved in the matters in paragraph 9 above for their own personal benefit and their evidence will be necessary to prove those matters.
Cameron Eastwood
16. Mr Eastwood will be a material witness in the following issues at trial:
a. The circumstances surrounding the automatic termination of the DOCA on 30 August 2009;
b. His affidavit of 9 September 2015 where he states:
i. 'there was no need for the creation of a third DOCA and I have never seen one;
ii. 'I have never represented that such a further document exists and know of no occasion when Mr Holbrook (Deed Administrator) has ever made such a claim;
iii. 'I am informed by Mr Lenhoff and also by the Second Applicant (Mr Campbell-Smith) and verily believe that at no time have they ever created any third version of the DOCA;
iv. 'any amended versions of the DOCA that were prepared were made by Mr Holbrook and/or his solicitors Hotchkin Hanly;
In circumstances where he prepared an affidavit of Mr Campbell Smith dated 10 September 2010 and attached a third version of DOCA.
(A Frigger Affidavit page 90 - 121)
17. In [2012] WASC444 at [16] Simmonds J found that no further amendments had been made to the DOCA other than the amendments contained in the June Version-two.
18. Mr Eastwood's letter of 7 May 2014 to the liquidator of CAT, where he alleged (A Frigger Affidavit page 87-89):
a. 'the original judgment was based on evidence given by (the applicants)…as to the beneficial ownership of a property…and trading results of CAT…in proof to have suffered loss and damage'
The trial judge found that his award of damages would have been made even if CAT held the property on trust, and the award of damages was not based on CAT's trading results subsequent to purchase: [2008] WASC 183.
b. 'Mrs Frigger has provided on oath regarding the underlying ownership of the property…which is completely inconsistent with the evidence given at trial;
c. 'the re-drafted historical financial statements…are entirely inconsistent with the evidence at trial' in circumstances where the judgment in [2008] WASC 183 was not based on the trading results of CAT.
d. 'It is our opinion that the original decision…was obtained by…false evidence…where had the evidence now maintained to be true been given…the judgment would not have been given at all.
e. 'Our clients have suffered substantial loss and damage as a consequence of the fraud;
f. 'Assuming an admission of liability we trust that the calculation of loss and damage could be made within…(by) negotiation of our clients' proof of debt;
The above were said to be opinions of Mr Eastwood and not of his clients and Mr Eastwood will be called to give material evidence in what he was trying to achieve with the liquidator, and is material to the applicants' pleading in the statement of claim.
19. The third material issue which Mr Eastwood will be required to give evidence is in relation to the claim for costs made in CIV2265/2006 in respect of Banning Holdings Pty Ltd, in circumstances where that firm had no separate representation at any of the hearings and there are no legal costs shown to be owing by BH personally: (A Frigger affidavit page 76 - 86)
20. The fourth material issue which Mr Eastwood will be required to give evidence is in relation to bills of costs and costs disclosure where Mr Campbell-Smith's Statement of Assets and Liabilities (A Frigger affidavit page 76 and 77) shows that the deceased estate has a contingent asset of $350,000 in legal costs which is exactly the same amount said to be owing to CAT).
21. The fifth material issue which Mr Eastwood will be required to given evidence is a matter that has arisen recently in CIV2265/06, where he obtained an indemnity cost order against the applicants for $44,000 for an interlocutory application for stay in circumstances where none of the respondents have any funds or assets and whether cost disclosure had been given and accepted by Mr Campbell-Smith for that amount of legal costs and whether Mrs Sandra Banning was also privy to that cost disclosure.
22. The above matters relate to the applicants claims for loss and damage at paragraphs 1, 8 and 9 in the Originating Summons and in Statement of Claim paragraphs 7, 9, 10, 11, 15, 27(f), (g), (h), 32, 33, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, 48.
Timothy Stephenson
23. Mr Stephenson will be required to give evidence in relation to:
a. His knowledge of the terms and effect of the DOCA and his involvement in:
i. the issue of the statutory demand in the knowledge that the Appeal Judgment was obtained by fraud,
ii. freezing orders against the assets of the Frigger Super Fund totalling $4,000,000 in the knowledge that the Appeal Judgment was obtained by fraud,
iii. application for liquidator appointment in December 2009 in the knowledge that the Appeal Judgment was obtained by fraud,
iv. application for provisional liquidator appointment in January 2010 on the just and equitable ground based on the unsubstantiated allegations of criminality and wrong-doing: (A Frigger affidavit page 127 and 169);
v. application for insolvent winding up of CAT in January 2010 on the just and equitable ground based on the unsubstantiated allegations of criminality and wrong-doing: (A Frigger affidavit page 127 and 169);
b. His written and oral submissions alleging:
i. '$2m of CAT's assets had disappeared' (A Frigger affidavit page 127,129,131,134,141,142,144,163,165,166, );
ii. 'one possible purpose of the trip overseas is to sequester that money overseas' (A Frigger affidavit page 129, 131);
iii. 'and the mismanagement that may flow from that' (A Frigger affidavit page 129);
iv. 'to freeze assets that may be under the control of Mr & Mrs Frigger to stop them from acting in relation to the matter. It is just an awful lot of money to have gone missing (A Frigger affidavit page 130);
v. 'in November 2009 all of the real estate assets that belonged to the company were removed (A Frigger affidavit page 131);
vi. 'so what has been left…is a patent or trademark worth $350,000 (A Frigger affidavit page 131);
vii. 'the next reference of course is to the fixed charge…to frustrate the orders of the court (A Frigger affidavit page 131. 161,);
viii. 'so we waited that period before issuing any further statutory demand (A Frigger affidavit page 132);
ix. 'depending upon which audience…she believes it appropriate to sway…she will tell one story….and a different audience…a different story...and she is quite prepared to actually do that on oath: (A Frigger affidavit page 134);
x. 'has sought to convince the court that her husband and herself were appointed as trustees of (Frigger Super Fund) (A Frigger affidavit page 136, 137, 143, 156, 157,158,159, 160, 161,168,169,);
'that this is actually a lie' (A Frigger affidavit page 143);
xi. 'a non-trustee…is holding on to a sum of $900,000, that is Mr Frigger, of course: (A Frigger affidavit page 136);
xii. 'it leaves the court with the impression the company has been stripped of all its assets (A Frigger affidavit page 137);
xiii. 'now..Mr Kitay tells the court he has been 'pursuing and pursuing to obtain information from (the applicants) (A Frigger affidavit page 138)
xiv. 'well Mrs Frigger is not well and she can't comply with your request but I note that a new and improved version of that story has come out in the most recent affidavit; (A Frigger affidavit page 138, 150);
xv. 'now a very grave concern that (the applicants) are purporting to run a business which belongs to the company: (A Frigger affidavit page 139,141,);
xvi. '(the applicants) don't know what their corporate responsibilities stop and their personal rights begin…and that ties in neatly with the just and equitable ground' (A Frigger affidavit page 139, 140);
xvii. 'well if you have a guarantee for a business that doesn't belong to you, how does that work?' (A Frigger affidavit page 139);
xviii. 'pursuant to a lease….which is not stamped' (A Frigger affidavit page 140); stamp duty on leases was abolished from 1 July 2008, the lease commenced on 1 July 2009.
xix. 'first of all the rather lavish claim is made,…(the applicants) have funded from their personal funds the cash flow (A Frigger affidavit page 141);
xx. 'even if (the applicants) wish to meet the company's liabilities, they will meet them from money they have already stripped, (A Frigger affidavit page 142);
xxi. 'the liability under the judgment is due and payable (A Frigger affidavit page 129); in circumstances where the judgment was obtained by fraud;
xxii. 'when they had an opportunity at short notice to argue the matter before the Court of Appeal, (the applicants' solicitor) fronted up and asked for an adjournment; (A Frigger affidavit page 142); in circumstances where through the tortious interference of Mr Lenhoff, the applicants' solicitor Clavey Legal had withdrawn from the retainer on 30 March 2010 and the applicants' had no competent and experienced solicitor to argue the matter;
xxiii. 'in your reasons you might want to refer to some earlier paragraphs, (A Frigger affidavit page 143);
xxiv. 'Mrs Frigger was using company debts to her own hands (A Frigger affidavit page 144);
xxv. 'Management of the corporation by (the applicants) was in appropriate, that they are not appropriate managers (A Frigger affidavit page 145);
xxvi. 'The company was placed in members voluntary liquidation and Mr Trinick was not pursuing the issues which the creditors would like him to pursue, (A Frigger affidavit page 145);
xxvii. 'the company had been stripped…there was no way forward other than to take those proceedings'; in circumstances where the judgment was obtained by fraud and Mrs Sandra Banning was not provided with the applicants' 7 offers to secure $850,000;
xxviii. '(the applicants) have never sought the stay of the judgment; (A Frigger affidavit page 147); in circumstances where through the tortious interference of Mr Lenhoff, the applicants' solicitor Clavey Legal had withdrawn from the retainer on 30 March 2010 and the applicants' had no competent and experienced solicitor to argue the stay application on 16 April 2010.
xxix. 'they are not the type of people to be placed back in the management of their company; (A Frigger affidavit page 150);
xxx. 'the forcing of (Mr Stephenson's clients) to accept a conditional offer of payment (the condition was the set-off of costs which was a contractual right under the DOCA and s 553C Corporations Act) from the company's own money inappropriately removed; (A Frigger affidavit page 150);
xxxi. 'the inadequacy of the $850,000…it too is inadequate; (A Frigger affidavit page 151, 152, ); 'the obligation to pay is a present one, there can't be any doubt of that (A Frigger affidavit page 153);
xxxii. 'the company was previously the tenant' (A Frigger affidavit page 168); the company was never the tenant, it could not lease a property to itself; it was running an in-house asset of the Frigger Super Fund, which offended the provisions of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act and was required to lease it to a third party, and the applicants were the only and reluctant takers of that lease.
24. The applicants allege that all of the above submissions were false, were made for ulterior purposes of the litigation, and were not made for the genuine purpose of the Court of Appeal decision which was the reduction of the original judgment sum. On the authority in White Industries (Qld) Pty Ltd v Flower & Hart (1998) Mr Stephenson will be required to give evidence as to the matters in paragraph 42 of Mrs Frigger's affidavit.
In circumstances where the applicants have incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in unnecessary legal costs, and have been ordered to pay the same to the respondents, the court will be required to decide to what extent is Mr Stephenson liable for those costs.
25. Mr Stephenson will also give evidence as to his knowledge of Mr Lenhoff's tortious interference in the applicants' legal representation: (A Frigger affidavit page 170-181) where he denied on behalf of Mr Lenhoff that such tortious interference occurred.
26. Mr Stephenson will also give evidence as to the fees he charged the respondents, and whether he charged Banning Holdings separately for the same proceedings and an explanation of his knowledge of the Statement of Assets and Liabilities of Mr Campbell-Smith. Mr Stephenson will also be required to given evidence as to any cost disclosure he gave the respondents, and whether the contingent cost asset of Mr Campbell-Smith of $350,000 is a true reflection of the value of legal services he provided to the respondents and whether he has provided inflated invoices resulting in the asset so referred: (A Frigger affidavit page 72-81, 82-86): [2010] WASC 171 @ [23].
27. Furthermore the Statement of Assets and Liabilities clearly shows the respondents' intention to breach the DOCA:
a. Sale proceeds of 11 Lacey Street, Perth earmarked for the payment of the applicants legal and enforcement costs in the original judgment (DOCA clause 5.1.3) is shown as an asset of, and to be paid to, Banning Holdings Pty Ltd.
b. Repayment of $850,000 by CAT in circumstances where either no repayment was required (DOCA clause 6.3), the amount to be repaid was overstated by approximately $100,000 (DOCA clause 6.1.3) or the amount is listed as a 'Loan to Estate'.
c. CAT's/applicants legal and enforcement costs to be paid by 'Estate of Banning' $350,000, and not pursuant to the DOCA clause 5.1.3.
28. The above matters relate to the applicants claims for loss and damage at paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9 in the Originating Summons and in Statement of Claim paragraphs 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 44, 45, 47, 48.
David Lenhoff
29. Mr Lenhoff will be called as a witness in relation to the following matters:
a. Submissions in CACV76/08 prepared by his firm (A Frigger affidavit page 63-69, 70-71) upon which submissions the chief justice stated on 2 October 2015 that the Repayment Orders were made, which submissions were false and accordingly the Repayment Orders were obtained by fraud;
b. Legal services, invoices and cost disclosures (A Frigger affidavit page 72-81,);
c. Mr Stephenson's allegations against the applicants (see paragraph 23 above) (A Frigger affidavit page 127-169);
d. Tortious interference (A Frigger affidavit page 170-188);
e. His plan with Mr Campbell-Smith to pay his fees 'via the DOCA', which was not permitted under the DOCA (A Frigger affidavit page 72-81);
30. The above matters relate to the applicants claims for loss and damage at paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 in the Originating Summons and in Statement of Claim paragraphs 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 44, 45, 47, 48.
Stewart Forbes
31. Mr Forbes will give evidence in relation to an affidavit filed in support of the provisional liquidator appointment in January 2010 in COR2/2010 where he alleged that Mrs Frigger was stealing fees from CAT;
32. His interference in legal proceedings between Mrs Frigger and her clients Dr & Mrs Ghassemifar, in circumstances where Magistrate Bromfield awarded Mrs Frigger the fees claimed.
33. His advice to Dr & Mrs Ghassemifar to file a proof of debt against CAT for $180,000 which has been rejected by CAT's liquidator.
34. The above matters relate to the applicants claims for loss and damage at paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9 in the Originating Summons and in Statement of Claim paragraphs 32, 33, 36, 44, 47, 48.
116 Mrs and Mr Frigger also contend that the Court should direct Mrs Sandra Banning to obtain new legal representation. The Court will not deal with this particular submission, as it is not relevant to the restraint of the lawyers question.
117 For the reasons advanced in the respondents' submissions, which I essentially adopt because I consider them to be substantially correct, I would not make the restraining order sought.