Consideration
22 There are a series of cascading difficulties with the Tesoriero Interlocutory Application.
23 The first seems to me to be determinative in and of itself. The express premise of Mr Tesoriero's application, that is, if he is successful in either defending or demonstrating the inherent weakness of the proceeding commenced by Westpac against him, he will have a "strong claim to recover possession" of the relevant assets, is misconceived. Even assuming that Mr Tesoriero is successful, it does not follow that the liquidation of the entities which hold the relevant assets and the entitlement of those entities to recoup the trust debts from the sale of trust assets will come to an end. This is because, as the Receivers submit, the trustee entities are still required to pay debts due and payable to trust creditors, and the trustees are correspondingly entitled to recoupment or exoneration for liabilities properly incurred in the administration of the trust. This obligation does not disappear like a will-o'-the-wisp in circumstances where Mr Tesoriero is successful.
24 Secondly, on any view of it, the trust liabilities are substantial. The Annexure to these reasons is a copy of a summary relating to the real property assets which identifies the amounts owing pursuant to a registered first mortgage, an unregistered mortgage and additional amounts said by FGFS to have been loans used by the relevant trustee companies in order to purchase the properties.
25 As noted above, the opportunity that Mr Tesoriero seeks is premised upon his claim to recover possession or, perhaps put more accurately, his ability to obtain funds in order to discharge the relevant outstanding trust liabilities so as to prevent the sale of the trust assets. In this regard, Mr Tesoriero places considerable reliance on finance proposals prepared by Blackridge Finance Pty Ltd (Blackridge Finance).
26 The proposal in relation to the Wagstaffe properties is not an agreement to refinance but, rather, a proposal by Blackridge Finance to act as a broker (apparently on behalf of Mr Tesoriero, however, I note that the proposal is directed to the trustee companies) in order to obtain funds from a private lender. The facility sought would be for $11 million, out of which funds for debt refinance amount to $9,363,090. The significant difference between the amount financed and the amount available for debt refinance is explained by the very large costs associated with this proposed refinance, being $1,636,910 (notably, interest in the amount of 10 per cent per annum payable monthly in advance, together with a 1.65 per cent per annum lender facility management fee and a loan establishment fee of three per cent of the amount financed).
27 Further, the proposal is subject to a number of conditions. The most significant are that the loan-to-value ratio is to be no greater than 60 per cent, a further security could be required by the proposed lender, and what is described as an "acceptable takeout strategy" is to be confirmed as acceptable by the lender. These conditions, it seems to me, will necessarily involve either refinancing in the short term, or the sale of the property nine months from the time when the loan was advanced. I was told from the bar table that on the basis of the valuations obtained by the liquidator, even the amount thus far sought to be procured would result in exceeding the loan valuation ratio referred to in the proposal, let alone a greater excess if further funds were able to be secured. This does not augur well for the success of the refinancing proposal on the current evidence.
28 The simple fact is that on the evidence the debts owing in relation to the real property cannot be satisfied if the Receivers do not have the ability to realise trust assets in order to obtain the requisite funds and discharge the debts owing. I can see no realistic prospect of the outstanding trust liabilities being discharged by Mr Tesoriero on the evidence adduced thus far. I hold this view even leaving aside any complications involved by reason of the fact that Mr Tesoriero is not the legal or beneficial owner of the properties.
29 Thirdly, I am not satisfied that any substantial prejudice will be caused by the realisation of the properties in the usual course of the receivership.
30 The issue as to whether or not 6 Bulkara Street is sold has now become acute. An extensive marketing campaign has taken place and an expression of interest process has come to an end. Consistently with what one would expect in the circumstances of a currently buoyant property market, there has been considerable interest in the property at 6 Bulkara Street. Following the expression of interest process, the Receivers are now in a position to enter into contracts with the successful bidder and realise the market value of that property.
31 Mr Tesoriero gives evidence, which I accept, that he has an attachment to the Wagstaffe properties and wishes to hold onto them with the prospect that he might live at one of the properties in his retirement.
32 Although I am conscious of Mr Tesoriero's emotional attachment to the Wagstaffe properties, this must be balanced against the necessity to discharge trust liabilities, and the reality that it is impossible to be a soothsayer about the future of the property market. If I was to intervene at the eleventh hour in relation to the sale of 6 Bulkara Street and the property had to be sold at a later date, there is no undertaking as to damages proffered or any other comfort that the sum to be realised on behalf of the trustee company could be augmented if the property market changed.
33 Further, it is clear, on the evidence, that very considerable steps have already been taken by the Receivers to facilitate the sales process and eventual sale not only of 6 Bulkara Street, but of the properties generally, including 5 Bulkara Street. The reality is that those efforts will be wasted if the sale of the properties is now restrained.
34 Fourthly, Mr Tesoriero has not explained why I am being faced with this application at such a late stage. The evidence discloses that Mr Tesoriero has been aware of the intention of the Receivers to sell the properties for a very long period. Despite this, no steps were taken to relist the proceedings in order to bring this application either last year or over the course of the long vacation.
35 Fifthly, as outlined in the paragraphs which follow, Mr Tesoriero's contention that his agreement to the orders made on 3 September 2021 was based upon representations made by the solicitors for the Receivers is not a sufficient basis upon which to grant the relief sought in the Tesoriero Interlocutory Application.
36 As noted above, there was correspondence between the solicitors for Mr Tesoriero, Fortis Law and the Receivers' solicitors, Allens Linklaters (Allens) in August and September 2021. On 10 August 2021, Allens sent a letter to Fortis Law, which included the following:
Our clients would be content to liaise with your client in relation to matters such as the identity of any sales agent to be engaged, the order in which the Properties are to be sold and any target price for the properties. Assuming your client is not participating as a potential purchaser, subject to any confidentiality requirements of bidders, our clients would be willing to liaise with your client about offers made for the Properties.
37 Further, on 3 September 2021, Allens sent a letter to Fortis law, relevantly stating:
As receivers, our clients would be content to engage with your client regarding the sales process, including the proposed method of sale and the provision of updates. The extent of that engagement, for example whether details of offers received are provided, will need to be assessed at the relevant time (one consideration relevant to this assessment will be whether your client or related parties are participating in the sale process).
38 As noted above, Mr Tesoriero contends that it was reliance upon this understanding that he gave his consent to the orders being made.
39 It is clear that on 10 December 2021, Allens indicated to Mr Tesoriero's current solicitors, Madgwicks Lawyers (Madgwicks) as follows:
The liquidators are taking steps to sell the properties, including by commencing marketing of the properties over the Christmas/ New Year [sic] holiday period. In view of this could you please confirm by no later than 14 December 2021 which of the contents listed in the schedule to our letter your client claims are his personal possessions and provide evidence to support this claim. Should your client fail to respond by this time or provide a satisfactory response (including by providing supporting documentation for his claim), the Liquidators will proceed with the sale on the basis that your client does not contend that he has any claim over the contents.
40 Ten days later, on 20 December 2021, Allens wrote to Madgwicks in the following terms:
In accordance with [orders of the Court], the Receivers are entitled to deal with the Properties to realise their value including, without limitation, to take possession of, maintain and sell the Properties and do all things necessary to achieve this purpose …
The Receivers have engaged agents to commence sale and marketing campaigns which are anticipated to commence on approximately 1 January 2022 in respect of 6 Bulkara and late January 2022 in respect of 5 Bulkara.
41 Three days later, Madgwicks told Allens that their client had been informed that another property in Queensland had been sold by the Receivers on or about 1 December 2021, without any prior notification to those appearing on behalf of Mr Tesoriero. The same day, by separate letter, Madgwicks asserted that, in their view, it would be premature to sell the properties until, at the very least, Mr Tesoriero's strike-out application has been heard and determined. In the absence of an undertaking, it was said that those solicitors would seek to obtain urgent orders preventing the sale and would also seek costs against the liquidators personally.
42 In response, Allens provided various information in relation to the state of the sale of various properties. The Receivers maintain that they were acting appropriately.
43 It appears that the dealings between the solicitors have not been entirely trouble-free. It is unnecessary for me to go into the details. It suffices to say that given the terms of the letters written in August and September 2021, I would have thought that it would have been likely that there would have been greater liaison and engagement with those acting for Mr Tesoriero in relation to the steps that were being taken as to the appointment of the sales agent, the order in which the properties were to be sold and the target price for each property.
44 Having said that, I do not consider on the evidence that I have seen that there was any intention of keeping Mr Tesoriero in the dark. Further, the correspondence does not indicate that Mr Tesoriero was pressing the Receivers' solicitors for precise information. By the end of 2021, it became apparent that the parties were placed in two separate camps: the Receivers thought that they were not only entitled to proceed but ought to proceed to realise the value of the properties, and Mr Tesoriero was of the view that they should be enjoined from doing so.
45 Whatever shortcomings may exist in the nature and content of the communications made to Mr Tesoriero and his solicitors, I do not consider that the result of these concerns should be that the orderly conduct of the receivership should be interfered with. However, going forward, at the very least as a matter of courtesy, it would be appropriate for the Receivers to ensure that communications are made with those acting for Mr Tesoriero which accord with the spirit of the representations that were made prior to the 3 September 2021 orders being made.
46 In the light of the above, I do not consider that the orders in the Tesoriero Interlocutory Application seeking to restrain the Receivers from dealing with the real property assets should be made.