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England and Wales High Court (Chancery Division) Decisions |
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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> England and Wales High Court (Chancery Division) Decisions >> Torotrak Plc, Re (Re the Insolvency Act 1986) [2023] EWHC 115 (Ch) (05 January 2023) URL: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Ch/2023/115.html Cite as: [2023] BCC 489, [2023] 2 BCLC 70, [2023] EWHC 115 (Ch) |
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BUSINESS AND PROPERTY COURTS IN MANCHESTER
INSOLVENCY AND COMPANIES LIST (ChD)
1 Bridge Street West Manchester M60 9DJ |
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B e f o r e :
(Sitting as a Judge of the High Court)
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IN THE MATTER OF TOROTRAK PLC (IN LIQUIDATION) AND IN THE MATTER OF THE INSOLVENCY ACT 1986 |
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SCOTT CHRISTIAN BEVAN SIMON DAVID CHANDLER (as the Joint Liquidators of Torotrak Plc (in Liquidation)) |
Applicants |
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2nd Floor, Quality House, 6-9 Quality Court, Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1HP.
Telephone No: 020 7067 2900. DX 410 LDE
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.martenwalshcherer.com
the Applicants
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Crown Copyright ©
JUDGE HODGE KC:
(1) Whether further steps should be taken to trace members, what steps are proportionate, and how the cost of taking those steps should be financed?
(2) To whom the Liquidators may make a distribution of the surplus, and when?
(3) In what proportions the Liquidators may make any such distributions?
(4) Generally, in respect of the proposed distribution of the surplus by the liquidators?
"(2) The court, if satisfied that the determination of the question or the required exercise of power, will be just and beneficial, may accede wholly or partially to the application on such terms and conditions as it thinks fit, or may make such other order on the application as it thinks just."
Ms Linklater emphasises that the test to be applied by the court is whether it is just and beneficial to make the order.
"…a balance has to be struck between the desirability of distributing assets to known creditors sooner rather than later and the potential injustice of leaving someone who has a valid claim with no effective remedy."
Newey J further noted (at paragraph 9):
"…the need for liabilities to be dealt with within a reasonable time and the fact that Parliament cannot have intended liquidations to last for ever."
Those observations were made in relation to a distribution to creditors, but Ms Linklater submits that they apply equally in relation to a distribution to a company's members. I note that in that case, the company had been in an insolvency process for 10 years, rather than the five years in the present case.
"…the company's property in a voluntary winding up shall, on the winding up, be applied in satisfaction of the company's liabilities pari passu and, subject to that application, shall (unless the articles otherwise provide) be distributed among the members according to their rights and interests in the company."
"Subject to the provisions of the Statutes and to any special rights for the time being attached to any class of shares, on a return of assets on liquidation or otherwise the surplus assets of the Company remaining after payment of its liabilities shall be distributed in proportion to the amounts paid up or deemed to be paid up on the ordinary shares of the Company then in issue."
"18.24 An office-holder [such as a liquidator] who considers the rate or amount of remuneration [already] fixed to be insufficient or the basis fixed to be inappropriate may—
(a) …
(b) apply to the court for an order increasing the rate or amount or changing the basis in accordance with [insolvency] rule 18.28."
"(6) The [insolvency] office-holder [to] deliver a notice of the application at least 14 days before the hearing…
(a) …
(i) …
(ii) …to such one or more of the creditors as the court may direct;"
"…the court can prospectively relieve an officer from a claim that might in future be made against him in respect of negligence, breach of duty or breach of trust."
Notwithstanding a previous decision of HHJ Behrens to the contrary, Newey J was satisfied that a liquidator was an 'officer' of the company for the purposes of section 1157, noting that HHJ Behrens had not been referred to all the relevant authorities.