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Hutton v West Cork Rly Co

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258:, at para 120, "No doubt, where it is clear that the act or omission under challenge resulted in substantial detriment to the company, the director will have a harder task persuading the court that he honestly believed it to be in the company's interest; but that does not detract from the subjective nature of the test." But also, at para 153, "Thus, the need to avoid litigation against two of Regentcrest's directors was, I find, a weighty consideration, and one which could reasonably have led a businessman in the position of the Richardson brothers on 5 September 1990 to conclude that the waiver of the claim on the terms proposed was in the interests of Regentcrest, notwithstanding that the information before the board as to the vendors' ability to meet any judgment was far from complete. As to that, it is in my judgment wholly unrealistic to have expected Mr Roy Richardson at that stage to have initiated a detailed investigation into the personal financial circumstances of the vendors." 131:
company should be dissolved except for the purpose of regulating their internal affairs and winding up the same and of dividing the purchase-money. The purchase-money was to be applied in paying the costs of the arbitration and in paying off any revenue debts or charges of the company, and the residue was to be divided among the debenture holders and shareholders. After the completion of the transfer a general meeting of the company was held at which a resolution was passed to apply £1050 of the purchase-money in compensating the paid officials of the company for their loss of employment, although they had no legal claim for any compensation, and £1500 in remuneration to the directors for their past services.
415: 31: 168:
company, and paying away its money with both hands in a manner perfectly bona fide yet perfectly irrational… It is for the directors to judge, provided it is a matter which is reasonably incidental to the carrying on of the business of the company… The law does not say that there are to be no cakes and ale, but there are to be no cakes and ale except such as are required for the benefit of the company.
167:
money which is not theirs but the company’s, if they are spending it for the purposes which are reasonably incidental to the carrying on of the business of the company. That is the general doctrine. Bona fides cannot be the sole test, otherwise you might have a lunatic conducting the affairs of the
130:
A railway company which had no provision in its articles for paying remuneration to directors, and had never paid any, sold its undertaking to another company at a price to be determined by an arbitrator. By the Act authorizing the transfer it was provided that on the completion of the transfer the
172:
The upshot for a company in insolvency was that directors were not free to make payments to employees, because payments could only be made which were incidental to the business, and an insolvent business had no further business. In English law, the position has been altered by the Insolvency Act
159:...a kind of charitable dealing which is for the interest of those who practise it, and to that extent and in that garb (I admit not a very philanthropic garb) charity may sit at the board, but for no other purpose. 222: 110: 181:
The value of the judgment today lies in the general doctrine that during the life of the company, it may conduct itself in a way which benefits stakeholders other than
250: 603: 101:
discretion to spend company funds for the benefit of non-shareholders. It was decided in relation to employees in the context of a company's
173:
1986, s.187 and the Companies Act 2006, s.247, which allow directors to consider employees directly when a company has gone insolvent.
234:. A shareholder challenged the resolution. He argued any benefit (a better pool of potential employees) was too remote. But he lost. 118:, section 172 which entitles and obliges directors to regard interests other than shareholders as a proper exercise of their power. 608: 246:
as ‘long visioned… action in recognising and voluntarily discharging its high obligations as a constituent of our modern society.’
304: 336: 199: 449: 41: 359: 238: 185:, but only insofar as that will in the end, albeit indirectly, be in the shareholders' interest. See now, section 172 500: 364: 618: 434: 114:
Ch 442 where the Court of Appeal held that a company's substantive object may include making gifts, and under
444: 218:, (1913) 17 CLR 639) held that a company could be run with strict adherence to serving only the shareholders. 613: 459: 429: 623: 598: 475: 439: 404: 329: 530: 480: 384: 242:, 39 ALR 2d 1179 (1953) (appeal dismissed 346 U.S.C. 861 (1953)) the court applauded a gift to 569: 389: 374: 369: 322: 243: 204: 140: 8: 520: 454: 209: 186: 115: 98: 394: 215: 525: 510: 495: 379: 230:
company’s general meeting approved directors donating £100,000 to universities for
535: 399: 255: 268: 94: 592: 505: 545: 515: 148: 69: 555: 550: 345: 182: 108:
The case's practical significance was limited by cases and statute as in
576: 540: 102: 490: 485: 414: 65: 227: 144: 61: 30: 231: 314: 212:
v The Sydney Meat Preserving Company Limited and others
163:
So according to Bowen LJ, directors can only spend,
207:, (1912) 16 CLR 50 (affirmed on other grounds in 590: 330: 337: 323: 308:,Caroline Madden, Irish times, 2 July 2012 29: 604:Court of Appeal (England and Wales) cases 147:held that the money payment was invalid. 591: 306:Cork Rail Case Clever and Progressive 192: 318: 200:Miles v Sydney Meat-Preserving Co Ltd 97:case, which concerns the limits of a 82:Insolvency, provision for employees 13: 239:AP Smith Manufacturing Co v Barlow 14: 635: 413: 223:Evans v Brunner, Mond and Co Ltd 155:, Bowen LJ held that there is.. 151:dissented. In the course of his 609:United Kingdom company case law 344: 176: 298: 289: 280: 1: 126:According to the law report, 90:Hutton v West Cork Railway Co 24:Hutton v West Cork Railway Co 7: 460:Courts of England and Wales 262: 135: 111:Re Horsley & Weight Ltd 10: 640: 564: 468: 422: 411: 352: 81: 76: 60: 55: 47: 37: 28: 23: 274: 121: 93:(1883) 23 Ch D 654 is a 251:Regentcrest plc v Cohen 619:1883 in rail transport 501:British Virgin Islands 216:[1913] UKPC 74 205:[1912] HCA 87 170: 161: 133: 295:(1883) LR 23 Ch D 654 286:(1883) LR 23 Ch D 654 165: 157: 128: 244:Princeton University 614:1883 in British law 193:Subsequent case law 365:Administrative law 256:Jonathan Parker LJ 210:William John Miles 187:Companies Act 2006 116:Companies Act 2006 51:(1883) 23 Ch D 654 586: 585: 86: 85: 16:West Cork Railway 631: 624:Railway case law 599:1883 in case law 481:Northern Ireland 423:Further subjects 417: 339: 332: 325: 316: 315: 310: 302: 296: 293: 287: 284: 33: 21: 20: 639: 638: 634: 633: 632: 630: 629: 628: 589: 588: 587: 582: 560: 536:Anglo-Saxon law 469:Related systems 464: 450:Civil procedure 435:Competition law 418: 409: 400:Retained EU law 360:UK Constitution 348: 343: 313: 303: 299: 294: 290: 285: 281: 277: 265: 254:2 BCLC 80, per 195: 179: 138: 124: 42:Court of Appeal 17: 12: 11: 5: 637: 627: 626: 621: 616: 611: 606: 601: 584: 583: 581: 580: 573: 565: 562: 561: 559: 558: 553: 548: 543: 538: 533: 528: 523: 518: 513: 508: 503: 498: 493: 488: 483: 478: 472: 470: 466: 465: 463: 462: 457: 452: 447: 445:Commercial law 442: 437: 432: 426: 424: 420: 419: 412: 410: 408: 407: 402: 397: 392: 387: 382: 377: 372: 367: 362: 356: 354: 350: 349: 342: 341: 334: 327: 319: 312: 311: 297: 288: 278: 276: 273: 272: 271: 269:UK company law 264: 261: 260: 259: 247: 235: 219: 194: 191: 178: 175: 137: 134: 123: 120: 95:UK company law 84: 83: 79: 78: 74: 73: 58: 57: 53: 52: 49: 45: 44: 39: 35: 34: 26: 25: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 636: 625: 622: 620: 617: 615: 612: 610: 607: 605: 602: 600: 597: 596: 594: 579: 578: 574: 572: 571: 567: 566: 563: 557: 554: 552: 549: 547: 544: 542: 539: 537: 534: 532: 531:United States 529: 527: 524: 522: 519: 517: 514: 512: 509: 507: 504: 502: 499: 497: 494: 492: 489: 487: 484: 482: 479: 477: 474: 473: 471: 467: 461: 458: 456: 453: 451: 448: 446: 443: 441: 438: 436: 433: 431: 428: 427: 425: 421: 416: 406: 403: 401: 398: 396: 393: 391: 388: 386: 383: 381: 378: 376: 373: 371: 368: 366: 363: 361: 358: 357: 355: 353:Core subjects 351: 347: 340: 335: 333: 328: 326: 321: 320: 317: 309: 307: 301: 292: 283: 279: 270: 267: 266: 257: 253: 252: 248: 245: 241: 240: 236: 233: 229: 225: 224: 220: 217: 213: 211: 206: 202: 201: 197: 196: 190: 188: 184: 174: 169: 164: 160: 156: 154: 150: 146: 142: 132: 127: 119: 117: 113: 112: 106: 105:proceedings. 104: 100: 96: 92: 91: 80: 75: 71: 67: 63: 59: 56:Case opinions 54: 50: 46: 43: 40: 36: 32: 27: 22: 19: 575: 568: 390:Property law 375:Contract law 370:Criminal law 305: 300: 291: 282: 249: 237: 226:1 Ch 359, a 221: 208: 198: 183:shareholders 180: 177:Significance 171: 166: 162: 158: 152: 149:Baggallay LJ 139: 129: 125: 109: 107: 89: 88: 87: 72:(dissenting) 70:Baggallay LJ 18: 556:Hue and cry 551:Bloody Code 521:New Zealand 430:Company law 346:English law 593:Categories 541:Common law 455:Family law 440:Labour law 103:insolvency 99:director's 526:Singapore 511:Hong Kong 496:Australia 395:Trust law 141:Cotton LJ 66:Cotton LJ 570:Category 486:Scotland 405:Case law 380:Tort law 263:See also 228:chemical 145:Bowen LJ 136:Judgment 77:Keywords 62:Bowen LJ 48:Citation 476:UK-wide 385:Privacy 232:science 577:Portal 546:Equity 506:Canada 516:India 491:Wales 275:Notes 214: 203: 153:dicta 122:Facts 38:Court 143:and 68:and 595:: 189:. 64:, 338:e 331:t 324:v

Index


Court of Appeal
Bowen LJ
Cotton LJ
Baggallay LJ
UK company law
director's
insolvency
Re Horsley & Weight Ltd
Companies Act 2006
Cotton LJ
Bowen LJ
Baggallay LJ
shareholders
Companies Act 2006
Miles v Sydney Meat-Preserving Co Ltd
[1912] HCA 87
William John Miles
[1913] UKPC 74
Evans v Brunner, Mond and Co Ltd
chemical
science
AP Smith Manufacturing Co v Barlow
Princeton University
Regentcrest plc v Cohen
Jonathan Parker LJ
UK company law
Cork Rail Case Clever and Progressive ,Caroline Madden, Irish times, 2 July 2012
v
t

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