COURT OF APPEAL (CIVIL DIVISION)
ON APPEAL FROM CHANCERY DIVISION, BRISTOL DISTRICT REGISTRY
(HIS HONOUR JUDGE ALLEN QC)
Strand, London, WC2A 2LL |
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B e f o r e :
LORD JUSTICE TUCKEY
and
LORD JUSTICE MAURICE KAY
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CUDDY |
Appellant |
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- and - |
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HAWKES |
Respondent |
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Crown Copyright ©
Lord Justice Chadwick:
(1) Neath Rugby Limited (the company) was incorporated on 9 May 2003 under the name 'Neath Swansea Rugby Limited'. It is the owner and manager of Neath Rugby Football Club (which I shall call 'the club'). The company acquired the assets of the club from the Welsh Rugby Union ("WRU") in January 2004.(2) The club itself was founded as long ago as 1871 as a traditional members' club run by a committee; and it continued as such until 1998. At that date it was in financial difficulties with substantial debts. WRU mounted what was, in effect, a rescue.
(3) On 28 May 1998, WRU established a private company, Gower Park Limited, to undertake the day-to-day running of the club. On 30 September 2001, Mr Cuddy was appointed a director of Gowerpark. On 16 October 2003, Gower Park went into creditors' voluntary liquidation, with an estimated deficiency of some £750,000.
(4) The company was incorporated pursuant to an agreement -- which the judge referred to as the Hawkes/Cuddy Agreement -- made between Mr Hawkes and Mr Cuddy in early 2003. That agreement was reached against the background of the club's financial difficulties, in the WRU rescue, and the reorganisation of Welsh Rugby by the WRU by the establishment of a new professional league comprising regional sides. The WRU had specified that the regional sides must be owned by an existing local club or clubs. One such regional side was the Neath and Swansea Ospreys, owned equally by the club and Swansea Rugby Football Club Limited.
(5) The terms of the Hawkes/Cuddy Agreement were summarised by the judge at paragraph 23 of his judgment. He said this:
"The, following terms of the Hawkes Cuddy Agreement, reached sometime between January and the beginning of April 2003, are common ground. 1. Mr Hawkes and Mr Cuddy would each assume personal liability to repay half of the debt of £180,000 owned by Neath FRC to WRU. 2. They would establish, as joint co-owners, a new corporate entity, Newco, to purchase the assets of Neath RFC from the WRU and, thereafter, to own and manage the club. 3. Mr Hawkes would own one share in Newco, and Mr Cuddy would own the other share. 4. Mr Hawkes and Mr Cuddy would each be entitled to nominate one of the two directors of Newco. 5. Mr Hawkes would become a director of Newco and Mr Cuddy would nominate Mrs Cuddy as the other director. 6. Mr Hawkes would concentrate on management of Neath RFC. 7. Mr Cuddy would concentrate on the management of the regional side, Neath Swansea Ospreys, and for that purpose would be nominated by Newco to act as one of the two directors of the new entity, being established to clearly manage Neath Swansea Ospreys. 8. Any payments to be made by Newco should be authorised by Mr Hawkes and Mr Cuddy."(6) The entity established to own and manage Neath Swansea Ospreys was South West Wales Rugby Limited ("SWWRL"), which later changed its name to Neath Swansea Ospreys Limited. It was incorporated on 10 April 2003. Mr Cuddy was appointed a director. The other director, nominated by Swansea, was Mr Roger Blythe. Following incorporation of the Neath company -- the "Newco" envisaged in the Hawkes/Cuddy Agreement -- Mr Hawkes and Mrs Cuddy were appointed directors of that company.
"(1) This section applies to a person when a company -- the liquidating company -- has gone into insolvent liquidation on or after the appointed day, and he was a director or shadow-director of the company at any time during the period of 12 months, ending with the day before it went into liquidation. (2) For the purposes of this section, a name is a prohibited name in relation to such a person if (a) it is a name by which the liquidating company was known in any time of that period of 12 months, or (b) it is a name which is so similar to a name falling within paragraph (a) as to suggest an association with that company. (3) Except with leave of the court, or in such circumstances as may be prescribed, the person to whom this section applies shall not at any time, in the period of five years, beginning with the day on which the liquidating company went into liquidation (a) be a director of any other company that is known by a prohibited name; or (b) in any way, whether directly or indirectly, be concerned or take part in the promotion formation or management of any such company."
I need read no more of that section. The concern that Mr Cuddy might be acting in contravention of section 216 of the 1986 Act was founded on the fact that, as I have said, Mr Cuddy was or had been a director of Gowerpark; Gowerpark was expected to go into insolvent liquidation, (as it did in October 2003); and it was thought that Gowerpark had traded as Neath RFC.
"In short, it would appear that Mr Hawkes believes that Mr Cuddy is intending building himself an empire at the Swansea Ospreys at the expense of Neath. If it is permissible to mix avian metaphors, Mr Hawkes sees the Ospreys team as a cuckoo in the nest which will come to dominate the affairs of Swansea and Neath to the detriment of both local clubs. Mr Cuddy, on the other hand, believes that Mr Hawkes resents the growth of regional rugby and the lion's share of WRU funding which it now receives. He is hostile to the ambitions of the Ospreys and will do his best to undermine their success."
"459(1) A member of a company may apply to the court by petition for an order under this Part on the ground that company's affairs are being or have been conducted in a manner which is unfairly prejudicial to the interests of its members generally, or some part of its members including at least himself, or that any actual or proposed act or omission of the company, including an act or omission on its behalf, would be so prejudicial."
The section has been replaced by section 994 of the Companies' Act 2006, in much the same terms. Nothing turns on that. Section 461(1) of the 1985 Act provides that:
"If the court is satisfied that a petition under this part is well-founded it may make such order as it think fit for giving relief in respect of the matters complained of."
Then section 461 (2) there are a number of examples of the sort of order that a court may make on a petition; but without prejudice to the generality of sub-section (1).
"The solution reached by Mr Cuddy and Mr Newman to get round the section 216 problem by nominating Mrs Cuddy as a director of Neath was a sham designed to conceal the fact that Mr Cuddy would be a de facto director, telling his wife what to do."
"(2)…that in the period of five years, beginning with 16 October 2003, it has been, and remains, unlawful pursuant to section 216(3) of the Insolvency Act 1986 for Mr Cuddy, except with the leave of the court, in any way, whether directly or indirectly, to be concerned or take part in the management of Neath or the carrying on of the business of Neath."
In that context the reference to Neath is a reference to the company. The relief sought included, also, at paragraph (11) of the prayer, a share purchase order in these terms:
"(11) A share purchase order pursuant to which Michael Cuddy and/or Simone Francesca Cuddy shall sell, and Mr Hawkes shall purchase, the one issued share in Neath, registered in the name of Simone Francesca Cuddy, for such consideration as the court shall see appropriate and fair."
"[71] In brief, it is Mr Hawkes' case that he was not advised by Mr Newman that the solution to the section 216 problem which he and Mr Cuddy devised -- of appointing Mr Cuddy to the board of Neath, albeit as Mr Cuddy's proxy -- was not capable of shielding Mr Cuddy from the contravention of the Act if, through his wife, Mr Cuddy was concerned in any way in the management of Neath. Mr Hawkes says that until he received legal advice to the contrary from a different legal team on or about 14 April 2007, he believed that the solution was a lawful one and that he could deal properly with Mr Cuddy and indeed was obliged to deal with Mr Cuddy over the affairs of Neath. The legal advice he received in mid-April, following disclosure by Mr Newman of his files. The advice was to the effect that the solution was not a lawful one and that if and insofar as Mr Cuddy had since the liquidation of Gowerpark on 16 October 2003 been in any way, directly or indirectly, concerned in the management of Neath through the medium of his wife, he committed a criminal offence. The advice went further. Mr Hawkes was told that the evidence established that Mr Cuddy had acted throughout as a de facto director of Neath and that, by reason of the prohibition in section 216 the Hawkes Cuddy Agreement, had been incapable of lawful performance by Mr Cuddy after Gowerpark was liquidated. If the agreement did give rise to a quasi-partnership -- and in my judgment it did -- it was a quasi-partnership which was unlawful after 16 October 2003, and that, if it had been a real partnership, would automatically have been dishonoured by the operation of section 34 of the Partnership Act."
"[72] If justified by the facts, it is a formidable case with remorseless logic. Mr Cuddy is prohibited from being concerned in the management of Neath, whether directly or through his wife, or through any other nominee. His position as Neath's nominee director for Neath Swansea Ospreys is for that reason vulnerable, because without his influence on the board of Neath the board of Neath could decide at any time to remove him. In those circumstances the only legitimate and practical solution to these proceedings would be if Mr Hawkes is ordered to purchase the Cuddy share at a fair value."
"(1) That Mr Hawkes do join in the sale by Neath to Mrs Cuddy's nominee (inaudible) club as defined in paragraph 4, Schedule 2. The regional rugby agreement between the Welsh Rubgy Union and Ospreys dated 1 September 2004 or to WRU of Mr Hawkes' share in Ospreys at a fair value to be determined by this court or an independent valuer.
"(2) That Mr Hawkes do purchase Mrs Cuddy's share in Neath subject to and on the same terms as those set out in the preceding paragraph.
"(3) Alternatively, Mr Hawkes do sell his share to Mrs Cuddy or her nominee at a fair value to be determined by this court."
The reference of the sale of the share to Ospreys to the WRU must have been, I think, a reference to the company share, rather than Mr Hawkes' share. Mrs Cuddy also sought to strike out Mr Hawkes' petition.
"That, since 16 October 2003, in contravention of section 216(3) of the Insolvency Act 1986, Mr Cuddy has been directly or indirectly concerned and had taken part in the management of Neath and/or the carrying on of the business of Neath by (a) performing the acts of a director of Neath in the name of Simone Francis Cuddy; and (b) using the name of Simone Francis Cuddy as a means of concealing that he has been a de facto director of Neath since 16 October 2003."
"Counsel submitted in the course of argument on the summary judgment application that the cross-petition cannot survive a finding of a declaration by this court that Mr Cuddy has contravened section 216 either (1) by being a de facto director of Neath; and (2) by being concerned in, or taking part in, the management of Neath by virtue of his activities as nominee director of the Ospreys. Either conclusion undermines the quasi-partnership which is the foundation of the claim in the cross-petition. I agree with him. I have made the first of the above findings and propose to grant a declaration that, since 16 October 2003, Mr Cuddy has been performing in contravention of section 216(3)(a) and/or (b) of the Insolvency Act by performing the acts as a director of Neath in the name of Mrs Cuddy and using her name as a means of concealing that he has been a de facto director. In the light of that conclusion, the cross-petition is, in my judgment, unsustainable in its present form. However, the applications to strike out the cross-petition confined the claim for de-merger relief in paragraph 30 of those grounds and paragraphs one and two of the prayer. The argument on those applications proceed on that basis. In the circumstances, I consider the right course is to strike out the claim for de-merger and counsel for the Cuddys to make what he can of what remains of the cross-petition in the light of the declaration I propose to grant."
"And upon it being confirmed by Mr Hawkes that he will not contend at trial, that a relevant factor in the exercise of the court's discretion to grant him the relief claimed in the cross-petition is any disability that may be imposed on Mr Cuddy under section 216 of the Insolvency Act."
It was agreed, in the course of the hearing before us, that the words, "the petition or" should be inserted before the words "cross-petition" in that recital. The effect is that, on the hearing of the petition and the cross-petition, the judge will not be asked to exercise his discretion to grant relief, or as to the relief to be granted pursuant to that discretion -- on the basis of any disability that may now be imposed upon Mr Cuddy under section 216 of the Insolvency Act.
Lord Justice Tuckey:
Lord Justice Maurice Kay:
Order: One of two applications granted.