30 October 1998
Our Ref: ANA BUB242/1
Direct Line: 8205-3394
Direct Email: tabbott@piper-alderman.com.au
Mr K Dornan
23 Pinewood Place
BEECHBORO WA 6063
By Certified Mail
Dear Sir
Edyosavan Pty Ltd Trading
as the Cue Club
We are
instructed by Mr G J Bubner.
Our client
is extremely concerned by the current position of the Cue Club business which
you have been managing, for a fee, since February 1996.
More particularly,
our client is disappointed, and reserves all his rights to claim against you,
in that you have:
- neglected your duties
as manager of the Cue Club business;
- breached your duties
as a director under the Corporations Law and the general law;
- failed to comply with
the agreements reached at the "informal" meeting between you and
our client on 9 January 1997 and with fundamental terms of the original agreement
between shareholders;
- conducted the affairs
of the company oppressively to our client as a shareholder.
As a result,
our client has lost all confidence in you as a manager and director of the company,
and no longer wishes to be associated with you.
This letter
contains the reasons for our client’s position, and some proposals for your
consideration and response within the next 7 days. First there are some matters
which our client requires to be attended to immediately.
Immediate Action requested
Our client
as a director and shareholder of the company requires that, whether or not you
accept the proposal, you forthwith:
- Make no further payments
on the account of the company except with the prior approval of our client,
after having submitted to him a copy of the invoice proposed to be paid and
such other details as he may reasonably require.
- You place all historic
records of the company with the company’s accountant, Peter Martin, for safekeeping,
except for those records required for day to day trading. In our client’s
view, the records required for day to day trading would only include the current
unpaid invoices, the cheque book and the current bank statement. All other
historic records are historic and new records should be created and maintained
to record transactions of the company from the date of receipt of your letter.
Accordingly, you should
place with Mr Martin the originals of:
- The ledger for all completed
months of trading.
- The current till roll
and all complete till rolls in your possession. A new one can be inserted.
- All paid invoices in
your possession.
- All daily trading figures
(Cue Club tables total and Cue Club gross total).
- The daily summary sheets
completed by staff.
- The business diaries
for 1994-1997 inclusive.
Our client as director
has authorised Mr Martin to receive these records.
We also ask on behalf of
our client that as soon as practicable you supply to him through us:
- A copy of all invoices
which you or your trust have rendered to the company since February 1996,
together with an indication of which have been paid and which not.
- A copy of all invoices
outstanding, and not just those referred to in Mr Martin’s "schedule
of creditors requiring payment" accompanying his letter to our client
of 22 October.
- A copy of the most recent
bank statement of the company, together with a note of all cheques drawn but
not presented as at the time of that bank statement.
- A copy of the company
ledger for December 1996.
Our Client’s Proposal
Our client proposes that
within 7 days you agree to either:
(a) purchase
all of our client’s shares in the company, and our client’s interest in
his loan account, for a total price of $130,000, it being understood that
Mr A Talbot has a one third interest (ie the company would hold, following
the sale to you, if agreed, a two thirds interest) in the intellectual property
rights in the company's digital switching system under licence. On acceptance,
a deposit of 5% would be required to be paid to us, and settlement would
have to occur within 45 days. At settlement there would be a mutual release
between you and our client of all claims and you would be required to procure
our client’s release from all guarantees he has given of liabilities with
the company.
or
(b) agree to resolutions
of directors of the company (which need not require a meeting) to:
- (pending any sale of
the assets of the company) resume the keeping, and supplying to our client,
of the usual records of the company;
- instruct a solicitor
to prepare subordinated loan agreements for loans made by shareholders;
- instruct an accountant
to prepare a business plan for an assessment of the profitability of the company;
- instruct the preparation
of the 1997/1998 accounts;
- on the basis that the
expenses of the lawyers and accountants referred to above to be provided for
by you and our client equally and jointly, as a (subordinated) loan to the
company;
- agree to consider at
a future directors’ meeting the sale of the assets of the company following
receipt of the information referred to above.
If you
do not confirm your agreement to either alternative (a) or (b) above, our client
will feel at liberty to proceed without further notice to you. One of the options
open to our client is to seek an order for you to purchase the shares of our
client in the company at an effective price equivalent to that sought under
alternative (a), or alternatively an order that the company be wound up.
If the
company is wound up other than by consent, our client would have no hesitation
in presenting to the liquidator for his consideration the comprehensive dossier
of events, documents, records of your telephone messages and notes of your conversations
with our client relating to the company which our client has prepared.
The Matters Complained
of
Our client
has lost confidence in you because of your breach of duty, oppressive conduct
and breach of agreement over a number of years, namely:
- You have had responsibility
for and custody of the accounting and financial records of the company. You
have refused to make available accounting information to our client, contrary
to your duty under Section 290 of the Corporations Law, which provides
that "a director of the company ... has the right of access to the
financial records at all reasonable times". Our client requested
financial records by letters of 16 September, 13 October and 18 November 1997.
By your letter of 2 December 1997 you refused to supply the information. You
imperiously asserted that any information supplied in the past had been supplied
only "as a courtesy". You grossly misunderstand your role and responsibilities
as a director.
Our client
renewed his request for information in his letter of 9 January 1998 and 28
September 1998. You have continued to fail to supply to our client the financial
information requested.
- Our client was extremely
perturbed to be advised by your letter of 1 October 1998 that you had, without
reference to our client as a fellow director, as long ago as November 1997
decided to cease compiling the key data which our client had been requesting
and which had been accepted to be the basis of the system of monitoring their
financial performance of the Cue Club.
Our client views this
as a serious breach of your duties as a director and manager.
- By your letters, combined
with your refusal to recognise our client’s entitlement and interests in the
company, you are showing an oppressive and dismissive attitude to our client’s
substantial investment in the company.
- Our client is further
concerned by the declining performance of the Cue Club under your management.
It is a fact that over the period from March 1998 to date the business has
grossed $23,000 less than for the same period in the previous year. Takings
appear to have been on a steady decline since reaching a plateau between May
1997 and April 1998.
- You have refused adequately
to explain to our client the reason for such decline, notwithstanding his
requests by telephone calls and by a letter of 28 September, and nor have
you recognised that such a decline requires any different action on your behalf
as a manager.
- Since inception of the
venture, you have been responsible for the preparation of accounting records.
Our client’s confidence in your role in this area has been shaken by the two
significant errors which occurred in the allocation of shareholders’ loans
as between yourself and our client. Both errors were adverse to our client’s
interest. The total involved was some $11,000.
- As the letter of 18
December 1996 from Jackson McDonald recognised, it always has been, and remains,
a principal foundation of the venture between you and our client that there
would be an equal contribution to the operating expenses to the extent that
they were not covered by revenue generated by the business.
It is
not our client but you who has failed to honour the fundamental commitment
of the two shareholders to subscribe equally any capital required by the company.
At the meeting of 9 January 1997 you announced that you would not invest further
funds in the company.
Since
the meeting (as well as before) our client has complied with all requests
to subscribe further loan capital to the company (except for the most recent
request, because of his concern with the manner of your management of the
company).
Our client
is not aware of the nature of your contribution since the meeting of 9 January,
whereas you are aware of the amount of his contribution. We ask that you forthwith
advise us of the amount and nature of the contribution which you claim to
have made to the company since the meeting of 9 January 1997, and details
of that contribution.
- One of the matters agreed
at the meeting of 9 January 1997 was that after 6 months if the business had
not been sold you and our client were to reconvene to consider further course
of action. During his visits to Perth in June and July, our client attempted
to discuss with you suggestions to improve the business, such as the employment
of an external manager, but you peremptorily refused to discuss any changes
to the way in which the business was run.
- Further, you neglected
properly and diligently to pursue the interest in the business shown by Lachlan
McCrea. Without consultation with our client, you too readily brusquely rejected
his very substantial offer on the ground that it involved vendor finance,
when this requirement had been known to you and the other parties from the
commencement of Mr McCrea's interest. You failed to keep our client fully
informed at all times of the efforts to sell the business and in particular
the dealings with Mr McCrea.
In this,
not only were you acting oppressively to our client you were in breach of
the spirit if not the letter of the arrangements struck at the meeting of
9 January 1997.
- Your actions and inaction
have at the moment caused our client substantial loss, which can only be rectified
if you purchase our client's interest in the company offered, and if this
does not occur, all rights against you are reserved.
In conclusion,
we confirm that our client will not consider subscribing further loan moneys
to the company, (if you do not agree to buy our client’s shares and interest
in the company), until such time as his concerns expressed above are removed
and resolved and the information which he has requested supplied.
In view
of past experience, our client is not prepared to attend any meeting with you
except in the presence of legal advisers. In any event, in our client’s view
the position is clear and can be dealt with adequately in correspondence.
Our client
recognises that the situation is urgent and that the position of the company
is precarious, and that it is therefore urgent for you and our client to attempt
to agree on a future direction for the company and your respective interests
in the company.
We therefore
request that you respond urgently to the proposals contained in this letter.
We are
sending a copy of this letter to Jackson McDonald if they are still acting for
you.
Yours faithfully
PIPER ALDERMAN
Per:
A N
Abbott
cc Jackson McDonald
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