STOP SEEING INTRUSIVE ADS, & HAVE PREMIUM FEATURES? Stop seeing intrusive ads and have a smoother reading experience, once you sign up on Judicial Poetry. Sign up now!

THE APPOINTMENT OF A RECEIVER/MANAGER DOES NOT OFFEND FOSS v. HARBOTTLE

Reach more audience. Place advert here.

It is clear law that if owing to disputes among the directors they are unable to act and the affairs of the company cannot be carried on the court will interfere by an injunction or by the appointment of a receiver or manager of the undertaking and assets of the company until the management of the company is restored to a proper footing. See Featherstone v. Cooke (1873) L.R. 16 Ex 298; Trade Auxiliary Co. v. Vicker L.R. 76 Ex 303; and Standfied v. Gebbon (1925) W.N. 11 1925. The above principles will apply in my view in a situation where owing to disputes as to shareholdings the conduct of the affairs of a company will suffer or will be in jeopardy. In my judgment, the appointment of a receiver or manager of the undertaking and assets of a company in the situations I have just described above will not and cannot offend against the rule of Foss v. Harbottle (supra). In such a situation there is paralysis or imminent paralysis of the conduct of the affairs of the company, which the court by its intervention has to avert by the appointment of a receiver or manager for the company.

— Agbaje JSC. Okoya & Ors. V. S. Santilli & Ors. ( SC.206/1989, 23 MAR 1990)

Was this dictum helpful?

SHARE ON

receiver manager

APPOINTMENT OF A RECEIVER DOES NOT DISSOLVE THE COMPANY

The appointment of a Receiver/Manager does not operate as a bar to the exercise of the right of parties, other than the debenture holders, against the company in receivership; because the appointment of a Receiver/Manager over the assets and business of a company does not ipso facto dissolve the company nor make it lose its legal personality.

– Uwais, JSC. Intercontractors v. National Provident (1988)

Was this dictum helpful?

WHEN IS A RECEIVER/MANAGER APPOINTED

Where it is necessary for the receiver to carry on the business of the company, the Court usually appoints the Receiver to be both Receiver and Manager. And a Manager is not generally appointed except to carry on the business for the purpose of selling it as a going concern.

– Oputa, JSC. Intercontractors v. National Provident (1988)

Was this dictum helpful?

LEGAL CONSEQUENCES OF APPOINTING A RECEIVER/MANAGER

The legal consequences of appointing a receiver/manager is that the assets which hitherto were available to the company become seised of the control of the receiver/manager and the company can only deal with assets of the company with the receiver’s consent. Consequently, the receiver/manager is regarded as the agent of the company for the purpose of dealing with assets in receivership. See K.P.M.G. Marwick Ani Ogunde & Anor –V- Vidana Nigeria Ltd & Ors (2021) LPELR – 54935 (CA). And also the provisions of Section 393 (4) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 explicitly provides that as from the date of appointment of a receiver or manager, the powers of the Director or Liquidators in a members voluntary winding up to deal with the property or undertaking over which he is appointed shall cease unless and until the receiver or manager is discharged.

– M.L. Shuaibu, J.C.A. Dekan Nig. Ltd. v. Zenith Bank Plc – CA/C/12/2020

Was this dictum helpful?

A RECEIVER/MANAGER IS AN ALTER EGO OF THE COMPANY

The Receiver/Manager is the alter ego of the Appellant/Company for certain specified purposes and sues in the company’s name and depending on the terms of his appointment and his status (whether he is appointed by the Debenture holden or by the Court) the Receiver may represent both the Debenture holders and/or the Appellant company.

– Oputa, JSC. Intercontractors v. National Provident (1988)

Was this dictum helpful?

THE APPOINTMENT OF A RECEIVER IS A MATTER OF DISCRETION

In Viola v. Anglo-American Cold Storage Company (1912) 2 Ch. 305, Swinfen Eady J, gave what is acceptable as the reason why leave of the Court is necessary for a receiver to institute or defend actions whether the appointment of Receiver/Manager is by court or under a debenture-holder’s deed. He said at pp.310-311. “It is however, well settled that in a mortgagee’s action where a receiver and manager has been appointed it is for the court to determine whether proceedings shall be taken at the expense of the mortgaged property. The receiver cannot do this of his own initiative, but would run the risk of his cost being disallowed if he did not obtain the direction of the Court (see Bristowe v. Needham (1847) 2 Ph.190 and Wynn v. Lord Newborough (1790) 3 Bro. C.C. 88, and neither mortgagor nor mortgagee has any absolute right to insist upon an action being brought or to prohibit it being brought by the receiver at the expense of the mortgaged property. The appointment of a receiver is a matter of discretion to be governed by the circumstances of the case; see Lord Truro’s judgment in Owen v. Homan (1851) 3 Mac & G, 378, 412. It is made in the first place for the protection of the estate and for the benefit of all concerned, and in sanctioning the receiver taking proceedings the court has regard to what it considers right and proper in the interest of all parties.”

– Karibi-whyte, JSC. Intercontractors v. National Provident (1988)

Was this dictum helpful?

ACTIONS BY RECEIVERS ARE EQUITABLE

I wish to add that actions by receiver which is commonly referred to as equitable execution is indeed equitable relief, and this is because of the hindrance in the way of execution at law.

– Karibi-whyte, JSC. Intercontractors v. National Provident (1988)

Was this dictum helpful?

No more related dictum to show.