G
1388 days ago

Who Wins Here ?

Graeme from Frankton

In life , we need to pay our bills . I'll start from that point . Occassionally , stuff happens , and most people work through things .

I was saddened to read in the weekend ( on Stuff ) about a guy called Lloyd Green . I don't know this guy by the way .

He owned a company called Great Barrier Rental Cars . He had owned it for 20 years . He refused to pay a mechanic somewhere between $5000-7000 , disputing the quality of the work . He was advised the day before it went to court that this guy was taking him to court -- apparently the papers were sent to his old address , which was his ex-wifes house . We can only guess what happened .

Anyway , the next day it went to court , he wasn't fully prepared , the Judge believed the other guy , or this Lloyd guy didn't put up a strong case , or whatever , and he was ordered to pay about $10,000 including the other guys legal fees . He lost .

He didn't/couldn't pay -- presumably part out of spite , but to be fair it does sound like he was short of money , so the Court ordered his business be liquidated . He was then ( at 57 ) out of work , with no income .

He committed suicide .

The business was liquidated . All the assets ( cars ) were sold . All secured creditors were paid . The liquidator billed $119,000 , but only got paid $78,000 as there was no more money . Unsecured creditors were $50,000 ( presumably including the $10k court ordered debt ) , and the IRD $7000 . That may be GST on the sale of vehicles , or it may have been owing for months , it isn't clear .

So one guy ( a divorced/seperated Dad ) is dead . The unsecured creditors and IRD are $57k out of pocket . But you will have noticed that the liquidator got $78k . Which means every debt , without her involvement ( the liquidator was a female ) , would have been paid . It is fair to assume that as a trading company , the debts could have all been paid , and this Lloyd Green would have still been alive . It may have taken time , and I accept we don't know the full circumstances .

But I also fail to understand how a business with $57,000 in debts can be charged $119,000 by a liquidator to 'wind it up' . She may argue she did her job and was paid the allowed rate for the hours worked , and that her job was made more difficult by the fact the guy had died . But surely common sense would kick in somewhere ?

More messages from your neighbours
7 hours ago

Lest we forget...

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

On this ANZAC Day, let's take a moment to remember and honor the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve our country.

Tell us who are you honouring today. Whether it's a story from the battlefield or a memory of a family member who fought in the war, we'd love you to share your stories below.

Image
17 hours ago

Did you submit on the city council's long-term plan?

The Team Reporter from Hamilton Press

Hamiltonians have spoken out on the council’s budget plans with the city’s massive proposed rates hike a lightning rod for residents already struggling with rising costs.

With more than 3000 submissions landing on the Hamilton City Council’s Draft Long Term Plan the hot topic is unsurprisingly the proposed 19.9% rise, which itself lands in a cost of living crisis and limping economy.

Image
18 hours ago

Have you heard about this Hamilton petition?

The Team Reporter from Hamilton Press

A group of Hamilton business owners have started a petition to stop the council from hiking up rates and passing the cost of what they say are unpopular projects on to residents.

It frustrates longtime residents Tom Andrews, a former roading engineer who owns Classics Museum and has property interests and Jo Reeder, to see Hamiltonians facing large bills.

Image