Commercial Law Assignment Help
Dollar & Sense Finance Ltd. (D & S) is finance company based out of Auckland, New Zealand. D & S registered the property interest of a residential property at Kerikeri belonging to Rodney Nathan’s parents. The jointly held property of Rodney Nathan’s parents was considered by D & S as a security against the loan provided to Rodney for an amount of $245,000. Since, the residential property was jointly owned by Rodney’s parent, Mr. and Mrs. Nathan, to execute a memorandum of mortgage to D & S over that property, Mrs. Nathan signature of approval was needed for disbursement of the loan. Looking for assignment help on Australian commercial law? You can hire our 5-Star Rated Experts at Affordable Price.
To legally bind Mr. and Mrs. Nathan in the mortgage of their residential property in exchange for loan disbursement of Rodney Nathan, the D & S solicitor, Mr. Thomas arranged for the requisite documents to be delivered to Rodney Nathan for Mr. and Mrs. Nathan’s signature. Not knowing that Mr. and Mrs. Nathan have been separated for years and Mrs. Nathan at that point of time resides in Gisborne, Mr. Thomas delivered the documents with a belief that both of them resides in Kerikeri.
Rodney obtained his father’s signature and predicting his mother is unlikely to sign in the mortgage, forged her signature. However, after the disbursement was effected by D & S to Rodney and his venture failed with the money he invested in share market, D & S sought to acquire the property for sale. At that point of time, Mr. and Mrs. Nathan resisted and Mr. Nathan expired[1] before the matter was taken in the court for trial. After, Mr. Nathan’s death, the interest in the property was transferred to Mrs. Nathan who inherited the property as the sole owner and any dispute in the interest involved Mrs. Nathan as the owner of the property, mortgaged against the loan disbursed by D & S to Rodney Nathan.
The appeal was countered by Mrs. Nathan with a separate defense against D & S who tried to enforce the mortgage, by Rodney’s forged signature, which he did as an agent of D & S. The defense of Mrs. Nathan sought to overturn the indefeasibility provisions of the Land Transfer Act and appealed for the mortgage to be removed from the register (see Wright v Gibbons).
The first issue to be addressed by the Court is whether D & S used Rodney’s service, either expressly or impliedly, in a manner resembling that if its agent in obtaining the execution the documentation of the loan which include documentation of the mortgage[2]. The second issue is whether D & S entrusted Rodney in procuring the execution, and in the process created an agency with Rodney by stipulating its scope.
The court held the fact that D & S solicitor Mr. Thomas delivered the documents of mortgage to Rodney so that he can have those documents signed by his parents, were insufficient ground for considering Rodney as D & S’ agent. However, the reference of the following principles of law deserves mentioning to support the view that Rodney acted as an agent of D & S.
- Rodney decided to ensure that disclosure was made
- Rodney decided to procure his parents’ signatures to the “statement by covenanters”
- Rodney decided to procure his parents’ signatures to the loan contractors
- Rodney sent the documents to the D & S solicitor incorrectly witnessed and they were returned back to him for the purpose of getting the document correctly witnessed
- Rodney was required to procure the title and insurance details
- It was apparent, by this point of time, to Mr. Thomas that Mr. and Mrs. Thomas has no solicitor for them.
- D & S did not enter any dealings with and Mrs. Nathan, in spite of the fact that they were the borrowers
- It was obvious to realize that the person in charge of the execution of the documents was Rodney
Under the conclusion that Rodney was a D & S agent, his task of procuring the signed documents from his parents with appropriate witnesses was within the scope of his agency. The scope of the task of appointing an agent to execute documentation must be in sync with the commercially realistic way of doing it. The limitation of the function is reinstated as there is no general agency, limiting the function of an agent.
In considering whether the agent’s conduct was within the scope Rodney’s authority, the Rodney’s task on behalf of D & S had different magnitude of specificity. The charge that brought against Rodney was obtaining registrable mortgage. Notwithstanding with the suggestion that D & S authorized Rodney to commit the forgery, does not take away the fact forgery was not beyond the scope of his authority (see Schultz v Corwill Properties Pty Ltd [4] & Cricklewood Holdings[5] Ltd v C V Quigley & Sons Nominees Ltd).
In the seminal treatise on Vicarious Liability in the Law of Torts[6], it has been pointed out of the two stages of enquiry. Firstly, the act was authorized principally, and the secondly, whether the agent’s act in connection with those act can be looked upon as the mode of performing them.
In the case Credit Lyonnais Bank Netherland NV v Export Credits Guarantee Department[7], it was agreed in principle of explicit liability of the wrong committed by a servant or by an agent:
In considering whether Rodney’s act of forgery, falls within the scope of his authority, two propositions must be kept in mind. Firstly, the fraudulent intent of the agent can have a close connection despite its criminal character and the fraudulent intent by the agent. Secondly, the impact of the fraudulent act on the third party with respect to the third party is looked upon as an act within the scope of the authority of the agency even if done exclusively for agent’s benefit. The fortiori can be construed to act within the authority of the agency if executed for the principle’s benefit as well as the agent’s benefit (see Lister v Hesley Hall Ltd.)
The principle is entitled to impeach the functions of its agent(s) by declaring it as unauthorized, which however, has no impact on the principle’s liability for the act of its agent.
The case stands similarities to Ex parte Batham, where New Zealand Court of Appeal had determined the forged mortgage being executed by the agent of an (innocent) mortgagee, leading to the removal of the mortgage from the register. The agency in an attempt to procure signature while registering the transfer can’t possibly be looked upon of not being engaged while the forgery was made. The case of Ex parte Batham, the discussion has to discern between signature by misrepresentation (within agency) and forgery of the other (not within). The same distinction is applicable to Mr. Nathan Senior’s defense, if it had gone to trial, with regards to his assertion of unconscionability.
For appellant, it was suggested, making principle legally responsible for a concealed fraud committed by its agent related to the document naively registered by the principle, contradictory to the policy of the Torrens system. It was further pointed out that if the liability featured in this case is imposed, it will set a precedence to preclude financiers and others to rely on the register by forcing those taking precautions which hitherto have not been necessary. However, such criticism is void of any substance.
The conclusion of the fraud being committed in the course of Rodney’s agency for D & S was an act of forgery. The fraud committed by Rodney renders D & S registration of mortgage vulnerable as it is without an indefeasible title to the mortgage.
The Privy Council as accepted in Assets Co and in Frazer v Walker, a registered proprietor must be held liable with respect to the documentation by or on behalf of the principle. Professor Watts, has this to say about agency and the Torrens system:
“[t]he odds against the plaintiff are stacked too high if purchasers can use agents to do the work of acquisition but then disavow their proven dishonesty”[8]
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