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View/Open - Research Commons - The University of Waikato

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Without this class action, the unsecured creditors may not have the means to take<br />

action against the company. Further it will create a situation where creditors will race<br />

to the court to get their money back at the expense <strong>of</strong> small unsecured creditors.<br />

11.3 Classification <strong>of</strong> Remedies<br />

<strong>The</strong>re has been a dearth <strong>of</strong> literature in this area despite the importance <strong>of</strong> tracing the<br />

consequences <strong>of</strong> law which imposes liability on directors. It is essential to identify<br />

what the remedies are because without satisfactory legal redress the laws will not be<br />

effective in meeting the aims <strong>of</strong> the statute. <strong>The</strong> section will be arranged in the<br />

following order - the first part will define the different types <strong>of</strong> remedies; part two<br />

will discuss the difference in the remedies envisaged in the statutes. To do so, the<br />

wording <strong>of</strong> the provisions in the UK, New Zealand, Australian and Malaysian Acts<br />

will be examined. <strong>The</strong> third section will evaluate the courts‘ interpretations <strong>of</strong> the<br />

statutory provisions in order to discover whether judicial constructions are<br />

consistent with the wording and aims <strong>of</strong> the statute. Finally, the section will discuss<br />

the final destination or who are the beneficiaries <strong>of</strong> damages awarded by the court<br />

against directors.<br />

11.3.1 Definitions<br />

11.3.1.1 Civil Remedies<br />

A civil remedy is usually granted by the court in terms <strong>of</strong> damages. Damages are a<br />

monetary compensation which aims to put a person in a position that he or she would<br />

have been in if a breach had not occurred. <strong>The</strong>y are granted for the loss suffered by<br />

the party in pursuance <strong>of</strong> a breach <strong>of</strong> duty. Monetary compensation for breach <strong>of</strong><br />

duty for wrongful/fraudulent/insolvent trading is generally calculated based on the<br />

loss/damage/injury suffered by creditors as a result <strong>of</strong> continuing trading. Hence<br />

there is a causal link between trading and the creditor‘s loss. 98<br />

98 <strong>The</strong> causation principle in this aspect is akin to the causation in torts, namely the injury suffered<br />

must be a consequence <strong>of</strong> a breach <strong>of</strong> duty and should not be too remote.<br />

329

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