Full Court Minute Books

Case P45/2011

Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ACN 002 594 872) v. Australian Securities and Investments Commission and Anor

Case No.

P45/2011

Related matter

P44/2011 – Forrest v. Australian Securities and Investments Commission & Anor

Case Information

Lower Court Judgment

18/02/2010 Federal Court of Australia (Keane CJ, Emmett J, Finkelstein J)

[2011] FCAFC 19

Catchwords

Corporations law — Continuous disclosure — Misleading and deceptive conduct — Fortescue Metals Group Ltd ("FMG") entered into framework agreements with three Chinese entities — Forrest the Chairman and CEO of FMG — FMG made public announcements that FMG and Chinese entities had executed binding agreements to build, finance and transfer infrastructure for mining project in Pilbara region — Whether, in making announcements, FMG contravened ss 674(2) and 1041H of Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) ("Act"), and Forrest contravened ss 180(1) and 674(2) of Act — Whether announcements made by FMG misleading or deceptive or likely to be misleading or deceptive in contravention of s 1041H of Act or s 52 of Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) — Whether announcements would have been understood by reasonable person as statement of FMG's honest, or honest and reasonable, belief as to terms and effect of framework agreements rather than statements that warranted or guaranteed their truth — Whether FMG and Forrest honestly, or honestly and reasonably, believed framework agreements effective as binding contracts — Whether FMG and Forrest contravened s 674(2) of Act because neither had "information" that framework agreements unenforceable at law — Whether, if announcements by FMG misleading or deceptive or likely to be misleading or deceptive, Forrest contravened s 180(1) of Act — Whether s 180(1) of Act provides for civil liability of directors for contraventions of other provisions of Act — Whether
s 180(2) of Act available as defence to alleged contravention of
s 180(1) if proceedings based on contravention of provisions containing exculpatory provisions — Whether s 180(2) of Act applies to decisions concerning compliance with Act.

Contracts — Agreements contemplating existence of fuller contracts — Certainty — Whether framework agreements contained binding core obligations on Chinese entities in respect of Pilbara project — Whether framework agreements uncertain as to subject matter — Whether inclusion of terms making price determinable by third party rendered framework agreements uncertain.

Short Particulars

Documents

29/09/2011 Hearing (SLA, Adelaide)

13/10/2011 Notice of appeal

27/10/2011 Written submissions (Appellant)

27/10/2011 Chronology (Appellant)

17/11/2011 Written submissions (First Respondent)

17/11/2011 Written submissions (Second Respondent)

24/11/2011 Reply

01/12/2011 Reply to Notice of Contention and Cross Appeal (First Respondent)

29/02/2012 Hearing (Full Court, Canberra)

01/03/2012 Hearing (Full Court, Canberra)

30/03/2012 Hearing (Full Court, Canberra)

02/10/2012 Judgment  (Judgment summary)