Lendlease Corporation Limited ACN 000 226 228 & Anor v David William Pallas and JULIE Ann Pallas As Trustees for The Pallas Family Superannuation Fund & Anor

Lendlease Corporation Limited, together with another party, initiated legal proceedings against David William Pallas and Julie Ann Pallas, who are acting as trustees for The Pallas Family Superannuation Fund, along with another party. The dispute concerns the enforcement of a building contract. The case was heard in the High Court of Australia. The central issue before the court was whether a building contract was binding on a superannuation fund when it was executed by an individual who had the authority to bind the fund but who was not a trustee at the time of execution.

The court examined the authority of the individual who signed the contract on behalf of the superannuation fund. It considered whether the authority granted by the trustees to the individual was sufficient to bind the fund to the contract, despite the individual not being a trustee at the time of signing. The court also evaluated whether the contract was enforceable against the superannuation fund, despite the procedural irregularity in the signing process.

The court determined that the individual did have the requisite authority from the trustees to bind the superannuation fund to the contract. It found that the authority granted by the trustees, even though the individual was not a trustee at the time, was sufficient to enforce the contract against the fund. The court concluded that the procedural irregularity did not affect the enforceability of the contract. Consequently, the court granted special leave to appeal on the specified conditions.