Strawbridge (Administrator), in the matter of CBCH Group Pty Ltd (Administrators Appointed) (No 4)

The case of Strawbridge (Administrator), in the matter of CBCH Group Pty Ltd (Administrators Appointed) (No 4) involved an application by the Administrators of CBCH Group Pty Ltd and its subsidiaries, CBCH Australia Pty Ltd, CBCH Buying Co Pty Ltd, and Colette International Pty Ltd, for further extensions of time to convene meetings of creditors under section 439A of the Corporations Act 2001. The application was heard by the Federal Court, which had jurisdiction over the matter given the nature of the statutory provisions involved.

The legal issues before the court were whether the Administrators' applications for extending the convening period for the second meeting of creditors were justified and whether such extensions were in the interest of justice. The court needed to consider the significant disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which had hampered the Administrators' ability to complete their investigations and other work within the originally extended convening period.

The court granted the application for further extensions, noting the extraordinary circumstances caused by the pandemic. The Administrators had demonstrated that the impact of COVID-19 had severely disrupted their ability to meet the previous deadlines for convening the creditors' meetings. The court emphasised that the extensions were necessary to prevent prejudice to the proper administration of justice and to ensure that the Administrators could complete their tasks in a manner that was fair and equitable to all stakeholders involved.

The court also made several specific orders to manage the administration process, including provisions for the publication of notices to creditors and the handling of confidential documents. The final orders provided for the convening period to be extended up to 27 August 2020, with meetings of creditors to be held within an additional five business days thereafter. The court also addressed the allocation of costs and outlined the means by which creditors and ASIC would be notified of the orders.