The High Court knocked back a bid by the statutory managers of Allan Hubbard's affairs to use his personal funds to meet their fees just two days before the Timaru businessman's death.
Judge Lester Chisholm threw out an application by Richard Simpson, Trevor Thornton and Graeme Carson of Grant Thornton to claim some of their $891,127.07 in costs from the Hubbards' personal assets, in the High Court in Timaru. The judge said Parliament was explicit in the way statutory managers could recover costs, rejecting the attempt.
"The application by the statutory managers for an order that they be permitted to take the costs of managing Mr and Mrs Hubbard's personal assets out of those assets it dismissed," Chisholm said.
The statutory manager went to the courts after acknowledging the provisions didn't expressly authorise them to take their costs from the Hubbards' assets.
A decision on costs was put off after the statutory manager's objected to the $178,059 bill claimed the Hubbards' lawyers, Russell McVeagh. The statutory managers were forced to meet the Hubbards' legal fees by a judgement in March, though the size of the bill hadn't been agreed.