Hugh Green's daughter back on group boards

Businessman and philanthropist Hugh Green. Photo / Steven McNicholl

The eldest daughter of Hugh Green is once again a director of a slew of the late businessman's companies after her High Court victory in a battle for the control of his $400 million empire.

Maryanne Green has also been declared a trustee of the Hugh Green Trust and Hugh Green Property Trust, which control the business side of the Green Group.

That group, started by the family patriarch in the 1950s when he immigrated here from Ireland, has interests in property, farming and construction.

Maryanne's status as a director and trustee was yesterday confirmed by orders released by the High Court's Helen Winkelmann.

The orders follow her judgment last month which found Hugh Green was subject to undue influence from his son John when he made a series of decisions in the last year of his life.

These decisions included removing Maryanne as a trustee and a director and signing his final will in April 2012, a few months before he died. The judge ruled that will to be invalid.

The late Hugh Green's eldest daughter, Maryanne. Photo / Doug Sherring

Justice Winkelmann did not address the practical impacts of her findings in her original decision but in light of them she made a series of orders yesterday.

As well as declaring Maryanne a director, her orders say that siblings John and Frances Green - who joined company boards some months before their sister was removed from them - were not validly appointed and are not directors of the companies.

The orders also remove John and Frances as trustees of the Hugh Green Trust and Hugh Green Property Trust.

While stating Maryanne is a trustee of these entities, the judge ordered that she be restrained from exercising her power to vote as one until further orders are made.

The judge reiterated concerns that Maryanne's active participation as a trustee "is a further recipe discord and litigation".

An appeal against the main judgment is already on foot, as is an application to remove Maryanne as a trustee.

The trusts in the meantime are in the hands of interim trustees, Christopher Darlow and David Randell, whose appointments were also ordered by Justice Winkelmann yesterday.