KEY POINTS:
Legal action against Bridgecorp founder Rod Petricevic has begun to try to recover money paid to him in the lead-up to the company's receivership, including a $550,000 performance bonus.
Bridgecorp Management Services, a related entity of Bridgecorp, yesterday took action against Mr Petricevic in the High Court through a summary judgment.
Summary judgments are usually taken against a debtor when it is believed he or she will have no reasonable defence against the claim.
The case is presented to a judge who decides whether the debtor should pay.
Representing Bridgecorp Management Services, lawyer Murray Tingey said it would take 15 to 20 minutes to present his case against Mr Petricevic in a claim for Mr Petricevic's salary and a bonus of $550,000 paid for the year ended June 30, 2007.
Bridgecorp went into receivership in July 2007.
But Mr Petricevic's lawyer Vibeke Fletcher asked for the case to be delayed.
She said she had not received the papers notifying Mr Petricevic of the claim against him until yesterday.
"To even try to deal with it today, it would be an ambush," she said.
"Opposition papers have been filed. I came today to seek a timetable," she said.
Mrs Fletcher also called for the case to be delayed and she was filling in for lawyer Paul Dale, her father, whom the client wanted to represent him.
Mr Dale has been in the headlines recently for his fight to help Blue Chip investors recover their money.
But Mr Tingey said it should have come as no surprise that his client wanted the judgment to be heard.
Dates for summary judgments are typically set down three weeks ahead of them being held.
Associate Judge Robinson agreed to an adjournment of six days.
The case will be held on May 29.
Bridgecorp collapsed owing almost $460 million to 14,500 debenture investors.
Receivers John Waller and Colin McCloy have estimated they are likely to recover somewhere between 16 and 51 per cent of the money owed.
