E-Alert: Tracing stolen monies – Causation or attribution?

The recent decision of the Supreme Court of Queensland in Goomboorian Transport Pty Ltd & Ors v Hanson & Ors [2018] QSC 135 resolves complex arguments regarding the equitable process of tracing the proceeds of monies improperly received to the proceeds of an insurance policy.

The Facts

The Plaintiffs together comprise a large business enterprise involved in logging, road haulage, harvesting and farming. Although there are 10 plaintiffs with different interests in the proceedings, for the purpose of this article, we will refer to them collectively as the Plaintiffs.

Ms Norma Hanson (Norma) was an employee of one of the Plaintiffs, Goomborian Transport Pty Ltd from 2002 until her death in September 2014.