14 February 2018

Mortgage: Secure Financial Services v. Nguy

Being sued for an alleged conspiracy in the mortgagee sale of an Auckland apartment, lawyer Jesse Nguy is questioning other sales in the same apartment block.
What should be the appropriate price for forced sales of residential apartments at 160 Grafton Road in central Auckland has seen a flurry of pre-trial applications seeking to identify any deals behind the sales.  Stephen Kelly built the Grafton apartments.  Secure Financial Services Ltd was left out of pocket as second mortgagee of Grafton unit 3A4 when it was sold by interests allegedly associated with Mr Kelly after a forced sale in November 2011.  Secure alleges that Mr Kelly was in league with his solicitor Mr Nguy and that they conspired to fix a price leaving it out of pocket.  It alleges the sale was put through at approximately $248,000 when in fact it sold for some $540,000.  Secure has demanded to see legal paperwork for sales of adjacent apartments.  Mr Nguy in turn wants to see Secure’s paper work for its sales of other Grafton Road apartments.  There are indications Secure sold two apartments which are comparative to or superior to apartment 3A4 for only $25,000 each.  These sales were made one month after the disputed mortgagee sale of apartment 3A4.  Justice van Bohemen ordered discovery.  This detail provides context as to the state of the market at the time of the sales, he said.
Secure Financial Services Ltd v. Nguy – High Court (14.02.18)

18.038