preview

Company as a Separate Legal Entity

Better Essays

COMPANY AS A SEPARATE LEGAL ENTITY Definition: A legal entity, typically a business, that is defined as detached from another business or individual with respect to accountability. A separate legal entity may be set up in the case of a corporation or a limited liability company, to separate the actions of the entity from those of the individual or other company. Meaning: If a business is a separate legal entity, it means it has some of the same rights in law as a person. It is, for example, able to enter contracts. In New Zealand, a company is a separate legal entity from its owners (shareholders) and can, for example, be sued, and enter into contracts in the name of the company, not the shareholders. Sole traders and partnerships …show more content…

The government wanted to diversify its supply base to avoid the risk of its few suppliers being crippled by strikes. His warehouse, as a consequence, was full of unsold stock. He and his wife lent the company money, and he cancelled his debentures, but the company needed more money, so they sought £5,000 from a Mr. Edmund Broderip. Mr. Salomon assigned Broderip his debenture, the loan with ten per cent interest and secured by a floating charge. But Salomon 's business still failed, and he could not keep up with the interest payments. In October 1893, Broderip sued to enforce his security. The company was put into liquidation. Broderip was repaid his £5,000, and the debenture was reassigned to Salomon, who retained the floating charge over the company JUDGMENT High Court: When the company went into liquidation, the liquidator argued that the debentures used by Mr. Salomon as security for the debt were invalid, on the grounds of fraud. The judge, Vaughan Williams J. accepted this argument, ruling that since Mr. Salomon had created the company solely to transfer his business to it, the company was in reality his agent and he as principal was liable for debts to unsecured creditors. Court Of Appeal: The Court of Appeal also ruled against Mr. Salomon, though on the grounds that Mr. Salomon had abused the privileges of incorporation and limited

Get Access