'Uta'atu Assoc awarded claim against Paradise Hotel [1]
Wednesday, May 11, 2005 - 17:04. Updated on Thursday, May 1, 2014 - 13:21.
Christine 'Uta'atu, a Nuku'alofa accountant operating as 'Uta'atu and Associates was awarded a final payment today of $5,441.80 for a counterclaim lodged against Paradise International Hotel Proprietary and Christopher Racine for failing to pay an outstanding account.
Mr Justice Anthony Ford at the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court granted the payment together with 10% interest per annum to be effective from the day the counterclaim was made on December 6, 2000, until date of payment.
The counterclaim is a response to a civil action brought by the Paradise International Hotel Proprietary and Christopher Racine in September 2000 against the defendant for not handing over their documents after they ceased using her as their accountant.
The court was told that in October 1999 the defendant and Racine who acted as majority shareholder for both Paradise International Hotel and Oceania Broadcasting Commission, verbally agreed that the defendant would provide accounting services for them.
In August 2000 after eight months of working together Racine terminated the defendant's services, and their bill for the months of May, June, July and August of that year was not paid and remained outstanding at $33,429.96
The defendant therefore offset an unpaid bill of hers to Paradise Hotel valuing at $918.00 and the sum of $16,000 retainer she held for the plaintiff, against the outstanding and ended up with $16,511.96 balance.
She then put a lien over the plaintiff...s documents, records and trust funds and refused to hand it over until they settled the outstanding account.
In April 2003 in closed chambers at the Supreme Court an order was issued in favor of the defendant's counterclaim for the plaintiff to pay the amount of $11,000 and they did.
The judgment passed today was the final payment granted by the court in regards to the counterclaim issued by the defendant.
...Uta'atu was represented by legal counsel Laki Niu and the plaintiffs were represented by Mele Mangisi.