Marina is a shareholder in Holiday Hampers Ltd, a giftware company. She bought 5,000 shares at $2 each, giving her a 10% shareholding in the company.

Unfortunately, Holiday Hampers Ltd has run into financial difficulties and Marina is worried about her potential liability. What is Marina's liability for the company's debts?

Question

Marina is a shareholder in Holiday Hampers Ltd, a giftware company.  She bought 5,000 shares at $2 each, giving her a 10% shareholding in the company.

Unfortunately, Holiday Hampers Ltd has run into financial difficulties and Marina is worried about her potential liability.  What is Marina's liability for the company's debts?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Restating the scenario helps set the context: Marina owns 5,000 shares at $2 each in Holiday Hampers Ltd, a company with limited liability. The central question is Marina’s potential personal liability for the company’s debts.

Option provided: "Marina's liability is limited to the amount she paid for her shares ($10,000)." This statement aligns with the core principle of limited liability for shareholders in a company. In a typical limited liability company, shareholders are liable only to the extent of their investment in the shares they own; creditors cannot pursue the shareholder’s personal assets for the company’s debts, unless the shareholder has given a personal guarantee, engaged in fraud, or the company is being treated as a facade (piercing the corporate veil) under exceptional circumstances. Therefore, Marina’s potential liability would be limited to the amount she paid for her shares, which is $10,000 in this case.

Why this is correct, explained in more detail: 
- The fundamental feature of a corporation is limited liability for its shareholders. This means personal assets are protected beyond the amount invested in the shares.
- The liability cap is the amount paid (or unpaid if there was a call and she hadn’t paid yet) on her shares, not the total value of the debts of the company.
- Without evidence of guarantees, fraud, or veil-p piercing scenarios, there is no basis for extending Marina’s liability beyond her $10,000 investment.

Why there could be misconceptions in alternative thinking (even though not provided as separate options here):
- Some might think shareholders are personally liable for all company debts because the company is in trouble; this is incorrect in the standard limited liability framework, where liability is not jointly extended to personal assets.
- Others might assume liability equals the total asset value or the investors’ stake in debt obligations, which is not how limited liability operates.
- The idea that liability depends on the current profitability or earnings of the company is also inaccurate; liability is tied to the structure of the corporate form and the shareholding, not the company’s financial state.

In sum, given Marina’s status as a shareholder in a company with limited liability, and absent any exceptional circumstances, her liability for the company’s debts is indeed limited to the amount paid for her shares, i.e., $10,000.

BUSINESS 114 BUS114 Module 05: Pre-workshop quiz (Business Structures)

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