The associate judge did so because the defence lawyers objected to BusinessDesk's presence.
Today's court list indicates the hearing was for a security for costs application. This is often sought if a defendant believes a plaintiff won't be able to pay costs if they lose.
The public list also indicates discovery to be an issue.
In the 1990s, the ISP's owners - Tim, Nick and father John - were said to be worth $75 million according to the National Business Review's annual rich list, but have since dropped off the publication's radar.
The web entrepreneur owns a 37 per cent stake in Mexicali Fresh and Burger Wisconsin-owner Mariposa Restaurant Holdings, through the company Mirage Property Investments.
Tim and Sasha had also been involved in the local film industry, taking associate producer credits on 'The Dark Horse' in 2015. At the time, media journalist Russell Brown reported the Woods invested $500,000 into the film which starred Cliff Curtis.
According to the NZ Film Commission's annual report for 2015 the film, about a chess player, generated $1.95 million at the box office.
The duo were also associate producers on local art house drama 'Everything We Loved'.
Sasha retains a shareholding in film production company Four Knight's Film while Tim stopped being a shareholder in August 2017.
