Montague Mining Pty Ltd v Gore [1999] FCA 1528

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA Montague Mining Pty Ltd v Gore [1999] FCA 1528

DAMAGES – Negligence by solicitor in respect of advice and documentation concerning mining transactions – Assessment of damages for loss of rights under concluded agreements – Value of lost chance – Methods of valuing unexplored mining tenements – Comments about use of future expenditure as basis for valuation – Discount and adjustments to take account of possibilities in respect of applicant's future actions if rights retained.

MONTAGUE MINING PTY LIMITED v PETER L GORE, MICHAEL J MORROW, GEOFFREY N HARLEY, JEREMY C CHARLSTON, PAUL H CORBIERE, MICHAEL O KLUG, JOHN D ELLIOTT, DAVID G COMINOS, ROSS G PERRETT, DARRYL D MCDONOUGH, TIMOTHY D FERRIER, CHRISTOPHER T COYNE, ROGER I BURNELL, RANDAL J DENNINGS, ALAN H MAGUIRE, ARCHIBALD FLETCHER, LLOYD S NASH, BRIAN C NOBLE, SIMON W LAND, DALE S BRACKIN, PAUL C CALLAGHAN, SALLY A PITKIN, BRIAN J CONRICK, KAREN M TRAINER, RUTH A COPELIN, ROGER V BYRNE, MARK W WALLER, JOHN D POWELL, ANDREW W SMITH, JENNIFER A MCVEIGH, ANNE MILNER and DARREN B FOOKS trading as CLAYTON UTZ and SPINIFEX GOLD NL

NG563 of 1997

WILCOX J SYDNEY 5 NOVEMBER 1999

IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

NEW SOUTH WALES DISTRICT REGISTRY NG563 of 1997

BETWEEN: MONTAGUE MINING PTY LIMITED

Applicant

AND: PETER L GORE, MICHAEL J MORROW, GEOFFREY N HARLEY, JEREMY C CHARLSTON, PAUL H CORBIERE, MICHAEL O KLUG, JOHN D ELLIOTT, DAVID G COMINOS, ROSS G PERRETT, DARRYL D MCDONOUGH, TIMOTHY D FERRIER, CHRISTOPHER T COYNE, ROGER I BURNELL, RANDAL J DENNINGS, ALAN H MAGUIRE, ARCHIBALD FLETCHER, LLOYD S NASH, BRIAN C NOBLE, SIMON W LAND, DALE S BRACKIN, PAUL C CALLAGHAN, SALLY A PITKIN, BRIAN J CONRICK, KAREN M TRAINER, RUTH A COPELIN, ROGER V BYRNE, MARK W WALLER, JOHN D POWELL, ANDREW W SMITH, JENNIFER A MCVEIGH, ANNE MILNER and DARREN B FOOKS trading as CLAYTON UTZ