Ea v Diaconu [2020] NSWCA 127

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Ea v Diaconu [2020] NSWCA 127 Hearing dates: 27 February 2020 Date of orders: 30 June 2020 Decision date: 30 June 2020 Before: Payne JA at [1] White JA at [64] Simpson AJA at [131] Decision: (1) Grant leave to appeal; (2) Appeal dismissed against the second respondent with costs; (3) Appeal allowed against the first and third respondents; (4) Set aside orders 1 and 2 made by the primary judge on 3 July 2019 and in lieu thereof make the following orders: (a) Pursuant to r 13.4(1) of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), summarily dismiss the proceedings against the second respondent; (b) Pursuant to r 13.4(1) of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), summarily dismiss the proceedings against the first and third respondents insofar as they allege malicious prosecution; (c) Otherwise dismiss the respondents' notice of motion filed on 11 February 2019; (5) Order that the first and third respondents pay the appellant's costs of the application for leave to appeal and the appeal; (6) Remit the question of costs of the hearing of the respondents' notice of motion filed on 11 February 2019 to the Common Law Division. Catchwords: TORT – misfeasance in public office – elements – identification of public power or duty – where police officer involved in trial laughed and rolled eyes during applicant's trial – where applicant alleges her conduct amounted to misfeasance in public office – whether a purported exercise of a public power or duty identified – whether a capacity to act as an incident of a public office an exercise of public power TORT – summary disposal – whether statement of claim and particulars disclosed cause of action – whether applicant's claim for misfeasance in public office was hopeless and doomed to fail – Whether limits of the tort of misfeasance in public office so settled that applicant's claim is doomed to fail Legislation Cited: Australian Federal Police Act 1979 (Cth), ss 4, 8 Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth), Schedule ss 270.6(2), 271.2(1B) Director of Public Prosecutions Act 1983 (Cth) Migration Act 1958 (Cth), ss 245AC(1), 245AC(2) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 13.4(1), 14.28 Cases Cited: Ashley v Chief Constable of Sussex Police [2007] 1 WLR 398; [2006] EWCA Civ 1085 Ashley v Chief Constable of Sussex Police [2008] AC 962 Calveley v Chief Constable of the Merseyside Police [1989] AC 1228 Cannon v Tahche (2002) 5 VR 317; [2002] VSCA 84 Cornelius v Hackney London Borough Council [2003] LGR 178; [2002] EWCA Civ 1073 Dunlop v Woollahra Municipal Council [1982] AC 158 Ea v Diaconu [2019] NSWSC 795 Elliott v Chief Constable of Wiltshire (1996) TLR 693 Farrington v Thomson & Bridgland [1959] VR 286 Commissioner of Taxation of the Commonwealth of Australia v Futuris Corporation Ltd (2008) 237 CLR 146; [2008] HCA 32 Garrett v Attorney General [1997] 2 NZLR 332 Grass v Slattery [2018] FCA 1719; (2018) 162 ALD 276 Henly v Mayor of Lyme (1828) 5 Bing 91; 130 ER 99 Kuddus v Chief Constable of Leicestershire [2002] 2 AC 122; [2001] UKHL 29 Leerdam v Noori [2009] NSWCA 90 Leinenga v Logan City Council [2006] QSC 294 Lock v Australian Securities and Investments Commission (2016) 248 FCR 547; [2016] FCA 31 Northern Territory of Australia v Mengel (1995) 185 CLR 307; [1995] HCA 65 Nyoni v Shire of Kellerberrin (2017) 248 FCR 311; [2017] FCAFC 59 Nyoni v Shire of Kellerberrin (No 6) [2015] FCA 1294 O'Brien v Bank of Western Australia Ltd [2013] NSWCA 71 Obeid v Ipp [2016] NSWSC 1376; (2016) 338 ALR 234 Obeid v Lockley (2018) 98 NSWLR 258; [2018] NSWCA 71 Odhavji Estate v Woodhouse [2003] 3 SCR 263; [2003] SCC 69 Petersen v Nolan [2020] QCA 56 Pro Teeth Whitening (Aust) Pty Ltd v Commonwealth of Australia [2015] QSC 175 Rees v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis [2017] EWHC 273 Rees v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis [2018] EWCA Civ 1587; [2018] All ER (D) 57 Sanders v Snell (1998) 196 CLR 329; [1998] HCA 64 Sanders v Snell (No 2) (2003) 130 FCR 149; [2003] FCAFC 150 Shire of Kellerberrin v Nyoni [2018] HCATrans 27 Simmons v New South Wales Trustee and Guardian [2014] NSWCA 405 Spencer v Commonwealth of Australia (2010) 241 CLR 118; [2010] HCA 28 Three Rivers District Council v Governor and Company of the Bank of England (No 3) [2003] 2 AC 1; [2000] 2 WLR 1220 White Industries Australia Ltd v Federal Commissioner of Taxation (2007) 160 FCR 298; [2007] FCA 511 Wickstead v Browne (1992) 30 NSWLR 1; [1992] NSWCA 272 Wickstead v Browne (1993) 179 CLR 688 (note); (1993) 10 Leg.Rep SL 2 Texts Cited: M Aronson, "Misfeasance in Public Office: Some Unfinished Business" (2016) 132 Law Quarterly Review 427 PD Finn "Public Officers: Some Personal Liabilities" (1977) 51 Australian Law Journal 313 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Song Ea (Applicant) Dana Diaconu (First Respondent) Director of Public Prosecutions of the Commonwealth of Australia (Second Respondent) Commonwealth of Australia (Third Respondent) Representation: Counsel: A C Canceri (Applicant) N Williams SC with T L Phillips (First, Second and Third Respondents)