May Harlow Pty Ltd v Winten (No 48) Pty Ltd [2020] NSWSC 1011

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: May Harlow Pty Ltd v Winten (No 48) Pty Ltd [2020] NSWSC 1011 Hearing dates: 17 July 2020 Date of orders: 3 August 2020 Decision date: 03 August 2020 Jurisdiction: Equity - Applications List Before: Williams J Decision: Proceeding 2019/383461 is permanently stayed. Catchwords: PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE – stay of proceedings – permanent stays – stays in aid of the enforcement of dispute resolution clauses – whether the Court should exercise its discretion to stay proceeding – expert determination clauses – where it is conceded that the dispute falls within the terms of the expert determination clause in a Project Development Agreement entered into between the parties – whether the expert determination clause is an unsuitable mechanism to resolve the dispute because the plaintiffs seek the aid of compulsive procedures to obtain material evidence from third parties – whether the expert determination clause is unsuitable to resolve the plaintiffs' claim for the taking of an account – whether the possibility of multiple expert determination processes or legal challenges to expert determinations warrant the refusal of the exercise of discretion to stay the proceeding – proceeding stayed Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), s 58 Cases Cited: Australian Vintage Ltd v Belvino Investments No 2 Pty Ltd (2015) 90 NSWLR 367; [2015] NSWCA 275 Dance With Mr D Ltd v Dirty Dancing Investments Pty Ltd [2009] NSWSC 332 Holt v Cox (1997) 23 ACSR 590 Ipoh v TPS Property No 2 Pty Ltd [2004] NSWSC 289 Lainson Holdings Pty Ltd v Duffy Kennedy Pty Ltd [2017] NSWSC 203 Lawrence v Ciantar [2020] NSWCA 89 Legal & General Life of Australia Ltd v A Hudson Pty Ltd (1985) 1 NSWLR 314 Lepcanfin Pty Ltd v Lepfin Pty Ltd [2020] NSWCA 155 Onslow Salt Pty Ltd v Buurabalayji Thalanyji Aboriginal Corporation [2018] FCAFC 118 Port of Melbourne Authority v Anshun Pty Ltd (1981) 147 CLR 589 Savcor Pty Ltd v State of New South Wales (2001) 52 NSWLR 587 Strike Australia Pty Ltd v Data Base Corporate Pty Ltd (2019) 19 BPR 39,621; [2019] NSWCA 205 The Illawarra Community Housing Trust Limited v MP Park Lane Pty Ltd [2020] NSWSC 751 Zeke Services Pty Ltd v Traffic Technologies Ltd [2005] 2 Qd R 563; [2005] QSC 135 Texts Cited: J D Heydon, M J Leeming and P Turner, Meagher, Gummow and Lehane's Equity: Doctrines and Remedies (5th ed, LexisNexis Butterworths, 2015) Category: Procedural and other rulings Parties: May Harlow Pty Ltd (First Plaintiff/First Respondent) Woodsinta Pty Ltd (Second Plaintiff/Second Respondent) Winten (No 48) Pty Ltd (Defendant/Applicant) Representation: Counsel: Mr M K Condon SC with Mr M Sheldon (Plaintiffs/Respondents) Mr E B Cowpe (Defendant/Applicant)