Hunt v Al Halek [2020] NSWDC 541

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Hunt v Al Halek [2020] NSWDC 541 Hearing dates: 11 September 2020 Date of orders: 11 September 2020 Decision date: 18 September 2020 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Gibson DCJ Decision: (1) The parties to bring in Short Minutes of Order reflecting each of the occasions upon which the plaintiff is liable to pay costs thrown away by reason of his amended pleading. (2) Plaintiff's application for costs payable forthwith as a gross sum order is dismissed. (3) Parties' costs to be cost in the cause. Catchwords: TORT – defamation – defendant in person provides two defences inadequately pleading justification – solicitor subsequently retained first retains and then drops the plea of justification while pleading qualified privilege – plea of triviality then abandoned as well – whether repeated amendments to pleadings warrants an order for costs to be assessed forthwith in a gross sum costs order – application refused Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) ss 56 – 62, 98(4) Federal Court of Australia, Costs Practice Note (GPN-COSTS) Cases Cited: Alhalek v Quintiliani t/as Kells Lawyers [2020] FCA 1272 Amos v Monsour P/L & Ors [2009] QCA 65 Baltinos v Johnson (Supreme Court of NSW, Levine J, 16 December 1994) Bell v Pentelow [2019] HCA 29; 93 ALJR 1007; 372 ALR 555 Bernstein v Poon, 2015 ONSC 2125 Bhagat v Global Custodians Ltd [2002] FCAFC 51 Bobb v Wombat Securities Pty Ltd & Ors (No 2) [2013] NSWSC 863 Fiduciary Limited v Morningstar Research Pty Ltd [2002] NSWSC 432; 55 NSWLR 1; 55 ALR 1 Ghosh v Miller (No 2) [2016] NSWSC 713. Hague v Cordiner (No 2) [2020] NSWDC 23 Hockey v Fairfax & Ors (No 2) [2015] FCA 750 Johnson v Department of Community Services (No 2) [1999] NSWSC 1251 Lemoto v Able Technical Pty Ltd (2005) 63 NSWLR 300 Mathews v Pigram [2020] NSWDC 526 McConnell Dowell Constructors (Aust) Pty Ltd v Santam Ltd & Ors (No 1) [2016] VSC 734 Merringtons Pty Ltd v Luxxotica Retail Pty Ltd [2006] VSC 25 Oliver v Bryant Strata Management Pty Ltd (1995) 41 NSWLR 514 Opai v Culpan [2017] NZHC 1036, [2017] NZAR 1142 Penson v Titan National Pty Ltd (no 3) [2015] NSWCA 121 Petkovic v Koutalianos [2016] NSWSC 1817 TFM Epping Land Pty Ltd v Decon Australia Pty Ltd [2020] FCA 955 Toben v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2015] NSWSC 1784 at [109] Ventouris Enterprises Pty Ltd v Dib Group Pty Ltd & Anor (No. 4) [2011] NSWSC 720 Texts Cited: The Hon Justice Murphy, "The Problem of Legal Costs: Lump Sum Costs Orders in the Federal Court", Federal Court of Australia, 17 November 2017 Category: Procedural and other rulings Parties: Plaintiff: John Richard Paul Hunt Defendant: Kyled Al Halek Representation: Counsel: Plaintiff: Mr T Senior Defendant: Ms A Tannous (solicitor)