France v Siekaup [2020] NSWSC 1286

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: France v Siekaup [2020] NSWSC 1286 Hearing dates: 14 and 17 September 2020 Date of orders: 17 September 2020 Decision date: 17 September 2020 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Parker J Decision: See [68] Catchwords: CONTRACTS — performance — discharge by performance — payment — sale of real property —prior expenditure on property by purchaser — alleged oral agreement to treat expenditure as deposit — collateral contract — restitution COSTS — party/party — specific court rules in relation to costs — whether proceedings could have been commenced in District Court — claim based on contract for the sale of land — purchaser a property developer — whether a "commercial transaction" — whether to depart from ordinary rule that plaintiff deprived of costs Legislation Cited: Contracts Review Act 1980 (NSW) Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW), s 54A Real Property Act 1900 (NSW) Supreme Court Rules 1970 (NSW), Pt 14 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 42.34, 42.35 Cases Cited: Adicho v Dankeith Homes Pty Ltd [2012] NSWCA 316 Averkin v Insurance Australia Limited (No 2) [2016] NSWCA 150 Elzamatar v Bangladesh Islamic Centre of NSW In [2020] NSWSC 1161 Lumbers v W Cook Builders Pty Ltd (2008) 232 CLR 635 The NTF Group Pty Ltd v PA Putney Finance Australia Pty Ltd [2017] NSWSC 1194 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Margaret Ann France (Plaintiff/Cross-defendant) Karin Elisabeth Siekaup (First Defendant/First Cross-claimant) Sieve-Storm Pty Ltd (Second Defendant/Second Cross-claimant) Representation: Counsel: M Klooster (Plaintiff/Cross-defendant) S Galitsky (First and Second Defendants/First and Second Cross-claimant)