Williams v Wollongong City Council [2020] NSWDC 564

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Williams v Wollongong City Council [2020] NSWDC 564 Hearing dates: 18 August 2020; 20 August 2020; 24-25 August 2020; 26 August 2020 (written submissions); 27 August 2020 (oral submissions) Date of orders: 24 September 2020 Decision date: 24 September 2020 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Dicker DCJ at Wollongong Decision: (1) Judgment for the plaintiff. (2) The defendant is to pay the plaintiff's costs as agreed or assessed. (3) The parties are to bring in agreed short minutes of order consistent with the court's reasons within 14 days. (4) Any application to vary the costs order in order (2) above is to be made within 14 days. (5) Any party may relist the matter on 3 business days' notice. (6) Exhibits to be retained until further order. Catchwords: Torts – negligence – Civil Liability Act claim – fall from first step of a stepped pathway – liability in issue – past economic loss – attendant care services claims Legislation Cited: Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) Civil Liability (Non-Economic Loss) Amendment Order 2019 Cases Cited: Argo Managing Agency Ltd v Al Kammessy [2018] NSWCA 176 Avopiling Pty Ltd v Bosevski [2018] NSWCA 146 Hill v Forrester [2010] NSWCA 170 Jackson v McDonald's Australia Ltd [2014] NSWCA 162 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298 Lloyd v Thornbury [2019] NSWCA 154 Malec v JC Hutton Pty Ltd [1990] HCA 20; (1990) 169 CLR 638 Miller v Galderisi [2009] NSWCA 353 Newell v De Costi [2018] NSWCA 49 Nicholson v Nicholson (1994) 35 NSWLR 308 Patrick Stevedores Operations (No 2) Pty Ltd v Hennessy [2015] NSWCA 253 Podrebersek v Australian Iron & Steel Pty Ltd [1985] HCA 34; (1985) 59 ALJR 492 Reece v Reece [1994] NSWCA 259 Smith v Alone [2017] NSWCA 287 Strong v Woolworths Ltd [2012] HCA 5; (2012) 246 CLR 182 White v Benjamin [2015] NSWCA 75 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Bernard Roy Williams (Plaintiff) Wollongong City Council (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: R O'Keefe (Plaintiff) S Glascott (Defendant)