Zhang and Mills v JSW Property Projects Pty Ltd and Ors [2021] NSWDC 655

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Zhang and Mills v JSW Property Projects Pty Ltd and Ors [2021] NSWDC 655 Hearing dates: 30, 31 August 2021; 1, 2, 3, 6, and 21 September 2021 (Hearing) 5 October 2021 (Plaintiffs' Written Submissions in Reply) Date of orders: 17 December 2021 Decision date: 17 December 2021 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: R. J. Weber SC DCJ Decision: At [320] Catchwords: CIVIL PROCEEDINGS – Construction – Renovation Works on a Residential Property – No Written Contract Credit Issues Breach of Warranties contained in the Home Building Act 1989 – Identification of parties to a contract – Reasonable observer to parties' communications unlikely to draw the conclusion that the shareholder/director was intended to be personally liable Misleading and Deceptive Conduct – Express representations – Implied representations – Representations by silence – Reliance – Loss not established Value of works NOTICE OF MOTION – Application to Stay Proceedings – Applicable legal principles where fair trial is not possible – Exclusion of evidence pursuant to the Evidence Act – No prejudice suffered as a result of exclusion of prejudicial evidence – Destruction of evidence Expert reports – Quantity surveying evidence – Quantification of defects Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) Home Building Act 1989 (NSW) Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) Cases Cited: Allen v Tobias [1958] 98 CLR 367 Allied Pastoral Holdings Pty Ltd v Federal Commissioner of Taxation [1983] 1 NSWLR 1 Batistatos v Roads and Traffic Authority (NSW) (2006) 226 CLR 256 Biggin & Co Ltd v Permanite Ltd [1951] 1 KB 422 Brambles Holdings Ltd v Bathurst City Council (2001) 53 NSWLR 153 Branir Pty Ltd v Owston Nominees (No 2) Pty Ltd [2001] FCA 1833 Clark v State of New South Wales (2006) 66 NSWLR 650 Commonwealth v Amann Aviation Pty Ltd (1991) 174 CLR 64 Cox v Journeaux [No 2] (1935) 52 CLR 713 Gould v Vaggelas (1985) 157 CLR 215 Hanave Pty Limited v LFOT Pty Ltd [1990] FCA 357 Harold R Finger & Co v Karellas Investments Pty Ltd [2015] NSWSC 354 Haros v Linfox Australia Pty Ltd [2012] FCAFC 42 Henville v Walker (2001) 206 CLR 459 Integrated Computer Services Pty Ltd v Digital Equipment Corp (Aust) Pty Ltd (1988) 5 BPR 11 JLW (Vic) Pty Ltd v Tsiligou [1994] 1 VR 237 Marks v GIO Australia Holdings Ltd (1998) 196 CLR 494 McCrohon v Harith [2010] NSWCA 67 Mount Bruce Mining Pty Ltd v Wright Prospecting Pty Limited (2015) 256 CLR 107 Palavi v Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd [2011] NSWSC 274 Palavi v Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd (2012) 84 NSWLR 523; [2012] NSWCA 182 Pethybridge v Stedikas Holdings Pty Ltd [2007] NSWCA 154 Oceanic Sun Line Special Shipping Co Inc v Fay (1988) 165 CLR 197 Ophelia [1916] 2 AC 206 Ratcliffe v Evans [1892] 2 QB 524 Read v Carmody (1998) NSWCA 182 Re. Waterfront Investment Group Pty Ltd (2015) 105 ACSR 280 Roude v Helwani [2020] NSWCCA 310 R v Sabet [2018] SASCFC 18 Schindler Lifts Australia Pty Ltd v Debelak (1989) 89 ALR 275 State of New South Wales v Moss (2000) NSWLR 536 Troulis v Vamvoukalis [1998] NSWCA 237 Westpac Banking Corporation v Bell Group Ltd (in liq) (No 3) [2012] WASCA 157 Wardley Australia Ltd v Western Australia (1992) 175 CLR 514 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Crystal Zhang (First Plaintiff) David Mills (Second Plaintiff) JSW Property Projects Pty Ltd (First Defendant) Haiden Walsh (Second Defendant) Legge and Legge Architects Pty Ltd (Third Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr B DeBuse (First and Second Plaintiffs) Mr D Reynolds (First and Second Defendants)