Ling v Beyond Development Group Pty Ltd (No 2) [2022] NSWSC 817

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Ling v Beyond Development Group Pty Ltd (No 2) [2022] NSWSC 817 Hearing dates: On the papers Date of orders: 21 June 2022 Decision date: 21 June 2022 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Ward P Decision: 1. Order that the sum held in Court as security for the fourth defendant's costs ($100,000) plus any interest that has accrued thereon, be released forthwith to the trust account of the fourth defendant's solicitor (details of which are set out below) in partial discharge of the plaintiffs' obligation to pay the fourth defendant's costs of the proceeding. 2. Order the third defendant to indemnify the plaintiffs for the amounts paid by the plaintiffs to the second and fourth defendants pursuant to the orders made for costs in their favour. 3. Otherwise, there be no variation to the costs orders made on 30 May 2022. Catchwords: COSTS – Party/Party – Exceptions to the general rule that costs follow the event – whether plaintiffs' conduct in joining the second and fourth defendants to the proceedings supported an order for costs to be assessed on an indemnity basis COSTS – Party/Party – Orders when proceedings involve multiple parties – Bullock and Sanderson orders – whether the burden of an unsuccessful defendant's insolvency should be cast on the plaintiffs or the successful defendants Legislation Cited: Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth), s 58(3) Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), ss 56, 98 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 NSW rr 41.3, 41.8, 42.1 Cases Cited: 123 259 932 Pty Ltd v Cessnock City Council (No 4) [2021] NSWSC 1598 Bankamerica Finance Ltd v Nock [1988] AC 1002 Bullock v London General Omnibus Co [1907] 1 KB 264 Chong v Super Equity Invests Pty Ltd & Anor [2012] NSWSC 27 Colgate-Palmolive Company v Cussons Pty Ltd (1993) 46 FCR 225; [1993] FCA 536 Commonwealth Bank v Estate of late Slieman [2010] NSWSC 661 Commonwealth of Australia v Gretton [2008] NSWCA 117 Council of the City of Liverpool v Turano (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 176 Dunstan v Rickwood (No 2) (2007) 38 Fam LR 491; [2007] NSWCA 266 Dwight v Federal Commissioner of Taxation (1992) 37 FCR 178 Fennell v Supervision and Engineering Services Holding Pty Ltd (1988) 47 SASR 6 Fountain Selected Meats (Sales) Pty Ltd v International Produce Merchants Pty Ltd (1988) 81 ALR 397; [1988] FCA 202 In the matter of C & L Cameron Pty Ltd - GB Gazzana v Nadalan Enterprises Pty Ltd; AF Gazzana v Nadalan Enterprises Pty Ltd [2012] NSWSC 676 Jin Lian Group Pty Ltd (in Liq) v ACapital Finance Pty Ltd (No 2) [2021] NSWSC 1202 Kenneth John Foots v Southern Cross Mine Management Pty Ltd (2007) 234 CLR 52; [2007] HCA 56 Lackersteen v Jones (No 2) (1988) 93 FLR 442 Latoudis v Casey (1990) 170 CLR 534; [1990] HCA 59 Leichhardt Municipal Council v Green [2004] NSWCA 341 Ling v Beyond Development Group Pty Ltd [2022] NSWSC 685 Mid-City Skin Cancer and Laser Centre v Zahedi-Anarak [2006] NSWSC 1149 Ohn v Walton (1995) 36 NSWLR 77 Oshlack v Richmond River Council (1998) 193 CLR 72; [1998] HCA 11 Refina Pty Ltd v Binnie (Costs) [2009] NSWSC 1098 Roberts v lnvestwell Pty Ltd (in liq) (2012) 88 ACSR 689; [2012] NSWCA 134 Sanderson v Blyth Theatre Co [1903] 2 KB 533 Steppke v National Capital Development Commission (1978) 21 ACTR 23 Stevedoring Industry Finance Committee v Gibson (2000) 20 NSWCCR 417; [2000] NSWCA 179 Summer Hill Business Estate Pty Ltd v Equititrust Ltd [2011] NSWCA 211 Sydney City Council v Geftlick [2006] NSWCA 280 Sze Tu v Lowe (No 2) [2015] NSWCA 91 Thomson v Golden Destiny Investments Pty Ltd (No 2) [2015] NSWSC 1929 Vagg v McPhee (No 2) [2013] NSWCA 126 Vella v Permanent Mortgages Pty Ltd (2008) 13 BPR 25,343; [2008] NSWSC 505 White Constructions ACT Pty Ltd (in liq) v White [2004] NSWSC 303 Texts Cited: G E Dal Pont, Law of Costs (2009, LexisNexis Butterworths, 2nd ed; 2018, 4th ed;) G E Dal Pont, Law of Costs (2021, LexisNexis Butterworths, 5th ed) Category: Costs Parties: Kuo Shu Ling (First Plaintiff) Chuan Dian International Trade Co Ltd (Second Plaintiff) Beyond Development Group Pty Ltd (First Defendant) Liping Wang (Second Defendant) Peter Zhuang (Third Defendant) Pang (trading as O Pang & Co) Oliver (Fourth Defendant) Representation: Counsel: DP O'Connor with P Lin (Plaintiffs) DC Eardley (Second Defendant) DA Lloyd SC with C Robertson (Fourth Defendant)