Forte Sydney Construction Pty Ltd v N Moit & Sons (NSW) Pty Ltd [2022] NSWCA 186

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Forte Sydney Construction Pty Ltd v N Moit & Sons (NSW) Pty Ltd [2022] NSWCA 186 Hearing dates: 21 July 2022 Date of orders: 23 September 2022 Decision date: 23 September 2022 Before: Ward P at [1]; Meagher JA at [139]; Gleeson JA at [140] Decision: 1. Appeal allowed. 2. Orders 1, 2 and 3 made on 14 December 2021 of the court below be set aside. 3. In lieu of those orders, make the following orders: (a) Judgment for the plaintiff on the plaintiffs claim in the sum of $292,833.67; (b) The cross claim by the defendant is dismissed. (c) The defendant/cross claimant to pay the plaintiff/cross defendant's costs of the proceedings in the court below. (d) The respondent to pay the appellant's costs of this appeal. Catchwords: CONTRACTS — Formation — Acceptance of offer — Acceptance by conduct — Where the parties each propounded draft documents — Where neither party expressly accepted the draft provided by the other party — Where respondent commenced works — Whether respondent by its conduct accepted the contract propounded by the appellant CONTRACTS — Formation — Subsequent conduct — Where appellant sought variation of the works ostensibly in accordance with contract provisions — Extent to which subsequent conduct is relevant to questions of formation Cases Cited: Bondi Beach Astra Retirement Village Pty Ltd v Gora (2011) 82 NSWLR 665; [2011] NSWCA 396 Brogden v Metropolitan Railway Co (1877) 2 App Cas 666 Brown v Brown (1905) 5 SR (NSW) 146 Empirnall Holdings Pty Ltd v Machon Paull Partners Pty Ltd (1988) 14 NSWLR 523 Felthouse v Bindley (1862) 11 CB (NS) 869; (1862) 142 ER 1037 Forte Sydney Construction Pty Ltd v N Moit & Sons (NSW) Pty Ltd [2021] NSWDC 673 Fox v Percy (2003) 214 CLR 118; [2003] HCA 22 Masters v Cameron (1954) 91 CLR 353; [1954] HCA 72 Redowood Pty Ltd v Mongoose Pty Ltd [2005] NSWCA 32 Rust v Abbey Life Assurance Co Ltd [1979] 2 Lloyd's Rep 334 Vroon BV v Foster's Brewing Group Ltd [1994] 2 VR 32 Texts Cited: JD Heydon, Heydon on Contract: The General Part (Thomson Reuters, 2019) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Forte Sydney Construction Pty Ltd (Appellant) N Moit & Sons (NSW) Pty Ltd (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: L Shipway and A Cameron T Lynch SC