Mie Force Pty Ltd v Allianz Australia Insurance Limited [2022] NSWSC 1606

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Mie Force Pty Ltd v Allianz Australia Insurance Limited [2022] NSWSC 1606 Hearing dates: 1 November 2022 Decision date: 24 November 2022 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Peden J Decision: (1) The Amended Summons is dismissed. (2) The Plaintiff pay the Defendant's costs as agreed or assessed. Catchwords: INSURANCE — Construction of a general liability policy — Where plaintiff is a subcontractor of a subcontractor of the named insured — Whether sub-subcontractors are insured under the policy — Whether plaintiff is an "insured" or "named insured" as defined in the policy for the purposes of an insuring clause — Whether plaintiff was a person to whom the named insured had assumed responsibility and therefore an "insured" — Whether plaintiff was the agent of a subcontractor and therefore a "named insured"— Where plaintiff not insured under the policy Cases Cited: Admiral International Pty Ltd v Insurance Australia Ltd [2021] NSWSC 1440 Allianz Australia Limited v Rawsons Homes Pty Ltd [2021] NSWCA 224 Australian Broadcasting Commission v Australasian Performing Right Association Ltd (1973) 129 CLR 99 Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's of London v Dural 24/7 Pty Ltd [2022] FCA 206 Comalco Aluminium Ltd v Garraway Metals Pty Ltd (Full Federal Court of Australia, 8 December 1993) Co‑operative Retail Services Ltd v Taylor Young Partnership Ltd [2002] 1 WLR 1419 Electricity Generation Corporation v Woodside Energy Ltd (2014) 251 CLR 640 Flying Colours Film Co Ltd v Assicurazioni Generali SpA [1993] 2 Lloyd's Rep 184 Goninan & Co Ltd v Direct Engineering Services Pty Ltd [No 2] [2008] WASCA 112 International Harvester Co of Australia Pty Ltd v Carrigan's Hazeldene Pastoral Co (1958) 100 CLR 644 Kennedy v De Trafford [1897] AC 180 Malamit Pty Ltd v WFI Insurance Ltd [2016] NSWSC 1306 McCann v Switzerland Insurance Australia Limited (2000) 203 CLR 579 MetLife Insurance Ltd v RGA Reinsurance Company of Australia Ltd [2017] NSWCA 56 Mount Bruce Mining Pty Limited v Wright Petrofina (UK) Ltd v Magnaload Ltd [1984] QB 127 Plevin v Paragon Personal Finance [2014] 1 WLR 4234 Prospecting Pty Limited (2015) 256 CLR 104 Tektrol v International Insurance Co [2005] 2 Lloyd's Rep 701 Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co Ltd v Hans Bo Kristian Holgersson trading as Holgerssons Complete Home Service [2019] WASCA 114 Transfield Pty Limited v National Vulcan Engineering Insurance Group Limited [2002] NSWSC 830 Transfield Pty Limited v National Vulcan Engineering Insurance Group Limited [2003] NSWCA 327 Wallaby Grip Limited v QBE Insurance (Australia) Limited (2010) 240 CLR 444 Wilkie v Gordian Runoff Ltd (2005) 221 CLR 522 Zhang v ROC Services (NSW) Pty Ltd (2016) 93 NSWLR 561 Texts Cited: P Watts, W Bowstead and F M B Reynolds, Bowstead and Reynolds on Agency (22nd ed, 2021, Sweet & Maxwell) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Mie Force Pty Ltd ACN 608 385 557 (Plaintiff) Allianz Australia Insurance Limited ACN 000 122 850 (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: H K Insall SC (Plaintiff) D Lloyd SC and C Coventry (Defendant)