Zepinic v Eventus Lawyers Pty Ltd t/as SLF Lawyers (No 2) [2023] NSWSC 699

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Zepinic v Eventus Lawyers Pty Ltd t/as SLF Lawyers (No 2) [2023] NSWSC 699 Hearing dates: 17, 18, 19 October 2022; 4 November 2022 Date of orders: 23 June 2023 Decision date: 23 June 2023 Jurisdiction: Common Law Before: Rothman J Decision: (1) Judgment for the defendant; (2) The plaintiff's Motion dismissed; (3) Proceedings dismissed; (4) The plaintiff shall pay the defendant's costs of and incidental to the proceedings; (5) The parties have liberty, within 14 days, to make application for a different or special order as to costs by submission of no more than three pages in length, accompanied by any document upon which the application relies that is not otherwise in evidence. Any party affected by such application may respond within a further seven days by submission of no more than three pages in length, accompanied by any other document not otherwise in evidence; and (6) A copy of these reasons be provided to the Attorney General for New South Wales and the Solicitor General for New South Wales. Catchwords: NEGLIGENCE – Professional negligence – alleged breach of Retainer – alleged lack of due care – no issue of principle – factual dispute – no breach of Retainer and no lack of due care – proceedings dismissed Legislation Cited: Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW), ss 5B, 5D(1)(a), 5E Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014 (NSW), cl 2 of Sch 2, s 194 Local Court Act 2007 (NSW), ss 38, 39(2) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), r 18.2(1) Vexatious Proceedings Act 2008 (NSW), ss 8(7)(a), 8(7)(b), 13 Cases Cited: Application of Vito Zepinic [2020] NSWSC 269 Application of Vito Zepinic (No 2) [2020] NSWSC 693 Application of Vito Zepinic (No 3) [2020] NSWSC 761 Astley v Austrust Ltd (1999) 197 CLR 1; [1999] HCA 6 Blair & Perpetual Trustee Co Ltd v Curran (Adams' Will) (1939) 62 CLR 464; [1939] HCA 23 Carolan v AMF Bowling Pty Limited [1995] NSWCA 69 Charafeddine v Morgan (2014) 66 MVR 232; [2014] NSWCA 74 Chateau Constructions (Aust) Ltd v Zepinic & Anor (No 6) [2010] NSWSC 538 Chateau Constructions (Aust) Ltd v Zepinic (No 5) [2010] NSWSC 265 Chateau Constructions (Aust) Ltd v Zepinic, Vito and Zepinic, Milla, Consumer Trader and Tenancy Tribunal, Home Building Division, 22 September 2008 Doyle v The Commonwealth (1985) 156 CLR 510; [1985] HCA 46 Dr Vito Zepinic v Worrells Solvency & Forensic Accountants [2022] NSWSC 732 Heydon v NRMA Ltd (2000) 51 NSWLR 1; [2000] NSWCA 374 Kowalczuk v Accom Finance (2008) 77 NSWLR 205; [2008] NSWCA 343 Malec v JC Hutton Pty Ltd (1990) 169 CLR 638; [1990] HCA 20 Midland Bank Trust Co Ltd v Hett, Stubbs & Kemp (a Firm) [1979] Ch 38 Paltos v Bartier Perry Pty Ltd [2020] NSWSC 705 Reichel v Magrath (1889) 14 App Cas 665 Rogers v The Queen (1994) 181 CLR 251; [1994] HCA 42 Sellars v Adelaide Petroleum NL (1994) 179 CLR 332; [1994] HCA 4 Tomlinson v Ramsey Food Processing Pty Ltd (2015) 256 CLR 507; [2015] HCA 28 Tringali v Stewardson Stubbs & Collett Pty Ltd [1966] 1 NSWR 354 Vito Zepinic & Anor v Chateau Constructions (Australia) Ltd (Court of Appeal (NSW), 10 May 2010, unrep) Vito Zepinic and Mila [sic] Zepinic v Chateau Constructions (Australia) Limited (District Court (NSW), 20 November 2009, unrep) Vito Zepinic v Chateau Constructions (Aust) Limited; Nina Zepinic v Chateau Constructions (Aust) Limited [2018] NSWCA 317 Walton v Gardiner (1993) 177 CLR 378; [1993] HCA 77 Zelden v Sewell [2011] NSWCA 56 Zepinic v Chateau Constructions (Aust) Limited [2016] NSWSC 1254 Zepinic v Chateau Constructions (Aust) Limited; Chateau Constructions (Aust) Limited v Zepinic [2017] NSWSC 582 Zepinic v Chateau Constructions (Aust) Ltd [2020] NSWCA 291 Zepinic v Chateau Constructions (Aust) Ltd [2020] NSWSC 408 Zepinic v Malanos [2020] NSWCA 293 Zepinic, Vito v Chateau Constructions (Aust) Limited; Zepinic, Nina v Chateau Constructions (Aust) Limited (No 2) [2019] NSWCA 187 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Vito Zepinic (Plaintiff) Eventus Lawyers Pty Ltd t/as SLF Lawyers (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Self-Represented (Plaintiff) P Sharp (Defendant)