Macquarie International Health Clinic Pty Ltd v Sydney Local Health District [2024] NSWDC 233

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Macquarie International Health Clinic Pty Ltd v Sydney Local Health District [2024] NSWDC 233 Hearing dates: 30 May and 20 June 2024 Date of orders: 21 June 2024 Decision date: 21 June 2024 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Gibson DCJ Decision: (1) Appeal dismissed; Summons struck out and dismissed. (2) Plaintiff to pay defendant's costs, with liberty to apply, such liberty to include the bringing of any application pursuant to s 98(4) of the Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) for a gross sum costs order. Catchwords: COSTS – "Mega-litigation" over a 20-year period concluded after a 5-day hearing in the Court of Appeal – assessment of costs for appeal – appeal from Costs Assessor to Review Panel on multiple grounds – appeal from Review Panel to District Court on two grounds only (consultants' invoices and multiplicity of solicitors) – Summons dismissed Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), s 98(4) Legal Profession Act 2004 (NSW), s 4(1) Legal Profession Uniform Law 2014 (NSW), ss 6, 172 Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014 (NSW), ss 76, 85 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), r 20.4 Cases Cited: A.C.N. 627 087 030 Pty Ltd t/as Yates Beaggi Lawyers v Poche [2024] NSWCA 145 Amirbeaggi v EB [2023] NSWCA 108 Australian Blue Metal Ltd v Hughes [1970] 2 NSWR 119 Australian Coal and Shale Employees' Federation v The Commonwealth (1953) 94 CLR 621; [1953] HCA 25 Bell Group Ltd (in liq) v Westpac Banking Corp (No 9) (2008) 225 FLR 1 Cachia v Hanes (1994) 179 CLR 403 Clay v Kurelic [2001] WASC 318 Dasreef Pty Ltd v Hawchar (2011) 243 CLR 588; [2011] HCA 21 Gazecki v McCabes Lawyers Pty Ltd (2020) 102 NSWLR 259; [2020] NSWCA 98 GBT Corporation Pty Ltd v Scott (1994) 116 FLR 266 Giannarelli v Wraith [No 2] (1991) 171 CLR 592; [1991] HCA 2 Gibson v Drumm & Others [2016] NSWSC 570 Gilmore Finance Pty Ltd v Aesthete No 3 Pty Ltd [2020] NSWCA 114 Honest Remark Pty Ltd v Allstate Explorations NL [2008] NSWSC 439 Hughes Tool Co v Trans World Airlines (1972) 409 US 363 In the matter of the Queensland Law Society Act 1952 and in the matter of an application of Watling Roche against Stephen Collins (Supreme Court of Queensland, 22 February 1999, Williams J, unrep) Lemoto v Able Technical Pty Ltd (2005) 63 NSWLR 300; [2005] NSWCA 153 Lewis v Doran [2008] NSWSC 186 Macquarie International Health Clinic Pty Ltd v Central Sydney Area Health Service (Supreme Court (NSW), Windeyer J, 28 March 2000, unrep) Macquarie International Health Clinic Pty Ltd v Sydney Local Health District; Sydney Local Health District v Macquarie Health Corporation Ltd (No 12) [2019] NSWSC 916 Macquarie International Health Clinic Pty Ltd v Sydney South West Area Health Service [2008] NSWSC 738. Macquarie International Health Clinic Pty Ltd v Sydney South West Area Health Service [2010] NSWCA 268; (2010) 383 ALR 577 Macquarie International Health Clinic Pty Ltd v Sydney South West Area Health Service [2020] HCASL 270 Paolucci v Makedyn Pty Ltd [2021] NSWCA 215 Planet International Ltd v Turfella Pty Ltd (Supreme Court of NSW, Young J, 4 November 1991, unrep) Re Remnant (1849) 50 ER 949 Seven Network Limited v News Limited (2009) 182 FCR 160; [2009] FCAFC 166 Seven Network Limited v News Ltd [2007] FCA 1062 Stanley v Phillips (1966) 115 CLR 470 Sydney Local Health District v Macquarie International Health Clinic Pty Ltd (2020) 105 NSWLR 325; [2020] NSWCA 274 Sydney Local Health District v Macquarie International Health Clinic Pty Ltd (No 2) [2020] NSWCA 316 Vincent Francis Stanizzo v Karina Vivianna Fregnan [2020] NSWSC 1296 Voicu v The Owners-Strata Plan No 1624 [2020] NSWCA 52 Zaghloul v Woodside Energy Ltd [2019] WASCA 187 Texts Cited: Dal Pont, Law of Costs (5th ed., 2021, LexisNexis Australia) M Galanter, "Mega-Law and Mega-Lawyering in the Contemporary United States", The Sociology of the Professionals: Lawyers, Doctors and Others (1983, The Macmillan Press) Law Council of Australia, "Case Management Handbook", Chapter 25, Costs in the Federal Court, 26 July 2021, D Vine-Hall and L Harris LL Oliver, Law of Costs (Law Book Co, 1966) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Macquarie International Health Clinic Pty Ltd (Plaintiff) Sydney Local Health District (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr J Rogers (Plaintiff) Ms S Scott (Defendant)