H.C. Loneragan & Company Pty Limited as trust for the Loneragan Family Trust trading as Quantum Forensic Solutions v Locke [2024] NSWDC 525

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: H.C. Loneragan & Company Pty Limited as trust for the Loneragan Family Trust trading as Quantum Forensic Solutions v Locke [2024] NSWDC 525 Hearing dates: 6 – 7 March 2024 20 March 2024 (Closing Submissions) Date of orders: 8 November 2024 Decision date: 08 November 2024 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Waugh SC DCJ Decision: 1. Judgment for the plaintiff against the defendant in the sum of $255,776.07 2. Defendant pay the plaintiff's cost of the proceedings Catchwords: CONTRACTS - Formation - offer and acceptance - parties - identifying parties to contract RESTITUTION - quantum meruit - provision of forensic accounting services Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 Cases Cited: Air Tahiti Nui Pty Ltd v McKenzie (2009) 77 NSWLR 299 Amaca Pty Limited (Under NSW Administered Winding Up) v Roseanne Cleary as the Legal Personal Representative of the Estate of the Late Fortunato (aka Frank) Gatt [2022] NSWCA 151 BH Australia Constructions Pty Ltd v Kapeller (2019) 100 NSWLR 367 Chief Constable of the Greater Manchester Police v Wigan Athletic AFC Ltd [2009] 1 WLR 1580 Francis Gregory Hannigan v Inghams Enterprises Pty Ltd [2019] NSWSC 321 Gerrard Toltz Pty Ltd v City Garden Australia Pty Ltd (in liq) (No 2) [2024] NSWCA 232 Hadden v Inline Partners Pty Ltd [2024] NSWCA 42 Integrated Computer Services Pty Ltd v Digital Equipment Corp (Aust) Pty Ltd (1988) 5 BPR 11,110 Lumbers v W Cook Builders Pty Ltd (in liq) [2008] HCA 27, (2008) 232 CLR 635 Mann v Patterson Constructions Pty Ltd [2019] HCA 32, (2019) 267 CLR 560 Mills v Walsh [2022] NSWCA 255 Pavey & Matthews Pty Ltd v Paul (1987) 162 CLR 221 Redland City Council v Kozik [2024] HCA 7 Roude v Helwani [2020] NSWCA 310 South Australian Harbors Board v South Australian Gas Co (1934) 51 CLR Texts Cited: Cheshire and Fifoot Law of Contract, 12th Australian edition (2023, LexisNexis) Heydon on Contract (2019, Thomson Reuters) Mason & Carter's Restitution Law in Australia (4th ed, 2021, LexisNexis Australia Practice Note DC (Civil) No. 15 – Pre-judgment Interest Rates. Category: Principal judgment Parties: H.C. Loneragan & Company Pty Limited as trust for the Loneragan Family Trust trading as Quantum Forensic Solutions (Plaintiff) Brian Joseph Locke (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr M Bennett (Plaintiff) Ms T Fishburn (Defendant)