Shead v Hooley [2000] NSWCA 362

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : Shead v Hooley [2000] NSWCA 362 FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40413/99 HEARING DATE(S) : 25 October 2000 JUDGMENT DATE : 14 December 2000

Geoffrey Vernon Shead (Appellant) PARTIES : v Ruth Lesley Hooley (Respondent) JUDGMENT OF : Mason P at 1; Beazley JA at 8; Davies AJA at 9

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : District Court LOWER COURT 5784/97 FILE NUMBER(S) : LOWER COURT Goldring DCJ JUDICIAL OFFICER :

COUNSEL : A: Mr S Walmsley SC, Ms F Clark R: Mr G B Hall QC, Ms I Ryan SOLICITORS : A: Phillips Fox R: Hunt & Hunt CATCHWORDS : Negligence - Medical Negligence - whether surgeon failed to give adequate warning of possible adverse consequences - whether surgeon operated without undertaking sufficient investigation - whether the practice of surgeons was given sufficient weight by trial judge - whether failure to warn was a cause of injuries suffered by patient - whether patient's evidence proved this loss flowed from failure to warn - whether damages flowed from failure to warn - whether pre-operative condition should be taken into account in assessing damages. Wilson v Peisley (1975) 50 ALJR 207; 7 ALR 571 Wynn v NSW Insurance Ministerial Corporation (1995) 184 CLR 485 Watts v Rake (1960) 108 CLR 158 Coulton v Holcombe (1986) 162 CLR 1 Devries v Australian National Railways Commission (1993) 177 CLR 472 Brunskill v Sovereign Marine & General Insurance (1985) 59 ALJR 842; 62 ALR 53 Jones v Hyde (1989) 63 ALJR 349; 85 ALR 23 CASES CITED: Abalos v Australian Postal Commission (1990) 171 CLR 167 S.S. Hontestroom v S.S. Sagaporack [1927] AC 37 State Rail Authority of NSW v Earthline Constructions Pty Ltd (1999) 160 ALR 588 Warren v Coombes (1979) 142 CLR 531 Rogers v Whitaker (1992) 175 CLR 479 Ainsworth v Levi (NSW Court of Appeal, 30/8/95, unrep) Chappel v Hart (1998) 195 CLR 232 Malec v J C Hutton Pty Ltd (1990) 169 CLR 638 DECISION : Appeal and cross-appeal dismissed. See paragraphs 77 and 78.