Seltsam Pty Limited v McGuiness; James Hardie & Coy Pty Limited v McGuiness [2000] NSWCA 29

Reported Decision : 49 NSWLR 262 (2000) Aust Torts Reports 81-547

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : Seltsam Pty Limited v McGuiness; James Hardie & Coy Pty Limited v McGuiness [2000] NSWCA 29 FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40456/97; 40463/97 HEARING DATE(S) : 2 - 3 August 1999 JUDGMENT DATE : 7 March 2000

Seltsam Pty Limited (Appellant) (40456/97) PARTIES : Robert George McGuiness (First Respondent) James Hardie & Coy Pty Limited (Appellant) (40463/97) Robert Geroge McGuiness (First Respondent) JUDGMENT OF : Spigelman CJ at 1; Stein JA at 186; Davies AJA at 265

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : Dust Diseases Tribunal LOWER COURT DDT 51/93 FILE NUMBER(S) : LOWER COURT Judge Maguire, QC JUDICIAL OFFICER :

R Burbidge QC/S Rushton (Appellant - Seltsam) COUNSEL : C Gee QC/J McIntyre (Appellant - James Hardie) J T Rush QC/G Farmer (First Respondent) Toomey Pegg & Drevikovsky (Appellant - Seltsam) SOLICITORS : A O Ellison & Co (Appellant - James Hardie) Turner Freeman (First Respondent) CATCHWORDS : NEGLIGENCE - proof of negligence - causation - whether exposure to asbestos caused renal cell carcinoma - use of epidemiological studies - EVIDENCE - opinion evidence - expert opinion - Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) s 79 - DUST DISEASES - Appellate Jurisdiction of Supreme Court - Dust Diseases Tribunal Act 1989 s 32 - D Compensation Court Act 1984 Courts Legislation Amendment Act 1998 LEGISLATION CITED : Dust Diseases Tribunal Act 1989 Evidence Act 1995 Interpretation Act 1987 Barnes v Hay (1988) 12 NSWLR 337 Belhaven and Stenton Peerage [1875] 1 AC 278 Bendix Mintex Pty Ltd v Barnes (1997) 42 NSWLR 307 Bennett v Minister of Community Welfare (1992) 176 CLR 408 Bonnington Castings Ltd v Wardlaw [1956] AC 613 Briginshaw v Briginshaw (1938) 60 CLR 336 Bropho v Western Australia (1990) 171 CLR 1 Carr v Baker (1936) 36 SR(NSW) 301 Caswell v Powell Duffryn Associated Collieries Ltd [1940] AC 152 Chappel v Hart (1998) 195 CLR 232 Chapman v Hearse (1961) 106 CLR 112 Cole v Commonwealth of Australia (1961) 62 SR (NSW) 700 Commonwealth v Bell (Court of Appeal, 11 August 1998, unreported) Commonwealth v McLean (1996) 41 NSWLR 389 CSR v Wren (1997) 44 NSWLR 463 Cubillo v The Commonwealth (Federal Court of Australia, 14 December 1995, unreported) Dahl v Grier (1981) VR 513 Daubert v Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc 43 F. 3rd 1311 (9th cir.1991) DeLuca v Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc 911 F. 2d 941 (3rd cir.1990) E.M. Baldwin & Son Pty Ltd v Plane & Anor; Jsekarb Pty Ltd v Plane & Anor (1999) Aust Torts Reports 81 - 499 EMI (Australia) Ltd v Bes [1970] 2 NSWR 238 Fernandez v Tubemakers of Australia Ltd (1975) 2 NSWLR 190 Fishburn v Electricity Commission of New South Wales (1999) NSWCA 401 Hall v Baxter Healthcare Corp 947 F.Supp 1387 (1996) H.G. v The Queen (1999) 160 ALR 554 Jones v Dunkel (1958 - 59) 101 CLR 298 Jones v Great Western Railway Co (1930) 47 TLR 39 Jones v Ortho Pharmaceutical Corp 163 Cal.App 3d 396, 403, 209 Cal.Rptr 456 (1985) CASES CITED: Kay v Ayrshire and Arran Health Board [1982] 2 AllER 417 Kavanagh v Akhtar (1998) 45 NSWLR 588 Kilgannon v Sharpe Bros Pty Ltd (1986) 4 NSWLR 600 Layton v Vines (1952) 85 CLR 352 McGhee v National Coal Board [1972] 3 All ER 1008 Magrath v Goldsbrough Mort & Co Ltd (1932) 47 CLR 121 Manko v The United States 636 F.Supp 1419 (1986) March v E & M H Stramare Pty Ltd (1991) 171 CLR 506 Mifsud v Campbell (1991) 21 NSWLR 725 Mount Isa Mines Ltd v Pusey (1970) 125 CLR 383 National Insurance Co of New Zealand Ltd v Espagne (1961) 105 CLR 569 Nicolia v Commisioner for Railways (NSW) (1970) 45 ALJR 465 Naxakis v Western General Hospital (1999) 73 ALJR 782 Page v Smith (No 2) [1996] 1 WLR 855 R v Cain [1985] 1 AC 46 R v Reid (1999) NSWCCA 258 Reay v British Nuclear Fuels (1994) 5 Med LR 1 Roulstone v Tetley (1966) 2 NSWR 389 Shepherd v R (1990) 170 CLR 573 State Government Insurance Commission v Laube (1984) 37 SASR 31 State Rail Authority of New South Wales v Earthline Constructions Pty Ltd (In Liq) (1999) 73 ALJR 306 St George Club Ltd v Hines (1961 - 62) 35 ALJR 106 Sydney County Council v Furner (1991) 7 NSWCCR 210 Tetley v Roulstone (1960 - 61) 34 ALJR 495 Thompson v Johnson & Johnson Pty Limited [1991] 2 VR 449 Tubemakers of Australia Ltd v Fernandez (1976) 50 ALJR 720 West v Government Insurance Office of NSW (1981) 148 CLR 62 Wilshir v Essex Area Health Authority [1987] QB 730 Wilshir v Essex Area Health Authority [1988] AC 1074 X & Y v Pal (1991) 23 NSWLR 26 DECISION : Appeals allowed; Set aside order 2 of the Dust Diseases Tribunal; Each party to bear his and its own costs of the appeals