Bonnici & Anor v Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council [2001] NSWSC 1124

Reported Decision : 121 LGERA 1 (2002) Aust Torts Reports 81-631

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Bonnici & Anor v Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council [2001] NSWSC 1124 revised - 20/12/2001 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Common Law Division FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 13609/85 19 June 2001 21 June 2001 HEARING DATE(S) : 26 - 29 June 2001 2 - 5 July 2001 6 - 8 August 2001 10 August 2001 JUDGMENT DATE : 12 December 2001

Joseph Anthony Bonnici PARTIES : Sheryll Ann Bonnici Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council JUDGMENT OF : Sperling J at 1

COUNSEL : Mr P Tomasetti for the Plaintiffs Dr G Flick SC with Mr A Pickles for the Defendant SOLICITORS : Hunter Lawyers for the Plaintiffs Abbott Tout Solicitors for the Defendant CATCHWORDS : Private Nuisance - stormwater incursion from the street - elements of private nuisance - adopting a nuisance - meaning of "liberty to apply" - whether the court was functus officio by reason of earlier consent orders in the proceedings - whether unreasonable delay in exercising liberty to apply - whether there was a nuisance for which defendant was responsible - whether defence of statutory immunity - whether injunction should be granted - special damages - general damages - payment for use of land not the subject of an easement LEGISLATION CITED : Local Government Act 1993, s731, s733 Supreme Court Act, s94, Schedule J Abigroup v Abignano (1992) 112 ALR 497 Attrill v Richmond River Shire Council (1993) 30 NSWLR 122 Attrill v Richmond River Shire Council (1995) 38 NSWLR 545 Blair & Sumner v Deakin, Eden & Thwaites v Deakin (1887) 57 LT 522 Bonnington Castings Ltd v Wardlaw [1956] 2 WLR 707 Brodie v Singleton Shire Council (2001) 180 ALR 145 CASES CITED : Holbeck Hall Hotel Ltd v Scarborough Borough Council [2000] 2 All ER 705 Phillips v Walsh (1990) 20 NSWLR 206 Pride of Derby & Derbyshire Angling Association Ld v British Celanese Ld [1952] 1 All ER 1326 Roberts v Gippsland Agricultural and Earth Moving Contracting Co. Pty Ltd [1956] VLR 555 Sedleigh-Denfield v O'Callaghan [1940] AC 80 St George v Wallis [2001] NSWSC 23 Thorpe v Brumfitt (1873) 8 Ch. App. 650 DECISION : See paragraphs 232 - 235.