NORTHCLIFFE CONSTRUCTIONS PTY LTD v ROTHREWEL JAMES STEIN & ORS [2000] NSWSC 1216

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : NORTHCLIFFE CONSTRUCTIONS PTY LTD v ROTHREWEL JAMES STEIN & ORS [2000] NSWSC 1216 FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 55041/00 HEARING DATE(S) : 1/12/00, 8/12/00 JUDGMENT DATE : 8 December 2000

PARTIES : Northcliffe Constructions Pty Ltd (Plaintiff) Rothrewel James Stein (Defendant) JUDGMENT OF : Einstein J

COUNSEL : I H Bailey (Plaintiff) J Doyle (Solicitor) (Defendant) SOLICITORS : Brophy Bridge & Mirow (Plaintiff) Doyles Construction Lawyers (Defendant) CATCHWORDS : Practice and Procedure - costs - building contracts - arbitration - giving of notice of dispute or difference - condition precedent to commencement of proceedings - whether dispute or difference has arisen is a question of fact - requirement that bona fide dispute or difference be shown to have arisen as opposed to a sham or a specious pretext - defendant pays whole of claim within days of summons being issued but claims costs alleging that a dispute/difference had arisen and that plaintiff failed to give notice - defendant ordered to pay costs of the proceedings. LEGISLATION CITED : Commercial Arbitration Act, 1984 Attorney General v Barker Bros Ltd [1976] 2 NZLR 495 Ellerine Brothers (Pty Ltd) v Klinger [1992] 1 WLR 1375 CASES CITED : J and H Mantkelow Pty Ltd v Alloway Grazing Pty Ltd (1975) 1 NSWLR 385 Reservoir Hotel Pty Ltd v ES Clementson (Victoria) Pty Ltd [1961] VR 721 Sandhurst Engineering Ltd v Citra Constructions (1987) 3 BCL 198 Tradax Internacional SA v Cerrahogullari TAS (The M Eregli) [1981] 3 All ER 344 DECISION : Defendant ordered to pay costs of the proceedings.