Proctor & Gamble P/L v Australian Slatwall Industries P/L [2001] NSWSC 398

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Proctor & Gamble P/L v Australian Slatwall Industries P/L [2001] NSWSC 398 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Equity Division Commercial List FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 50052/1999 HEARING DATE(S) : 14 May 2001 JUDGMENT DATE : 18 May 2001

Proctor & Gamble P/L (Plaintiff/First Cross Defendant) PARTIES : Australian Slatwall Industries P/L (Defendant/Cross Claimant) Sarno S.N.C. Di Renato Nobili & C (Second Cross Defendant) JUDGMENT OF : Bergin J

COUNSEL : A Leopold (Defendant/Cross Claimant) No appearance Second Cross Defendant SOLICITORS : Uther Webster & Evans (Defendant/Cross Claimant) CATCHWORDS : [NEGLIGENCE] - Duty of care of a designer/manufacturer. [DAMAGES] - Cross Claim against the designer not a party to the main proceedings where the main proceedings settled and consent judgment entered- Cross Defendant did not file appearance - Claim for contribution in respect of liability in the main proceedings. [COSTS] - Whether Cross Claimant can claim from Cross Defendant costs incurred in defending plaintiff's case against it. Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1946 (NSW) LEGISLATION CITED : Supreme Court Act, 1970 Supreme Court Rules McKain v RW Miller & Co (South Australia) P/L (1991) 174 CLR 1 Patten v Moffatt & Ors [1999] NSWSC 1322 (unreported 17 February 2000 CASES CITED : Sherras v Van der Matt [1989] 1 Qd.R 114 Suosaari v Steinhardt (1989) 2 Qd.R 477 Walker v WA Pickles P/L [1980] 2 NSWLR 281 Zhang v Regi Nationale des Usines Renault SA [2000] NSWCA (unreported 27 July 2000) DECISION : Breach of duty. Contribution just and equitable. Proportion of costs awarded.