CURRABUBULA & PAOLA v STATE BANK NSW. CURRABUBULA v STATE BANK NSW [2000] NSWSC 232

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : CURRABUBULA & PAOLA v STATE BANK NSW. CURRABUBULA v STATE BANK NSW [2000] NSWSC 232 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Equity Division - Commercial List

FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 050268/95; 12971/99 HEARING DATE(S) : 25 February 2000 JUDGMENT DATE : 31 March 2000

PARTIES : Currabubula Holdings Pty Ltd and Paola Holdings Pty Ltd (Plaintiffs) State Bank of New South Wales (Defendant) JUDGMENT OF : Einstein J

J.T. Gleeson (Plaintiffs) COUNSEL : L. McCallum (Defendant)

SOLICITORS : Gadens Lawyers (Plaintiffs) Mallesons Stephen Jaques (Defendants) CATCHWORDS : Practice and Procedure - Costs - Taxation of Costs - 'Rule of Thumb' applicable when multiple defendants are variously successful and unsuccessful - Whether applicable to multiple plaintiffs variously successful and unsuccessful - Whether rule of thumb was properly applied in these proceedings - Whether rule of thumb excluded by the costs orders previously made. - Practice and Procedure - Jurisdiction of Court to correct errors in orders under the 'slip rule' - Principles governing the use of the slip rule - Whether slip rule may appropriately be employed in this case. - Practice and Procedure - Legal Profession Act 1987 - Appeal from 'decision' of a costs assessor - Whether appeal only permissible after determination of assessment - Differentiation between 'decision' and 'determination' of costs assessor - Purpose of provisions permitting for an appeal from a 'decision' of a costs assessor. - Practice and Procedure - Reckoning of time - principles governing the extension of time in which an appeal can be instituted. - Equity - Declaratory relief - Court's power to issue declaratory relief - Whether affected by the Legal Profession Act 1987 - Principles informing Court's discretion to issue declaratory relief - Relevance of alternative means of appeal. Legal Profession Act 1987 Supreme Court Act 1970 Judicial Officers Act 1986 Crown Employees Appeal Board Act 1944 Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 (Cth) LEGISLATION CITED : Public Service Act 1902 Planning Act 1982 (SA) Supreme Court Rules 1970 Interpretation Act 1987 Industrial Arbitration Act 1940 Town and Country Planning Act 1947 (UK) Adam Harvey Ltd v International Maritime Supplies Co Ltd [1967] 1WLR 445 Ainsworth v Criminal Justice Commission (1992) 175 CLR 564. Arnett v Holloway [1960] VR 22 Australian Broadcasting Tribunal v Bond (1990) 170 CLR 321 Axis Aviation Pty Ltd v Avtex Airservices Pty Ltd (unreported, Federal Court of Australia, 16 August 1995, Hill J). Azzopardi v Tasman UEB Industries (1986) 4 NSWLR 139 Bank of NSW v Commonwealth (Bank Nationalisation Case) (1948) 76 CLR 1. Barraclough v Brown [1897] AC 615 Beaumont v Senior and Bull [1903] 1 KB 282 Brew v Whitlock [1968] VR 504 Bruce v Cole (1998) 45 NSWLR 163 Bullock v London General Omnibus Co [1907] 1 KB 264 Collector of Customs v Pozzalanic Enterprises Pty Ltd (1993) 115 ALR 1. Commonwealth v McCormack (1984) 155 CLR 273 Coppins v Helmers (1968) 88 WN(NSW) 455; (1969) 72 SR (NSW) 273 D'Angela v Rip Pioneer Gravel Co Pty Ltd [1977] 2 NSWLR 227 Dansk Rekylriffel Sybdikat Aktieselskab v Snell [1908] 2 Ch 138 David Syme & Co Ltd v Lloyd (1985) 1 NSWLR 416 Dickinson v Perrington [1973] 1 NSWLR 72 Director General of Social Services v Chaney (1980) 47 FLR 80 Donald Campbell & Co Ltd v Pollack [1927] AC 732 Duchman v Oakland Diary Co Ltd [1930] 2 DLR 989 Electricity Commissioner v Blaber [1976] 1 NSWLR 143 Ellingsen v Det Skandinaviske Compani [1919] 2 KB 567 Elyard Corporation Pty Ltd v DDB Needham Sydney Pty Ltd (1995) 61 FCR 385 Ex parte Herman; Re Mathison (1961) 78 WN(NSW) 6 Expo Aluminium (NSW) Pty Ltd v Pateman Pty Ltd (No 2) (unreported, New South Wales Court of Appeal, 29 April 1991) Fischer v Commonwealth (unreported, Federal Court of Australia, 16 September 1997, Branson J). Forster v Jododex Australia Pty Ltd (1972) 127 CLR 421. Gallow v Dawson (1990) 93 ALR 479 Ganke v Somerset (unreported, Supreme Court of New South Wales, 31 July 1996). Gould v Vaggelas (1985) 157 CLR 271 Heywood v Visitors of Hull Prison [1980] 1 WLR 1386 CASES CITED : In re Colquhoun (1854) 5 De G M & G 35; 43 ER 781. In re Davidson's Patents; In re Gaskin's Patents [1921] 1 Ch 69 In the Marriage of Bailey, EN And Bailey BE (1990) FLC 92-145 Jess v Scott (1986) 12 FCR 194 Johnco Nominees Pty Ltd v Albury Wodonga (NSW) Corporation [1977] 1 NSWLR 43. Keen v Towler (1924) 41 TLR 86 Kingston v Keprose (No 3) (1987) 12 ACLR 609 Korner v H Korner & Co Ltd [1951] 1 Ch 10 L Shaddock & Associates Pty Ltd v Parramatta City Council (No 2) (1982) 151 CLR 590 Latoudis v Casy (1990) 170 CLR 534 Law Society of New South Wales v Weaver [1974] 1 NSWLR 271 Longreach Oil v Southern Cross Exporation NL (unreported, New South Wales Supreme Court, 9 March 1988, Young J). Milson v Carter [1893] AC 638 MIR Bros Developments Pty Ltd v Atlantic Constructions Pty Ltd (1985) 1 NSWLR 491 Morris v Public Transport Commission of NSW (unreported, Court of Appeal, 28 May 1984). Mouieux v Girvan NSW Pty Ltd (unreported, Court of Appeal, 20 September 1991). Oshlack v Richmond Rover Council (1998) 193 CLR 72 Pye Granite Co Ltd v Ministry of Housing and Local Government [1960] AC 260 R v Cripps; Ex parte Muldoon [1984] 1 QB 686 Raybos Australia Pty Ltd v Tectran Corporation Pty Ltd (1987) 62 ALJR 151 Russian Commercial and Industrial Bank v British Bank for Foreign Trade [1921] 2 AC 438 Salmar Holdings Pty Ltd v Hornsby Shire Council [1971] 1 NSWLR 192 Sanderson v Blyth Theatre Co [1903] 2 KB 533 Schipp v Cameron (unreported, Supreme Court of New South Wales, 12 October 1998, Einstein J). Snell v Pryce (1992) 109 FLR 328 Symes v Commonwealth (1987) 89 FLR 356 Tak Ming Co v Yee San Co [1973] 1 WLR 300 Taylor v Public Service Board [1975] 2 NSWLR 278 Trade Practices Commission v Nicholas Enterprises Pty Ltd (1979) 28 ALR 201 Vowell v Shire of Hastings [1970] VR 764. Whitlock v Brew [(1968) 118 CLR 445 Woodward v Gaha (unreported, Supreme Court of New South Wales, 28 September 1995, Rolfe J) Wylie v McNeil (1986) 42 SASR 537 Young v Public Service Board [1982] 2 NSWLR 456 DECISION : (1) Decision of costs assessor that the costs to be assessed in the assessment proceedings be apportioned on an equal basis between the first and second plaintiffs in the proceedings where work was done on behalf of both plaintiffs is to be set aside upon the bringing of short minutes to this effect; (2) Matter is to be remitted to the costs assessor for assessment on the basis that in determining which are the first plaintiff's costs of the proceedings, no discount or deduction should be made on the grounds that particular costs were incurred for work which advanced or referable to the cost of the second plaintiff as well as the first plaintiff upon the bringing of short minutes to this effect; (3) Short minutes to deal with the extension of time issue.;