Queanbeyan Leagues Club Ltd v Poldune Pty Ltd Armstrong v Bell [2000] NSWSC 682

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Queanbeyan Leagues Club Ltd v Poldune Pty Ltd Armstrong v Bell [2000] NSWSC 682 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Equity FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 3418/96; 5262/99 HEARING DATE(S) : 19 June 2000 JUDGMENT DATE : 13 July 2000

3418/96 Queanbeyan Leagues Club Limited (P) Government Insurance Office of NSW (D2) M J Armstrong (D14) GIO Life Limited (D15) Marshall Marks Kennedy (XD1) 5262/99 Michael Armstrong (P) Jonathan Albin Bell (D1) Robert Anthony Allport (D2) PARTIES : Graeme Farquhar Finlayson (D3) David Anthony Waters (D4) David Anthony Ward Walters (D5) David William Major (D6) Bohdan Bilinsky (D7) Norman Eric Napper (D8) Richard Bowring Ormsby White (D9) Alexander Geoffrey Duckett White (D10) David Arthur Kenyon (D11) Phillip Alan Moon (D12) Phillip James Murphy (D13) JUDGMENT OF : Hamilton J

3418/96 A R Ridley (P) J Timbs QC and I Bailey (D14) COUNSEL : Ms M White, solicitor (XD1) 5262/99 J Timbs QC and Ms K Rees (P) J Gleeson and M Leeming (D1-13) 3418/96 Colquhoun Murphy (P) Tress Cocks & Maddox (D14) SOLICITORS : Phillips Fox (XD1) 5262/99 Tress Cocks & Maddox (P) Corrs Chambers Westgarth (D1-13) CATCHWORDS : TORTS [10] - Torts generally - Joint or several tortfeasors - Contribution - Generally - Liability in respect of same damage - Whether liability must be ascertained before action can be commenced - Whether cross claim for contribution should be allowed in existing proceedings when trial of most issues of liability has already taken place. Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1946, ss 3 & 5 LEGISLATION CITED : Supreme Court Act 1970, s 63 Supreme Court Rules 1970, Pt 13 r 5, Pt 15 r 26 Andrews v The Nominal Defendant [1963] SR(NSW) 110 Baldry v Jackson [1976] 2 NSWLR 19; [1976] 2 NSWLR 415 Bitumen & Oil Refineries (Australia) Ltd v Commissioner for Government Transport (1955) 92 CLR 200 CASES CITED : James Hardie & Coy Pty Ltd v Seltsam Pty Ltd (1998) 196 CLR 53 National Mutual Property Services (Australia) Pty Ltd v Citibank Savings Ltd (No 4) (1996) 138 ALR 409 NRMA Ltd v Morgan (No 3) [1999] NSWSC 768 Queanbeyan Leagues Club Limited v Poldune Pty Limited 17 December 1998 NSWSC Hamilton J unreported The Commonwealth v Verwayen (1990) 170 CLR 394 DECISION : Proceedings for contribution summarily dismissed; application to file cross claim in existing proceedings refused.