Cassis & Anor. v. Kalfus [2001] NSWCA 460

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : Cassis & Anor. v. Kalfus [2001] NSWCA 460 FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40343/01 HEARING DATE(S) : 20 and 21 November 2001 JUDGMENT DATE : 11 December 2001

PARTIES : Sami Alfred Cassis and Gisele Cassis - appellants Marcel Isadore Kalfus - respondent JUDGMENT OF : Powell JA at 1; Heydon JA at 9; Hodgson JA at 10

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : Supreme Court LOWER COURT CLD 20589/96 FILE NUMBER(S) : LOWER COURT Dowd J JUDICIAL OFFICER :

COUNSEL : Mr. P. Roberts SC with Mr. M. Minehan (A) Mr. G. Lindsay SC with Mr. A. Ridley (R) SOLICITORS : LMG Solicitors, Darlinghurst for appellants Mallesons Stephen Jaques, Sydney for respondent CATCHWORDS : COURTS AND JUDGES - Judgments - Duty to give reasons - Delay in giving judgment - Application during trial to raise limitation defence - Not decided until over 12 months after judgment reserved - Primary judge then calls for further submissions - Whether trial miscarried - LIMITATION OF ACTIONS - Tort - When damage suffered - Whether loss of secure employment was itself damage, when no loss of income occurred for four years. D. LEGISLATION CITED : Limitation Act 1969 (NSW) ss.23, 55, 60G. Knox v. Gye (1871-1872) LR 5 HL 671-674 Cohen v. Cohen (1929) 42 CLR 91, 99-101 Forster v. Outred [1982] 1 WLR 86 Wardley Australia Ltd. v. Western Australia (1992) 175 CLR 514 CASES CITED: Sellars v. Adelaide Petroleum (1994) 179 CLR 332 Brunsden v. Humphrey (1884) 14 QBD 141 Marlborough Harbour Board v. Chartered Travel Co. Ltd. (1989) 18 NSWLR 223 Avenhouse v. Hornsby Shire Council (1988) 44 NSWLR 1 Williams v. Minister, Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (1994) 35 NSWLR 497 Hawkins v. Clayton (1988) 164 CLR 539 at 589 DECISION : See end of judgment