McDonald, Wilson & Shepherd v State of New South Wales [2001] NSWCA 303

(2001) Aust Torts Reports 81-620 Reported Decision : [2001] ACL Rep 300 NSW 73 [2001] ACL Rep 325 NSW 333

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : McDonald, Wilson & Shepherd v State of New South Wales [2001] NSWCA 303 FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40303/00; 40305/00; 40304/00 HEARING DATE(S) : 12 June 2001 JUDGMENT DATE : 11 September 2001

PARTIES : Craig Lee McDonald, Mark Robert Wilson, Edward John Shepherd - Appellants State of New South Wales - Respondent JUDGMENT OF : Meagher JA at 1; Stein JA at 2; Davies AJA at 54

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : District Court LOWER COURT DC 8467/97 FILE NUMBER(S) : LOWER COURT Gibb DCJ JUDICIAL OFFICER :

COUNSEL : B Gross QC/K Earl - Appellants D Cowan - Respondent SOLICITORS : Baker & Edmunds, Beecroft - Appellants I V Knight, Crown Solicitors Office - Respondent CATCHWORDS : TORT - negligence - duty of care - duty owed to police officers - whether duty breached - failure to provide for a contingency - nervous shock - psychiatric injury - PROCEDURE - pleadings - Notice of Motion to amend pleadings on appeal - whether evidence addressed amended pleadings - whether prejudice suffered - D LEGISLATION CITED : Police Service Act 1990 Katsilis v Broken Hill Co Pty Ltd (1977) 18 ALR 181 CASES CITED: Mummery v Irvings Pty Ltd (1956) 96 CLR 99 State of NSW v Seedsman [2000] NSWCA 119 (unreported, NSWCA, 12 May 2000) DECISION : 1) Appeals allowed with costs. 2) Judgment and orders in favour of the respondent be set aside. 3) Judgment on the issue of liability in favour of the appellants be substituted therefor. 4) The respondent be ordered to pay the appellants' costs in the Court below. 5) Remitted to the District Court to assess the appellants' damages.