WHITE v. ILLAWARRA MUTUAL BUILDING SOCIETY LIMITED & OTHERS [2002] NSWCA 164

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : WHITE v. ILLAWARRA MUTUAL BUILDING SOCIETY LIMITED & OTHERS [2002] NSWCA 164 FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40963/2000 HEARING DATE(S) : 30/10/2001 JUDGMENT DATE : 19 July 2002

Margaret Lorraine White (Appellant) PARTIES : Illawarra Mutual Building Society Limited (First Respondent) Dennis Grogan and Lewis Webb (Second Respondents) JUDGMENT OF : Powell JA at 1; Hodgson JA at 141; Hamilton J at 148

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : Supreme Court - Common Law Division LOWER COURT CLD 10736/1995 FILE NUMBER(S) : LOWER COURT Bell J JUDICIAL OFFICER :

R.D. Wilson (Appellant) COUNSEL : D.J. Fagan SC and D.M. Lowenstein (First Respondent) G. Inatey SC and B. McManus (Second Respondents) A.W.M. Dickinson & Son (Appellant) SOLICITORS : Russell McLelland & Brown (First Respondent) Colin Biggers & Paisley (Second Respondents) CATCHWORDS : CONTRACTS - Unjust contracts - When contract unjust - Relevant circumstances - Whether need be known to party against whom relief sought - EQUITY - Fiduciary relationships - Solicitor and client - Scope of duty - Varies from case to case - EQUITY - Remedies - Equitable compensation - Causation - Breach of fiduciary duty by solicitor - Court may consider whether loss would have occurred without breach - LEGAL PRACTITIONERS - Solicitors - Solicitor and client - Fiduciary duty - Scope - Varies from case to case - LEGAL PRACTITIONERS - Solicitors - Solicitor and client - Retainer - Scope D LEGISLATION CITED : Contracts Review Act 1980 ss 4,7,9 Conveyancing Act 1919 s.164 Abalos v. Australian Postal Commission (1990) 171 CLR 167 Antonovic v. Volker (1986) 7 NSWLR 151 Beach Petroleum NL v. Kennedy (1998) 48 NSWLR 1 Beneficial Finance Corporation v. Karavas (1991) 23 NSWLR 256 Brickenden v. London Loan & Savings Co. [1934] 3 DLR 405 Broadlands International Finance Limited v. Sly (1987) NSW Conv R 55-342 Clarke Boyce v. Mouat [1994] AC 1; [1993] 3 WLR 1021 In re Cousins (1886) LR 31 Ch D 671 Devries v. Australian National Railways Commission (1992-1993) 177 CLR 472 Elders Rural Finance Limited v. Smith (1996) 41 NSWLR 296 CASES CITED: Esanda Finance Corporation Limited v. Tong (1997) 12 NSWLR 48 Farrington v. Rowe McBride & Partners (1985) 1 NZLR 83 Maguire v. Makaronis (1997) 188 CLR 449 National Home Loans Corporation Plc v. Giffen Couch & Archer [1998] 1 WLR 207 Nguyen v. Taylor (1992) 27 NSWLR 48 O'Halloran v. R.T. Thomas & Family Pty. Ltd. (1998) 45 NSWLR 262 Saffron Walden Second Benefit Building Society v. Rayner (1880) LR 14 Ch D 406 Spector v. Ageda [1973] Ch 30 Target Holdings Ltd v. Redferns [1996] 1 AC 421 Taylor v. London & County Banking Company; London & County Banking Company v. Nixon [1901] 2 Ch 231 West v. AGC (Advances) Limited (1986) 5 NSWLR 610 DECISION : Appeal dismissed with costs