Commonwealth Development Bank of Australia Pty Limited & Anor v Claude George Rene Cassegrain; Gerald Cassegrain & Co Pty Limited & Ors v Commonwealth Development Bank of Australia Pty Limited & Ors; [2002] NSWSC 940

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Commonwealth Development Bank of Australia Pty Limited & Anor v Claude George Rene Cassegrain; Gerald Cassegrain & Co Pty Limited & Ors v Commonwealth Development Bank of Australia Pty Limited & Ors; [2002] NSWSC 940 FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 50062/00; 50072/00 HEARING DATE(S) : 09/10/02 JUDGMENT DATE : 9 October 2002

Commonwealth Development Bank of Australia Pty Limited (Plaintiff (50062/00) Defendant (50072/00) PARTIES : Claude George Rene Cassegrain (Defendant 50062/00) Gerald Cassegrain & Co. Pty Limited (Plaintiff) (50072/00) Murray Smith and Scott Kershaw (3rd Defendants (50072/00) JUDGMENT OF : Einstein J

RW Cameron, ARR Vincent (Defendant 50062/00, Plaintiff 50072/00) COUNSEL : AG Bell, DA McLure (Plaintiff 50062/00, Defendant 50072/00) DL Williams (Murray Smith & Scott Kershaw, 3rd Defendants 50072/00) MC Griffith & Co (Defendant 50062/00, Plaintiff 50072/00) SOLICITORS : L E Taylor Solicitor (Plaintiff 50062/00, Defendant 50072/00) Corrs Chambers Westgarth (3rd Defendants 50072/00) CATCHWORDS : Evidence - Admissibility of evidence - Both parties seeking to adduce evidence of events occuring during mediation - Allegations of serious misconduct - Whether s 15 of Farm Debt Mediation Act 1994 (NSW) prevents admissibility of evidence - Whether s 15 of Act can be read down so as to permit adducing of evidence - Arguable consensual waiver LEGISLATION CITED : Farm Debt Mediation Act 1994 (NSW) Rural Assistance Act 1989 CASES CITED : Gain v Commonwealth Bank of Australia (1997) 42 NSWLR 252 DECISION : Evidence held admissible