Opal v Franklins [2001] NSWSC 718

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Opal v Franklins [2001] NSWSC 718 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Equity Division Commercial List FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 50145/00 HEARING DATE(S) : 07/08/01, 08/08/01, 09/08/01, 10/08/01 JUDGMENT DATE : 27 August 2001

PARTIES : Opal Group Holdings (Aust) Pty Limited - Plaintiff Franklins Limited - Defendant JUDGMENT OF : Barrett J

COUNSEL : Mr V.R. Gray - Plaintiff Mr J.R. Clarke - Defendant SOLICITORS : Bamford Hogg - Plaintiff Clayton Utz - Defendant CATCHWORDS : CONTRACTS - general contractual principles - formation of contract partly by documents and partly by conduct - INTERPRETATION - general rules of construction of instruments - provision concerning act of corporate party, its "associates or subsidiaries" - meaning of undefined terms "associates" and "subsidiaries" in particular context Mendes v Commissioner of Probate Duties (1967) 122 CLR 152 Federal Commissioner of Taxation v Commonwealth Aluminium Corporation Ltd (1980) 143 CLR 646 Brambles Holdings Ltd v Bathurst City Council [2001] NSWCA 61 Industrial Rollformers Pty Ltd v Ingersoll-Rand (Australia) Ltd [2001] NSWCA 111 Brambles Holdings Ltd v Federal Commissioner of Taxation (1977) 138 CLR 467 CASES CITED : Coburg Investment Co Pty Ltd v Federal Commissioner of Taxation (1960) 104 CLR 650 Bridge Shipping Pty Ltd v Grand Shipping SA (1991) 173 CLR 231 Australian Food Corporation Pty Ltd v Australian Meat Industry Employees Union [2001] FCA 513 Walker v Wimborne (1976) 137 CLR 1 Bank of Western Australia Ltd v Ocean Trawlers Pty Ltd (1995) 13 WAR 407 Securities Commission v Kiwi Co-operative Dairies Ltd [1995] 3 NZLR 26 Payne v Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd (1976) 14 ACLR 252 DECISION : Declaration in terms of paragraph 3 of Amended Summons. Otherwise plaintiff's claims dismissed with costs.