Howard v Telstra Corporation Ltd [2003] NSWCA 188

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION : Howard v Telstra Corporation Ltd [2003] NSWCA 188 HEARING DATE(S) : 25 June 2003 JUDGMENT DATE : 9 July 2003

JUDGMENT OF : Santow JA at 1; Young CJ in Eq at 2; Davies AJA at 15 DECISION : 1. Costs below be set aside and, in lieu thereof, the plaintiff, Roger Howard, pay the costs of the arbitration and the defendant, Telstra Corporation Ltd, otherwise pay the costs of the proceedings in the District Court; 2. That the parties abide their own costs of the appeal.

CATCHWORDS : CATCHWORDS: Costs - General Rule - Costs follow the event - Failure to call witnesses at arbitration led to adverse costs order - Fair and just results for costs - Appeal from a discretionary decision of trial judge - Is there conduct that allows the Court to depart from the general rule LEGISLATION CITED : Arbitration (Civil Actions) Act 1983, s18(3) District Court Rules Pt 39A r 31 Australian Coal and Shale Employees' Federation v The Commonwealth (1953) 94 CLR 621 House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499 CASES CITED : Lovell v Lovell (1950) 81 CLR 513 MacDougall v Curlevski (1996) 40 NSWLR 430 Morgan v Johnson (1998) 44 NSWLR 578 PARTIES : Roger HOWARD (Appellant) TELSTRA CORPORATION LTD (Respondent) FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40576/02 COUNSEL : M L Williams, SC/ P R McGuire (Appellant) W Fitzsimmons (Respondent) SOLICITORS : Carroll & O'Dea (Appellant) Henry Davis York (Respondent)

LOWER COURT District Court JURISDICTION : LOWER COURT DC 101/01 FILE NUMBER(S) : LOWER COURT Robison DCJ JUDICIAL OFFICER :