Kirkpatrick v Kotis [2004] NSWSC 1265

Reported Decision : 62 NSWLR 567

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Kirkpatrick v Kotis [2004] NSWSC 1265 HEARING DATE(S) : 18/11/04 - 22/11/04 JUDGMENT DATE : 23 December 2004 JURISDICTION: Equity JUDGMENT OF : Campbell J DECISION : Contempt charges dismissed

CATCHWORDS : PROCEDURE - contempt, attachment and sequestration - order prohibiting "the Defendant, by himself, his servants and agents" from acting in certain ways - meaning of "agents" in this context - whether person who might have been, on the evidence, a person engaged by an independent contractor of the defendant is the agent of the defendant - tests for deciding whether a person is an "agent" for the purposes of such an order - JUDGMENTS AND ORDERS - consent orders - whether to be construed by reference to surrounding circumstances - PROCEDURE - contempt, attachment and sequestration - degree of clarity required in order before it can be enforced by contempt proceedings - JUDGMENTS AND ORDERS - degree of clarity required in order before it can be enforced by contempt proceedings - WORDS AND PHRASES - "excavate" - WORDS AND PHRASES - "by himself, his servants and agents" - WORDS AND PHRASES - "agent" - INJUNCTIONS - form of order which requires a land owner to take steps to prevent activity of a certain type occurring on his land, even by a person who is not his servant or agent - INJUNCTIONS - contempt committed by person whose activities knowingly frustrate an injunction LEGISLATION CITED : Fair Trading Act 1987 Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) Animal Liberation (Vic) Inc v Gasser [1991] 1 VR 51 Attorney General for Tuvalu v Philatelic Distribution Corporation Ltd [1990] 1 WLR 926 Attorney-General v Leveller Magazine Ltd [1979] AC 440 Attorney-General v Times Newspapers [1992] 1 AC 191 Australian Consolidated Press Limited v Morgan (1965) 112 CLR 483 Australian Securities Commission v Macleod (1993) 40 FCR 155; (1993) 113 ALR 525 Avery v Andrews (1882) 51 LJ Ch 419; 46 LT 279 C C O M Pty Ltd v Jiejing Pty Ltd (1992) 36 FCR 524 Codelfa Construction Proprietary Limited v State Rail Authority of New South Wales (1982) 149 CLR 337 Collins v Wayne Iron Works (1910) 227 Pa. 326, 76A 24 Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society Limited v The Producers and Citizens Co-operative Assurance Company of Australia Limited (1931) 46 CLR 41 Curro v Beyond Productions Pty Ltd (1993) 30 NSWLR 337 Davey v Skinner (1961) 61 SR (NSW) 648 Dinch v Dinch [1987] 1 WLR 252 Director General of Fair Trading v Pioneer Concrete (UK) Ltd [1995] 1 AC 456 Ellendale Pty Ltd v Graham Matthews Pty Ltd (1986) 11 FCR 347; (1986) 65 ALR 275 Environment Protection Authority v McConnell Dowell Constructors Aust Pty Ltd (2003) 128 LGERA 246 Ernst & Young (a firm) v Butte Mining plc [1996] 2 All ER 623 Forest View Nominees Pty Ltd v Perron Investments Pty Ltd [1999] FCA 405; (1999) 93 FCR 117 HC Buckman and Son Pty Limited v Flanagan (1974) 133 CLR 422 Heatons Transport (St Helens) Ltd v Transport and General Workers' Union [1973] AC 15 Hollis v Vabu Pty Limited (2001) 207 CLR 21 Hone v Page [1980] FSR 500 Iberian Trust, Limited v Founders Trust and Investment Company, Limited [1932] 2 KB 87 International Harvester Company of Australia Proprietary Limited v Carrigan's Hazeldene Pastoral Company (1958) 100 CLR 644 Re Intex Consultants Pty Ltd [1986] 2 Qd R 99 CASES CITED : Lord Wellesley v The Earl of Mornington (1848) 11 Beav 180 (50 ER 785); 83 RR 136 Madeira Roggette Pty Ltd (No 2) [1992] 1 Qd R 394 Marengo v Daily Sketch and Sunday Graphic, Ltd [1948] 1 All ER 406 Maritime Union of Australia v Patrick Stevedores Operations Pty Ltd [1998] 4 VR 143 Maynegrain Pty Ltd v Compafina Bank [1982] 2 NSWLR 141 Maynegrain Pty Ltd v Compafina Bank [1984] 1 NSWLR 258 Microsoft Corporation v Marks (1996) 139 ALR 99 N Mills v Caravonica P/L, Ex Parte Mills, Queensland Court of Appeal, 11 December 1992, unreported Nexus Mortgage Securities Pty Ltd v Ecto Pty Ltd [1998] 4 VR 220 Northern Sandblasting Pty Limited v Harris (1997) 188 CLR 313 O'Connor v Stevenson (1990) 21 FCR 344 Ready Mix Concrete Redwing Limited v Redwing Forest Products Limited (1947) 177 LT 387 Rogers v Wentworth (New South Wales Court of Appeal, 18 April 1988, unreported) S & M Motor Repairs Pty Ltd v Caltex Oil (Australia) Pty Ltd (1988) 12 NSWLR 358 Scott v Davis (2000) 204 CLR 333 Seaward v Paterson [1897] 1 Ch 545 Shelfer v City of London Electric Light Company [1895] 1 Ch 287 Spokes v Banbury Board of Health (1865) 1 Eq 42 Stancomb v Trowbridge Urban District Council [1910] 2 Ch 190 Stewart v Gymboree Pty Ltd [2001] QCA 307; BC200104395 Stoneman v Lyons (1975) 133 CLR 550 Sun Newspapers Pty Ltd v Brisbane TV (Ltd) (1989) 92 ALR 535 Windsurfing International Inc v Sailboards Australia Pty Ltd (1986) 69 ALR 534; (1986) 19 FCR 110 Witham v Holloway (1995) 183 CLR 525 World Wide Fund for Nature (Formerly World Wildlife Fund) v World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Inc (2003) 56 IPR 653; [2003] EWCA Civ 401 Yorke v Lucas (1985) 158 CLR 661 PARTIES : Benjamin David Kirkpatrick - Plaintiff Michael Kotis - Defendant FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 4369/04 COUNSEL : CJ Bevan - Plaintiff TS Hale SC; S Docker - Defendant SOLICITORS : John Carmody & Co - Plaintiff Bartier Perry - Defendant