Rickard Constructions & Anor v Rickard Hails Moretti & Ors [2004] NSWSC 1041

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Rickard Constructions & Anor v Rickard Hails Moretti & Ors [2004] NSWSC 1041 HEARING DATE(S) : 5/10/04, 6/10/04, 7/10/04, 8/10/04, 11/10/04, 12/10/04, 13/10/04, 14/10/04, 15/10/04, 18/10/04, 19/10/04, 20/10/04, 21/10/04, 22/10/04, 25/10/04, 26/10/04, 29/10/04, 4/11/04, 5/11/04 JUDGMENT DATE : 17 December 2004

JUDGMENT OF : McDougall J at 1 DECISION : See paras [244] and [245] of judgment

CATCHWORDS : CONTRACT - assignment - whether cause of action for damages for breach of contract assignable - distinction between liquidated and unliquidated claims - whether cause of action for misleading and deceptive conduct assignable - whether cause of action for damages for breach of duty of care assignable - Poulton v Commonwealth (1952-1953) 89 CLR 540 considered - Trendtex Trading Corporation v Credit Suisse [1982] AC 679 considered - whether plaintiff has sufficient interest to justify assignment - TORT - duty of care - pure economic loss - whether defendant owed plaintiff duty to avoid economic loss - whether plaintiff vulnerable - breach of duty - whether duty of care breached - whether damage suffered - TRADE PRACTICES - Trade Practices Act 1974 - s 52 - whether representation misleading or deceptive - whether assignee suffers loss "by" misleading or deceptive conduct - PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE - joinder - SCR Pt 8 r 8 - whether leave should be granted further to amend summons to join third party as a plaintiff - whether third party "ought to have been joined" within SCR Pt 8 r 8(1)(b) - whether third party "necessary" within SCR Pt 8 r 8(1)(b) LEGISLATION CITED : Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1946 Comfort v Betts [1891] 1 QB 737 Fitzroy v Cave [1905] 2 KB 364 County Hotel and Wine Company Limited v London and North Western Railway Company [1918] 2 KB 251 Re Daley; Ex parte National Australia Bank Ltd (1992) 37 FCR 390 Torkington v Magee [1902] 2 KB 427 Defries v Milne [1913] 1 Ch 98 Ellis v Torrington [1920] 1 KB 399 Re Kenneth Wright Distributors Pty Ltd (in liq); W J Vine Pty Ltd v Hall [1973] VR 161 Camdex International Ltd v Bank of Zambia [1998] QB 22 Poulton v The Commonwealth (1952-1953) 89 CLR 540 Trendtex Trading Corporation v Credit Suisse [1982] AC 679 Giles v Thompson [1994] 1 AC 142 Re Timothy's Pty Ltd and the Companies Act [1981] 2 NSWLR 706 Monk v Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (1994) 34 NSWLR 148 South Australian Management Corporation v Sheahan (1995) 16 ACSR 45 Beatty v Brashs Pty Ltd [1998] 2 VR 201 Singleton v Freehill Hollingdale & Page [2000] SASC 278 Vangal Pty Ltd (in liq) v Kumagai Gumi Co Ltd [2002] QSC 137 CASES CITED : First City Corporation Ltd v Downsview Nominees Ltd [1989] 3 NZLR 710 Park v Allied Mortgage Corporation Ltd (1993) ATPR (Digest) 46-105 Allstate Life Insurance Co v Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (Federal Court of Australia, 7 November, 1994, unreported: BC9400129) National Mutual Property Services (Australia) Pty Ltd v Citibank Savings Ltd (1995) 132 ALR 514 Chapman v Luminis (No 4) (2001) 123 FCR 62 Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu v Cridlands Pty Ltd (2003) 204 ALR 281 Brownton v Edward Moore Inbucon Ltd [1985] 3 All ER 499 Knight v McCann Erickson Pty Ltd (26 August 1991, unreported; BC-9101623) Pralle v Scharka [1978] 2 NSWLR 450 Cambridge Credit Corporation Ltd v Parkes Developments Ltd [1974] 2 NSWLR 590 Gordian Runoff v Price & Ors [2004] NSWSC 535 Pegang Mining Company Ltd v Choong Sam [1969] 2 MLJ 52 at 55-56 News Limited v Australian Rugby Football League (1996) 64 FCR 410 State of Victoria v Sutton (1998) 195 CLR 291 Bishopsgate Insurance Australia Ltd (In liq) v Deloitte Haskins & Sells [1999] 3 VR 863 Bryan v Maloney (1995) 182 CLR 609 Woolcock Street Investments Pty Ltd v CDG Pty Ltd (2004) 78 ALJR 628 Waimond Pty Ltd v Byrne (1989) 18 NSWLR 642 Heydon v NRMA Ltd (2000) 51 NSWLR 1 Rickard Constructions Pty Limited (First Plaintiff) Mayne Group Limited (Second Plaintiff) PARTIES : Rickard Hails Moretti Pty Limited (First Defendant) Jeffery & Katauskas Pty Limited (Second Defendant) Allianz Australia Insurance Limited (Third Defendant) FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 55027/00 F C Corsaro SC/T G R Parker (Plaintiff) COUNSEL : S R Donaldson SC/ P S Braham (First Defendant) M Dempsey SC/J Steele (Second Defendant) A S Martin SC/A J McInerney (Third Defendant) Maurice Blackburn Cashman (Plaintiff) SOLICITORS : Moray & Agnew (First Defendant) Colin Biggers & Paisley (Second Defendant) Moroney Betts (Third Defendant)