GMU Australia Pty Limited v Timothy Roger Davidson & Ors [2003] NSWSC 311

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : GMU Australia Pty Limited v Timothy Roger Davidson & Ors [2003] NSWSC 311 HEARING DATE(S) : 10/04/03 JUDGMENT DATE : 16 April 2003

JURISDICTION: Equity Division Commercial Division JUDGMENT OF : Einstein J DECISION : Motion to be dismissed with costs.

CATCHWORDS : Practice and Procedure - Motion to dismiss proceedings - Statute barring of actions - General rule as to when a cause of action accrues is subject to qualifications when the very act of negligence that inflicts the injury also has the effect of precluding the bringing of an action for damages - Need to establish a coincidence between the negligent conduct and the conduct that conceals from the plaintiff that he or she has a cause of action - relevance of failure to inform which precludes putative plaintiff from taking a relevant action Fair Trading Act (1987) NSW LEGISLATION CITED : Limitation Act, 1969 (NSW) Trade Practices Act 1974 (C'th) Argyropoulos v Layton [2002] NSWCA 183; BC 200203324 Cheney and Wilson v Duncan [2001] NSWCA 197 Crisp v Blake (1992) Aust Torts Reports 81-158 Di Sante v Camando Nominees Pty Limited [2000] VSC 211 Doundoulakis v Antony Sdrinis & Co [1989] VR 781 Hawkins v Clayton (1988) 164 CLR 539 Hetherington v Mirvac Pty Limited (1999) Australian Torts Reports 81-514 NSWSC 443 Hillebrand v Council of the City of Penrith (2000) NSWSC 1058 Austin J. (BC200007069). CASES CITED : Johnson v Perez (1988) 166 CLR 351 Nikolaou v Papasavas , Phillips & Company (1989) 166 CLR 394 Pirelli General Cable Works Limited v Oscar Faber & Partners (a firm) [1983] 2 AC 1 Registrar-General v Cleaver (1996) 41 NSWLR 713 Sampson v Zucker [NSWCA, unreported, 11 December 1996] Scarcella v Lettice (2000) 51 NSWLR 302 Toomey v WALS (1999) NSWSC 560 Vulic v Bilinsky [1983] 2 NSWLR 472 Wardley Australia Limited v The State of Western Australia (1992) 175 CLR 514 Wilson v Rigg (2002) 36 MVR 451; [2002] NSWCA 246 GMU Australia Pty Limited (Plaintiff) PARTIES : Timothy Roger Davidson (First Defendant) David Charles Bracey (Second Defendant) Patrick Gerard O'Donoghue (Third Defendant) FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 50167/02 M Ashhurst (Plaintiff/Respondent on the motion) COUNSEL : J Buinet (First and Second Defendant) M McCulloch, Mr Stitt (Third Defendant/Applicant on the notice of motion) Clayton Utz (Plaintiff/Respondent on the motion) SOLICITORS : Herbert Geer & Rundle (First and Second Defendant) Ebsworth & Ebsworth (Third Defendant/Applicant on the notice of motion)