Roach & Ors v Page & Ors (No.37) [2004] NSWSC 1048

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Roach & Ors v Page & Ors (No.37) [2004] NSWSC 1048 4-8, 11-14, 18-21, 25-29 August 2003 1, 5, 9-12, 15-19 September 2003 13-17, 20-24, 27-30 October 2003 3-7, 10, 13-14, 20-21, 27-28 November 2003 HEARING DATE(S) : 2, 4, 8-12, 15-19 December 2003 2-6, 9-10 February 2004 11 June 2004 30 July 2004 27 August 2004 JUDGMENT DATE : 15 November 2004 JURISDICTION: Common Law JUDGMENT OF : Sperling J at 1 DECISION : (1) Verdict and judgment for the defendants against the plaintiffs; (2) Plaintiffs to pay the defendants' costs on a party and party basis; (3) Liberty to apply for reconsideration of the order for costs if exercised within seven days from the date of this judgment by notice to the other side and to my associate.

CATCHWORDS : Negligence - professional negligence by solicitors - claim for expectation damages - whether claim correctly categorised as being for loss of a chance to exploit an asset or as being for the value of the asset lost - whether an investment in the company was evidence of value - claim for reliance damages - whether reliance damages recoverable otherwise than for expenses incurred in connection with a contract between plaintiffs and defendants Extractive Industries Act 1966 (Vic) Mineral Resources Development Act 1990 (Vic) LEGISLATION CITED : Mines Act 1958 (Vic), s47, s291, s300, s304, s306, s514, s515, s518, s521, s526 Mines (Mining Titles) Regulations 1983 (Vic) Soil Conservation & Land Utilisation Act 1958 (Vic), s17A Transfer of Land Act 1958 (Vic), s42 Astley v Austrust Pty Ltd (1999) 197 CLR 1 Browne v Dunn (1893) 6 R 67 Commonwealth of Australia v Amann Aviation Pty Ltd (1991) 174 CLR 64 Dominelli Ford (Hurstville) Pty Ltd v Karnot Auto Spares Pty Ltd (1992) 38 FCR 471 Heydon v NRMA Ltd (2000) 51 NSWLR 1 Larking v Great Western (Nepean) Gravel Ltd (1940) 64 CLR 221 M & EM Hull Pty Ltd v Thompson [2001] NSWCA 359 McRae v Commonwealth Disposals Commission (1951) 84 CLR 377 Midland Bank Trust Co Ltd v Hett, Stubbs & Kemp [1979] 1 Ch 384 CASES CITED : Montague Mining Pty Ltd v Gore [1998] FCA 1334 NRMA Ltd v Morgan [1999] NSWSC 407 Precision Plastics Pty Ltd v Demir (1975) 132 CLR 362 Roach & Ors v Page & Ors [2004] NSWSC 776 Robinson v Harman (1848) 1 Ex 850 Scalise v Bezzina [2003] NSWCA 362 Wakim v McNally (2002) 121 FCR 162 Wardley Australia Ltd v The State of Western Australia (1992) 175 CLR 5 Waribay Ltd v Minter Ellison [1991] 2 VR 391 Yates Property Corporation Pty Ltd v Boland (1998) 85 FCR 84 Walter Edward Roach Sydtech Pty Ltd PARTIES : Winnote Pty Ltd Brian John Downey Page, Brian James Page, Peter Eustace Hollingdale, Rod McLeond, Warren Francis Asprey, Ian Farley Hutchinson, Brian Edmond Thornton, Geza Francis Kim Santow, Thomas Owen Jones, Robert Colin Nicholls, James Henry Graham, Peter Short, Phillip Thornton Taylor, Bruce Kelvin Cutler, Richard A Longes, John Charles Mulally, Kevin William Broadley, James Michael Page, Peter John Arthur Carney, Patricia Helen Brown, Brian John McFadyen, Robert Andrew Channon, Peter John Perry, Douglas Michael Franc, Peter Stanley Ridout, Michael John Gray, Julian Block, Howard Keith Chillingworth Steele, Edward Joseph Wright, Claire Grose, John Hugh Clifford Colvin, Bryan David Weir, George Thomas Forster, John Lindsay Arthur, Roy Merrill Randall, Anthony Joseph Muratore, Sir Clarence Waldemar Harders, Peter Campbell Church, Terence Michael Burke, Richard Stuart Gray, John Kevin O'Sullivan, Gregory Stephen Pearce, Rebecca Anne Davies, Gordon David Cooper, Pamela Gaye Edwards, Stephen David Chipkin, Yukio Hayashi, Lucy Kathleen Farrell, Paul Ashley Cooper, David Myles Bennett QC, Graham John Kelly, Barry Leon Barker, Fabian Gleeson, Helen Irwin Wright, John Martin Green, Iain Ronald Jones, Shaun Gerard McGushin, Mark Russell Cohen, Joanne Christine Seve, Amanda Jane Harkness, John Peirce Angus, Cornelius Daniel Neil Griffin, Murray John Dearberg, Marc Sandford Hutchinson, Timothy Mark Hirshman, Leon Pasternak, Kevin Alan Lewis, Donald Bruce Robertson, Michael Perrin Ryland, Richard Randolph Pearson, Geoffrey Howard Levy, Philip John Christensen, Geoffrey Alan McClellan, David Jacob Hammerschlag, Gavin Terence Bell, John Gilbert Taberner, Michael John Back, Georgina Margaret Gray, Raymond Yuen Ming Kwok, Michael Orlov, Bettie Anne McNee - t/a Freehill, Hollingdale & Page Brian David Kewley, Keith Alfred Robert Skinner, Jeffrey Stephen Kiddle, Denis James Davies, David Leonard Bailey, Martin Moule Hudson, Colin George Polites, Marcus Kirkland Fairbairn, John Alfred Emerson, James Macklin Pfeiffer, Russell David Allen, Peter Algernon Franc Hay, Paul Montgomery, John Balfour Blanch, Richard Geoffrey Eager, Peter Farley Mitchell, Peter Mark Butler, Simon Anthony Yencken, Peter William Stawell, Stephen Marcus Stern, John Linday Cooper, Graeme James Smith, Rayne de Gruchy, Wayne McMaster, Graeme Ross Watson, Maxwell Douglas Ralph Cameron, Frank Parry, Irene Helen Zeitler - t/a Freehill, Hollingdale & Page FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 20950/97 COUNSEL : Mr S Rares SC with Mr A Bell for the Plaintiffs Mr A Meagher SC with Mr M Darke for the Defendants SOLICITORS : Maurice Blackburn Cashman for the Plaintiffs Allens Arthur Robinson for the Defendants