Ainger v Coffs Harbour City Council [2005] NSWCA 424

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION: Ainger v Coffs Harbour City Council [2005] NSWCA 424

HEARING DATE(S): 1 July 2005

JUDGMENT DATE: 5 December 2005

JUDGMENT OF: Mason P at 1; McColl JA at 2; Hunt AJA at 120

DECISION: (1) Appeal allowed (2) Set aside the verdict in favour of the respondent (3) Enter verdict and judgment in favour of the appellant (4) Respondent to pay the costs of the trial before Twigg DCJ (5) Remit the matter to the District Court of New South Wales for hearing on damages only (6) Respondent to pay the appellant's costs of the appeal and to have a certificate under the Suitors' Fund Act 1951 if otherwise entitled.

CATCHWORDS: NEGLIGENCE – Council's non-delegable duty to take reasonable care that the exercise of its powers to carry out road works did not create a foreseeable risk of harm to a class of persons which included the plaintiff - reconstruction works commissioned by Council created an uneven section of footpath upon which a pedestrian tripped and fell - whether Council in breach of duty of care – COURTS AND JUDGES – statement of reasons for decisions – obligation to expose reasons for resolving a point critical to the contest between the parties - CONTRIBUTORY NEGLIGENCE – whether primary judge erred in finding pedestrian guilty of contributory negligence – inadvertence – DAMAGES – whether primary judge's reasons for assessing damages inadequate (D)

Civil Liability Act 2002 LEGISLATION CITED: Suitors' Fund Act 1951

Bankstown Foundry Pty Ltd v Braistina [1986] HCA 20; (1986) 160 CLR 301 Beale v Government Insurance Office of New South Wales (1997) 48 NSWLR 430 Buckle v Bayswater Road Board [1936] HCA 65; (1936) 57 CLR 259 Brodie v Singleton Shire Council; Ghantous v Hawkesbury Shire Council [2001] HCA 29; (2001) 206 CLR 512 Consolidated Broken Hill Ltd v Edwards [2005] NSWCA 380 Hill v Commissioner for Main Roads (NSW) (1989) 68 LGRA 173 Jones v Bradley [2003] NSWCA 81 Joslyn v Berryman [2003] HCA 34; (2003) 214 CLR 552 McLean v Tedman [1984] HCA 60; (1984) 155 CLR 306 Mifsud v Campbell (1991) 21 NSWLR 725 Moylan v Nutrasweet Co [2000] NSWCA 337 Mulligan v Coffs Harbour City Council [2005] HCA 63 North Sydney Council v Lygon (1995) 87 LGERA 435 Parramatta City Council v Watkins [2001] NSWCA 364 Roads and Traffic Authority v Scroop (1998) 28 MVR 233 CASES CITED: Roads & Traffic Authority of NSW v Fletcher [2001] NSWCA 63 Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW v Palmer [2003] NSWCA 58 Soulemezis v Dudley (Holdings) Pty Ltd (1987) 10 NSWLR 247 Sutherland Shire Council v Henshaw [2004] NSWCA 386 TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd v Anning [2002] NSWCA 82; (2002) 54 NSWLR 333 Temora Shire Council v Stein [2004] NSWCA 236 Thompson v Woolworths (Queensland) Pty Ltd (2005) 79 ALJR 904; [2005] HCA 19 Vairy v Wyong Shire Council [2005] HCA 62 Waterways Authority v Fitzgibbon; Mosman Municipal Council v Fitzgibbon; Middle Harbour Yacht Club v Fitzgibbon [2005] HCA 57; (2005) 79 ALJR 1816 Webb v South Australia (1982) 56 ALJR 912 Wiki v Atlantis Relocations (NSW) Pty Ltd [2004] NSWCA 174 Woollahra Municipal Council v Moody [1913] HCA 21; (1913) 16 CLR 353 Wyong Shire Council v Shirt [1980] HCA 12; (1980) 146 CLR 40 Yates Property Corp Pty Ltd (in liq) v Darling Harbour Authority (1991) 24 NSWLR 156 Zaronias v Papaiani [2002] NSWCA 207