Westpac Banking Corporation v 789TEN Pty Ltd [2005] NSWCA 321

Reported Decision : 55 ACSR 519

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION: Westpac Banking Corporation v 789TEN Pty Ltd [2005] NSWCA 321

HEARING DATE(S): 30 August 2005

JUDGMENT DATE: 19 September 2005

JUDGMENT OF: Beazley JA at 1; Tobias JA at 2; Campbell AJA at 67

DECISION: (a) Leave to appeal granted; (b) Direct the claimant to file its notice of appeal within seven days of the date of these orders; (c) Appeal dismissed; (d) The claimant to pay the opponent's costs of the ordinary summons for leave to appeal and of the appeal

CATCHWORDS: PROCEDURE - Legal Professional Privilege - Whether letter from client to solicitors and letter from solicitors to client's auditors protected as privileged - Legal advice privilege - Whether letters prepared for dominant purpose of providing legal advice to client - Whether auditors were agents of client for purpose of receiving legal advice - Litigation privilege - Whether letters prepared for dominant purpose of client being provided with professional legal services - Evidence Act 1995 ss 118, 119

Civil Procedure Act 2005 Corporations Act 2001 Evidence Act 1995 LEGISLATION CITED: Legal Profession Act 2004 Supreme Court Rules 1970 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005

Anderson v Bank of British Columbia (1876) LR 2 Ch D 644 Commissioner of Australian Federal Police v Propend Finance Pty Ltd (1997) 188 CLR 501 Commissioner of Taxation v Pratt Holdings Pty Ltd (2003) 195 ALR 717 DSE (Holdings) Pty Ltd v Interan Inc (2003) 135 FCR 151 Mitsubishi Electric Australia Pty Ltd v Victorian WorkCover Authority (2002) 4 VR 332 CASES CITED: Nickmar Pty Ltd v Preservatrice Skandia Insurance Ltd (1985) 3 NSWLR 44 Pratt Holdings Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation (2004) 136 FCR 357 Sparnon v Apand Pty Ltd (1996) 68 FCR 322 Trade Practices Commission v Sterling (1979) 36 FLR 244 Wheeler v Le Marchant (1881) 17 Ch D 675