McIlraith v Ilkin & anor (Costs) [2007] NSWSC 1052

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : McIlraith v Ilkin & anor (Costs) [2007] NSWSC 1052

HEARING DATE(S) : 23 August 2007

JUDGMENT DATE : 21 September 2007

JURISDICTION : Common Law Division

JUDGMENT OF : Brereton J

DECISION : Plaintiff to pay defendant's costs (including his professional costs of acting for himself) on indemnity basis

CATCHWORDS : Costs – Indemnity costs – whether defendant unreasonably put to costs – where plaintiff's claim summarily dismissed as doomed to fail and for invoking wholly inappropriate jurisdiction – where defendant had previously offered plaintiff opportunity to discontinue without costs – Recovery of costs – solicitor litigant – Chorley exception – whether solicitor litigant entitled to profit costs for work done by himself

A & D Douglas Pty Ltd v Lawyers Private Mortgages Pty Ltd [2006] FCA 690 Atlas Corporation Pty Ltd v Kalyk [2001] NSWCA 10 Buckland v Watts [1970] 1 QB 27 Burford v Allan (1996-7) 68 SASR 217 Cachia v Hanes (1993) 179 CLR 403 Dalgety Australia Operations Ltd v FF Seeley Nominees Pty Ltd (No 2) (1988) 49 SASR 75 Dobree v Hoffman (WASC, 11 December 1995, unreported, BC9502706 Dobree v Hoffman (WASC, 5 December 1995, Rowland, Steytler and Parker JJ, unreported, BC9606034 Guss v Veenhuizun (No 2) (1976) 136 CLR 47 CASES CITED : H Tolputt & Co Ltd v Mole [1911] 1 KB 836 Hanna v Ranger (1912) 31 NZLR 159 Hawthorn Cuppaidge & Badgery v Channell [1992] 2 Qd R 488 Kallinicos v Hunt (2006) 64 NSWLR 561 Khera v Jones [2006] NSWCA 85 London Scottish Benefit Society v Chorley (1884) 13 QBD 872 McArdle & Davidson v Howard [1915] 8 WWR 1056 (Ontario SC) Ogier v Norton (1904) 29 VLR 536 Reed v Gray [1952] 1 Ch 337 Texas Co (SA) Ltd v Cape Town Municipality [1926] SALR (AD) 467 (Supreme Court of South Africa, Appellate Division)