Rail Corporation New South Wales v Leduva Pty Limited [2007] NSWSC 571

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Rail Corporation New South Wales v Leduva Pty Limited [2007] NSWSC 571

HEARING DATE(S) : 29/05/07, 30/05/07, 31/05/07

JUDGMENT DATE : 5 June 2007

JURISDICTION : Equity Division Commercial List

JUDGMENT OF : Einstein J

DECISION : Application to enforce undertaking as to damages to be dismissed.

CATCHWORDS : Practice and procedure - Equity - Interlocutory injunctions - Enforcement of usual undertaking as to damages - Principles applicable when proceedings do not progress to final hearing - Injunction granted upon defendant's breach of Development Deed relating to the construction of a building adjacent to a railway tunnel - Court discretion whether to enforce the undertaking - Principled exercise of discretion requires consideration of all circumstances of case - Defendant concedes that interlocutory injunction properly given at the time - Injunction dissolved by consent after subsequent reports from engineering experts retained by plaintiff confirmed a negligible risk to the tunnel

LEGISLATION CITED : Supreme Court Rules 1970 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW)

Air Express Ltd v Ansett Transport Industries (Operations) Pty Ltd (1980-1981) 146 CLR 249 Attorney-General for Ontario v Harry (1982) 25 CPC 67; (1982) 35 OR (2d) 248 Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society v Ricketts [1993] 1 WLR 1545 Doherty v Allman (1878) 3 App Cas 709 F Hoffmann-La Roche & Co AG v Secretary for Trade & Industry [1975] AC 295 Financiera Avenida SA v Shiblaq Times 7 November 1990 (CA (Civ Div)) Graham v Campbell (1878) 7 Ch D 490 Re Halistone (1910) 102 LT 877 Kolback Securities Ltd v Epoch Mining NL (1987) 8 NSWLR 533 CASES CITED : Lindsay Petroleum Co v Hurd (1874) LR 5 PC 221 Modern Transport Co Ltd v Duneric Steamship Co [1917] 1 KB 370 Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto v NB Theatrical Agencies Inc (1991) 76 DLR (4th) 522 Newby v Harrison (1861) 2 De GJ & J 287 Redwin Industries Pty Ltd v Feetsafe Pty Ltd and Anor [2002] VSC 427 Roberts v Walter Developments Pty Ltd & Ors [unreported, Supreme Court of Western Australia, Wheeler J, 13 June 1997] Smith v Day (1882) 21 Ch D 421 Upper Canada College v City of Toronto (1917) 40 OLR 483 Ushers Brewery Ltd v P S King & Co (Finance) Ltd [1972] Ch 148 Vieweger Construction Co Ltd v Rush & Tompkins Construction Ltd (1964) 48 DLR (2d) 509; Yukong Line Ltd v Rendsburg Investment Corp [2001] 2 Lloyd's Rep 113 (CA)