Jessica Estates v Lennard [2007] NSWSC 1434

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Jessica Estates v Lennard [2007] NSWSC 1434

HEARING DATE(S) : 30 November and 6 December 2007

JUDGMENT DATE : 10 December 2007

JURISDICTION : Equity Division Expedition List

JUDGMENT OF : Brereton J

DECISION : Mandatory injunction granted.

CATCHWORDS : REAL PROPERTY – Land under Torrens system – Interests in land – Restrictive covenant – enforcement – remedies – mandatory injunction – whether damages a sufficient remedy – whether injury to plaintiffs' rights slight – whether compensable by damages – where defendants proceed to construct after warnings – where defendants aware that risk involved - EQUITY – Remedies – Injunctions – mandatory injunctions – to enforce negative covenant – discretion – whether damages a sufficient remedy – defences – laches – where defendants did not and could not reasonably have inferred acquiescence – hardship – where defendants proceeded on legal advice subsequently shown to be erroneous – where defendants aware that issue was debatable

LEGISLATION CITED : (NSW) Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979, s 28 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005, r 28.2

Baxter v Four Oaks Properties Ltd [1965] Ch 816 Bowes v Law (1870) LR 9 Eq 636 Boyns v Lackey (1958) 58 SR (NSW) 395 Carpet Import Co Ltd v Beath & Co Ltd [1927] NZLR 37 Collum v Opie (2000) 76 SASR 588 Cowper v Laidler [1903] 2 Ch 337 Gafford v Graham [1999] 3 EGLR 75 Harrison v Good (1871) LR 11 Eq 338 Jaggard v Sawyer [1995] 1 WLR 269 Jessica Estates v Lennard [2007] NSWSC 1175 Kelsen v Imperial Tobacco Co (of Great Britain and Ireland) Ltd [1957] 2 QB 334 Krehl v Burrell (1878) 7 Ch D 551, 554; affirmed (1879) 11 Ch D 146, 148; Lamshed v Lamshed (1963) 109 CLR 440 Leader v Moody (1875) LR 20 Eq 145 Leeds Industrial Cooperative Society Ltd v Slack [1924] AC 851 Lindsay Petroleum Co v Hurd (1874) LR 5 PC 221 CASES CITED : Middleton v Arthur [2002] NSWSC 627 Mortimer v Bailey [2005] 2 BLR 85 Murphy v Hudson (1995) 6 BPR 14,061 Nelson v Rye [1996] 2 All ER 186 Owen v O'Connor [1964] NSWR 1312 Post Investments Pty Ltd v Wilson (1990) 26 NSWLR 598 Price v Hilditch [1930] 1 Ch 500 Sefton v Tophams [1965] Ch 1140, 1169ff (Stamp J)]. Sharp v Harrison [1922] 1 Ch 502 Shelfer v City of London Electrical Lighting Company [1895] 1 Ch 287 Smith v Smith (1875) LR 20 Eq 500 Trewin v Felton [2007] NSWSC 851 Wakeham v Wood (1982) 43 P&CR 40 Watson v Commercial Bank of Aust (1879) 5 VLR (<) 36 Wood v Conway Corporation [1914] 2 Ch 47 Woollerton & Wilson Ltd v Richard Costain Ltd [1970] 1 All ER 483 Meagher, Gummow & Lehane, Equity: Doctrines and Remedies, 3rd edn, [3601]