PM Sulcs & Associates Pty Ltd v Oliveri [2009] NSWSC 456

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : PM Sulcs & Associates Pty Ltd v Oliveri [2009] NSWSC 456

HEARING DATE(S) : 27, 28, 29 & 30 April 2009; 1, 5 & 11 May 2009

JUDGMENT DATE : 28 May 2009

JURISDICTION : Equity

JUDGMENT OF : Debelle AJ

CATCHWORDS : PROCEDURE – Costs – Taxation – plaintiff had succeeded in litigation – defendant submitted bill of costs based on alleged costs agreement – whether costs agreement had existed – whether defendant retained on void contingency basis – Held no costs agreement existed and costs payable on quantum meruit basis as assessed under Division 6 of Part 11 of the Legal Profession Act 1987 - TORTS - Trover and detinue – Remedies – Action of detinue – Files and documents in relation to earlier litigation held pending payment of costs and disbursements – Held defendant entitled to lien – Order that defendant deliver up files and documents on provision by plaintiff of security for the costs payable to defendant

LEGISLATION CITED : Evidence Act 1995 Legal Profession Act 1987

CATEGORY : Principal judgment

A v B [1894] 1 All ER 265 Briginshaw v Briginshaw (1938) 60 CLR 336 Bechara v Atie [2005] NSWCA 268 Boland v Yates (1999) 167 ALR 575 Boyles v McCallum (1966) 85 WN (Pt 1) 281 D'Orta-Ekenaike v Victoria Legal Aid [2005] HCA 12; (2005) 223 CLR 1 Doyles Construction Lawyers v Harsands Pty Ltd (NSWSC, McClelland CJ in Eq, 24 December 1996, unreported) CASES CITED : Empirnall Holdings v Machon Paull Partners Pty Ltd (1988) 14 NSWLR 523 Felthouse v Bindley (1862) 11 CB(NS) 869; 142 ER 1037 Giannarelli v Wraith (1988) 165 CLR 543 Ismail v Richard Butler (a firm) [1996] 2 All ER 506 Jankowski v Mastoris (1995) 7 BPR 14589 Pavey v Matthews Pty Ltd v Paul (1987) 162 CLR 221 PM Sulcs & Associates Pty Ltd v Daihatsu Australia Pty Ltd - Costs and Interest [2001] NSWSC 798 Rust v Abbey Life Assurance Co Ltd [1979] 2 Lloyd's Rep 334 Watson v Foxman (1995) 49 NSWLR 315