McDonnell v Northern Sydney & Central Coast Area Health Service [2010] NSWSC 376

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : McDonnell v Northern Sydney & Central Coast Area Health Service [2010] NSWSC 376

HEARING DATE(S) : 29 April 2010

JUDGMENT DATE : 13 May 2010

JUDGMENT OF : Davies J

DECISION : (1) Extend time for the filing of the appeal to 4 February 2010; (2) Dismiss the appeal; (3) Dismiss the Amended Notice of Motion; (4) The Plaintiffs are to pay the Defendants' costs of the Amended Notice of Motion.

CATCHWORDS : APPEAL AND NEW TRIAL - appeal - general principles - interference with discretion of Court below - appeal from Associate Justice - application to separate issues of liability and causation from issues of quantum - credibility of Plaintiffs relevant to causation and quantum issues - crossover of evidence - no error shown. PROCEDURE - separate questions - change in approach since Civil Procedure Act - s 5D(3) Civil Liability Act issue - need for all credibility evidence to be available in one hearing.

LEGISLATION CITED : Civil Liability Act 2002 Civil Procedure Act 2005

CATEGORY : Procedural and other rulings

Do Carmo v Ford Excavations Pty Ltd [1981] 1 NSWLR 409 Ford Excavations Pty Ltd v Do Carmo [1981] 2 NSWLR 253 House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 449 Integral Home Loans Pty Ltd & Anor v Interstar Wholesale Finance Pty Ltd & Anor [2006] NSWSC 1464 CASES CITED : Johnson v Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church [2009] NSWSC 309 Micallef v ICI Australia Operations Pty Ltd [2001] NSWCA 274 Tepko Pty Limited v Water Board [2001] HCA 19 (2001) 206 CLR 1 Tyrrell v The Owners Corporation Strata Scheme 40022 [2007] NSWCA 8 Warren v Coombes (1979) 142 CLR 531