ALLIANZ AUSTRALIA INSURANCE LIMITED v SPROD & Ors [2011] NSWSC 1157

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: ALLIANZ AUSTRALIA INSURANCE LIMITED v SPROD & Ors [2011] NSWSC 1157 Hearing dates: 29 August 2011 Decision date: 29 September 2011 Jurisdiction: Common Law - Administrative Law Before: HOEBEN J Decision: Plaintiff's summons dismissed. Question of costs stood over for further argument.. Catchwords: ADMINISTRATIVE LAW - Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999 - damages assessment by claims assessor - challenge to assessment of future economic loss - submission that claims assessor failed to comply with s126 of the Act - submission that damages assessment by claims assessor offended the compensation principle - extent of reasons determined by objects of Act and context - claims assessor's reasons sufficient - reasons complied with s126 - no failure to comply with compensation principle. Legislation Cited: Civil Liability Act 2002 Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999 (NSW) Supreme Court Act 1970 Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998 Cases Cited: Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd v Ward & Ors [2010] NSWSC 720 Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd v Kerr [2011] NSWSC 347 Associated Provincial Picture Houses Ltd v Wednesbury Corporation (1948) 1 KB 223 Burton v Brooks [2011] NSWCA 175 Checchia v Insurance Australia Ltd trading as NRMA Insurance [2009] NSWSC 1005 Husher v Husher (1999) 197 CLR 138 at 143 Insurance Australia Ltd trading as NRMA Insurance Ltd v Helou [2008] NSWCA 240 Insurance Australia Ltd trading as NRMA Insurance v Hutton-Potts [2010] NSWSC 1446, [2010] 57 MVR 194 Insurance Australia Ltd (trading as NRMA Insurance) v Hutton-Potts & Ors [2010] NSWSC 1446 Leichhardt Municipal Council v Montgomery [2005] NSWCA 432 Minister for Immigration & Ethnic Affairs v Wu Shan Liang, Huang Cheng Jiang and Liu Jun Liang [1996] HCA 6; (1996) 185 CLR 259 Medlin v State Government Insurance Commission (1995) 182 CLR 1 at 4 NRMA Ltd v Ainsworth [2011] NSWSC 344 Penrith City Council v Parks [2004] NSWCA 201 State of New South Wales v Moss [2000] NSWCA 133, (2000) 54 NSWLR 536 Soulemezis v Dudley (Holdings) Pty Ltd (1987) 10 NSWLR 247 Vitaz v Westform (NSW) Pty Ltd [2011] NSWCA 254 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Allianz Australia Insurance Limited - Plaintiff Michael Sprod - First Defendant John Tancred, in his capacity as a Claims Assessor of the Motor Accidents Authority of NSW - Second Defendant The Motor Accidents Authority of NSW - Third Defendant Representation: Mr MA Robinson - Plaintiff Mr M Daley - First Defendant Submitting Appearance - Second and Third Defendants TL Lawyers - Plaintiff Brydens Law Office - First Defendant Submitting Appearance - Second and Third Defendants File Number(s): 2011/90668