Leighton International v Hodges; Thiess v Reinforced Earth [2012] NSWSC 458

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Leighton International v Hodges; Thiess v Reinforced Earth [2012] NSWSC 458 Hearing dates: 01/05/2012 Decision date: 02 May 2012 Jurisdiction: Equity Division Before: McDougall J Decision: Leighton v Hodges: application dismissed. Thiess v Reinforced Earth: parties to complete discovery under existing orders. Catchwords: PROCEDURE - Practice Note SC Eq 11 - disclosure - where parties seek an order for disclosure before service of evidence - existing proceedings - whether Practice Note SC Eq 11 discharges, abrogates or varies existing discovery orders - whether exceptional circumstances - whether disclosure necessary - meaning of "exceptional circumstances" and "necessary" - whether making of disclosure orders consistent with s 56 of the Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Evidence on Commission Act 1995 (NSW) Judicature Act 1873 Practice Note SC Eq 11 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 Cases Cited: Armstrong Strategic Management and Marketing Pty Limited & Ors v Expense Reduction Analysts Group Pty Limited & Ors [2012] NSWSC 393 Commonwealth v Miller (1910) 10 CLR 472 Gerard Cassegrain & Co Pty Ltd [2011] NSWSC 241 R v Kelly [2000] 1 QB 198 Category: Procedural and other rulings Parties: 2011/137985 Leighton International Limited (First Plaintiff) Leighton Offshore Pte Ltd (Second Plaintiff) Leighton Holdings Limited (Third Plaintiff) Gavin John Hodges (Defendant) 2011/185835 Thiess Pty Ltd (First Plaintiff) Hochtief Aktiengesellschaft (Second Plaintiff) Reinforced Earth Pty Ltd (First Defendant) GHD Pty Ltd (Second Defendant/Cross-Claimant) Ward Civil and Environmental Engineering Pty Ltd (Third Defendant) Parsons Brinckerhoff Australia Pty Limited (Cross-Defendant) Representation: 2011/137985 G J Hatcher SC (Plaintiffs) J C Giles (Defendant) 2011/185835 Counsel: C J Starkey (Solicitor) (Plaintiff) F G Kalyk (First Defendant) V A La Fontaine (Solicitor) (Second Defendant/Cross-Claimant) T C Seton (Solicitor) (Third Defendant) R N Krikiorian (Solicitor) (Cross-Defendant) Solicitors: 2011/137985 Herbert Geer (Plaintiffs) Bennett + Co (Defendant) 2011/185835 Minter Ellison (Plaintiffs) Norton Rose Australia (First Defendant) HWL Ebsworth Lawyers (Second Defendant) Colin Biggers & Paisley (Third Defendant) Middletons (Cross-Defendant) File Number(s): 2011/137985 and 2011/185835