N M Rural Enterprises Pty Ltd v Rimanui Farms Ltd [2013] NSWSC 309

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: N M Rural Enterprises Pty Ltd v Rimanui Farms Ltd [2013] NSWSC 309 Hearing dates: 27, 28, 30 July, 3, 5 August 2009, 9 - 13,16 - 19, 23, 25 - 27 August, 9, 10, 13 - 15, 17 September, 13, 15 & 16 December 2010 28 February, 1, 7 - 11 March, 18 - 21 29 April, 30 September, 5 - 9, 13 - 15 December 2011, 3, 8 - 10, 13 & 14 February 2012 Decision date: 12 April 2013 Jurisdiction: Common Law Before: Harrison J Decision: 1. Verdict for the defendants. 2. Direct that the question of costs be listed before me for argument at some time convenient to the Court and to the parties to be arranged in consultation with my Associate. Catchwords: TORTS - negligence and nuisance - agricultural aerial spraying of herbicide - chemical spray drift - destruction of cotton crops on neighbouring property - whether damage caused by drift or by direct application of herbicide to plaintiff's own crops by plaintiff - where competing possible causes dependent on circumstantial evidence - whether plaintiff obliged to negative possible cause of loss and damage of equal probability - duty of care - whether non-delegable duty of care - whether farmers as principals liable for acts or defaults of competent independent aerial spraying contractor - whether appreciable risk of harm to neighbouring properties - extent of obligation to take reasonable steps to avoid harm - extent of knowledge of the risk of harm - Damage by Aircraft Act s 10(1)(c) - intentional and inadvertent acts - meaning of "fell" and "dropped" Legislation Cited: Acts Interpretation Act, 1901 Civil Liability Act, 2002 Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) Damage by Aircraft Act 1999 (Cth) Insurance and Aviation Liability Legislation Amendment Act 2002 (Cth) Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1946 Pesticides Act, 1999 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules Cases Cited: ACQ v Cook [2008] NSWCA 161 ACQ Pty Ltd v Cook [2009] HCA 28; (2009) 237 CLR 656 Adeels Palace Pty Ltd v Moubarak [2009] HCA 48; (2009) 239 CLR 420 Adelaide Stevedoring v Forst [1940] HCA 45;(1940) 64 CLR 538 Adsteam Building Industries Pty Ltd v Queensland Cement and Lime Co Ltd (No 4) [1985] 1 Qd R 127 Amaca v Ellis [2008] HCA 5 Australian Postal Commission v Lucas (1991) 33 FCR 101 Bonic v Fieldair (Deniliquin) Pty Ltd [1999] NSWSC 636 Bradshaw v McEwans Pty Ltd (1951) 217 ALR 1 Briginshaw v Briginshaw [1938] HCA 34; (1938) 60 CLR 336 Bryce McDonald v Girkaid Pty Ltd [2004] NSWCA 297 Burnie Port Authority v General Jones Pty Ltd [1994] HCA 13; (1994) 179 CLR 520 at 550 Caltex Refineries v Stavar [2009] NSWCA 258 Cofield v Waterloo Case Co Ltd [1924] HCA 18; (1924) 34 CLR 363 Commissioner of Police v Rea [2008] NSWCA 199 Commonwealth of Australia v McLean (1996) 41 NSWLR 389 EMI (Australia) Ltd v Bes (1970) 44 WCR 114 Fox v Percy [2003] HCA 22; (2003) 214 CLR 118 Garzo v Liverpool - Campbelltown Christian School & Anor [2012] NSWCA 151 GEJ & MA Geldard Pty Ltd v Mobbs [2010] QSC 220 Goldman v Hargrave (1966) 115 CLR 458 Guest v The Nominal Defendant [2006] NSWCA 77 In re B (Children) [2008] UKHL 35 John Fairfax Publications Proprietary Ltd v Gacic [2007] HCA 28; (2007) 230 CLR 291 Kondis v State Transport Authority [1984] HCA 61; (1984) 154 CLR 672 Leighton Contractors Proprietary Ltd v Fox [2009] HCA 35; (2009) 240 CLR 1 Makita v Sprowles (2001) 52 NSWLR 705 March v Stramare [1991] HCA 12; (1991) 171 CLR 506 N M Rural Enterprises Pty Ltd v Rimanui Farms Ltd [2010] NSWSC 969 N M Rural Enterprises Pty Ltd v Rimanui Farms Ltd [2012] NSWSC 31 Palmer v Dolman [2005] NSWCA 361 Pollard v Wilson [2010] NSWSC 68 [2010] NSWSC 969 QBE Insurance Ltd v MGM Plumbing Pty Ltd [2003] QSC 27 Quick v Alpine Nurseries Sales [2010] NSWSC 1248 Quintano v B W Rose Pty Ltd [2008] NSWSC 957 Rickard & Ors v Allianz Australia Insurance Ltd & Ors [2009] NSWSC 1115 Robson v Leischke [2008] NSWLEC 152; (2008) 72 NSWLR 98 Schneider v Hoechst Schering [2000] FCA 154 Scott v Davis [2000] HCA 52; [2000] 204 CLR 333 Small & Small v Kidman Holdings Pty Ltd (District Court of NSW, Rolfe DCJ, 24/6/04 unreported) St George Club v Hines (1961) 35 ALJR 105 Stevens v Brodribb [1986] HCA 1; (1986) 160 CLR 16 Sutherland Shire Council v Becker [2006] NSWCA 344 Sweeney v Boylan Nominees Pty Ltd [2006] HCA 19; (2006) 226 CLR 161 Thompson v Australian Capital Television Pty Ltd [1996] HCA 38; (1996) 186 CLR 574 Thompson v NSW Land and Housing Corporation [2011] NSWSC 941 Transfield Services (Australia) Pty Ltd v Hall [2008] NSWCA 294; (2008) 75 NSWLR 12 The Koursk [1924] P 140 Tubemakers of Australia Ltd v Fernandez [1975] 2 NSWLR 190 Tubemakers of Australia Ltd v Fernandez (1976) 50 ALJR 720 Vines v ASIC [2007] NSWCA 75 Volman v Lobb & Anor [2005] NSWCA 348 Wallace v Kam [2012] NSWCA 82 Wilson v Nilepac Pty Ltd [2009] NSWSC 1365 Wyong Shire Council v Shirt & Ors [1980] HCA 12; (1980) 146 CLR 40 X & Y (by her tutor X) v Pal [1991] NSWCA 302; (1991) 23 NSWLR 26 Zanner v Zanner [2010] NSWCA 343 Texts Cited: Cross on Evidence, 8th Australian Edition, LexisNexis Butterworths, 2009 Fleming's Law of Torts, 10th Edition, Thomson Reuters (2011) Winfield and Jolowicz on Tort, 14th edition, Sweet & Maxwell (1999) Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 6th Edition, Oxford University Press (2007) The Macquarie Dictionary, 2nd Edition, The Macquarie Library (1991) Category: Principal judgment Parties: N M Rural Enterprises Pty Ltd (Plaintiff) Rimanui Farms Ltd (First Defendant) Gil Gil Farming Pty Ltd (Second Defendant) Lloyds Syndicate No 1243 (Third Defendant) Representation: Turks Legal (Plaintiff) Webb and Boland (First Defendant) Doyle Wilson (Second Defendant) Riley Gray-Spencer (Third Defendant)