Reef Health Pty Limited & Ors v Ian Vines & Ors [2014] NSWSC 70

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Reef Health Pty Limited & Ors v Ian Vines & Ors [2014] NSWSC 70 Hearing dates: 10, 11, 12, 13,14 & 17 September 2012 & 3 May 2013 Decision date: 14 February 2014 Jurisdiction: Equity Division Before: Slattery J Decision: The landlord's agent, the defendant, converted a number of items of limited value. Order an expert inquiry to value the converted goods. Directions made for submissions to the inquiry. Catchwords: TORTS conversion - landlord's agent/defendant evicts tenant from Sydney city apartment - tenant alleges valuable items of property left behind in apartment at eviction - landlord's agent removes contents of apartment into storage - tenants/plaintiffs allege items missing or damaged - whether all or any of the goods were in the apartment at the time of eviction - whether the plaintiffs/tenants owned the goods alleged - whether the landlord's agent converted the goods. Legislation Cited: Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) Residential Tenancies Act 1987 (NSW) Residential Tenancies Regulation 2006 (NSW) Cases Cited: Brybay Pty Ltd (In Liq) & Ors v Esanda Finance Corporation Ltd [2002] WASC 309 Bowden v Lo (1998) 9 BPR 16,317 Bunnings Group v Chep Australia Ltd [2011] NSWCA 384 Chesworth v Farrar (1967) 1 QB 407 Furness v Adrium Industries Pty Ltd [1996] 1 VR 668 Glebe Island Terminals Pty Ltd v Continental Seagram Pty Ltd (1993) 40 NSWLR 206 Hughland v R R Low (Luxury Coaches) [1962] 1 QB 694 J & E Hall Ltd v Barclay [1937] 3 All ER 620 Penfolds Wines Pty Ltd v Elliott (1946) 74 CLR 204 Jacap Low Loaders v Lindores Plant & Equipment [2005] NSWCA 5 Lord Mounteagle v Countess of Worcester (1554) 73 ER 265 Mitchell v Earling Londonderry Council [1979] 1 QB 1 Prothonotary of the Supreme Court of New South Wales v Tatar [2005] NSWCA 104 Slaveski v Victoria [2010] VSC 569 Toll (FGCT) Pty Ltd v Alphapharm Pty Ltd (2003) 56 NSWLR 662 TNT (Melbourne) v May & Baker (Aust) Pty Ltd (1966) 115 CLR 353 Sinclair v Haynes [2000] NSWSC 642 Standard Electronic Apparatus Laboratories Pty Ltd v Stenner [1960] NSWR 447 The Winkfield [1902] P 42 Uren v John Fairfax & Sons Pty Ltd (1966) 117 CLR 118 Category: Principal judgment Parties: First Plaintiff:- Reef Health Pty Limited Second Plaintiff:- Ms Roxanne Naylor Third Plaintiff:- Mr Andrew Tatar Fourth Plaintiff, Mr Sayed (Sid) El-Hawache First Defendant:- Mr Ian Vines Third Defendant:- Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal Fourth Defendant:- The Sheriff of NSW Representation: Counsel: First, Second and Third Plaintiffs: - Mr T. Rickard First Defendant: - Mr D. Priestley Solicitors: First, Second and Third Plaintiffs: - Mr Ali Abbas, AHA Taylor Lawyers First Defendant: - Mr Paul Kozub, Gilchrist Connell File Number(s): 2010/362402 Publication restriction: No