Erratt v Grills [2015] NSWSC 594

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Erratt v Grills [2015] NSWSC 594 Hearing dates: 7 and 8 May 2015 Decision date: 20 May 2015 Jurisdiction: Equity Division Before: Lindsay J Decision: Declarations proposed. Summons otherwise to be dismissed. Catchwords: REAL PROPERTY – Boundaries of land and fencing – Rural land - Give and take fence along creek - Determination under Dividing Fences Act 1991 NSW, section 14 – Contract of compromise - Characterisation of give and take fence arrangement – Legal incidents of arrangement Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 NSW Dividing Fences Act 1991 NSW Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 NSW Water Management Act 2000 NSW Cases Cited: Alcatel Australia Ltd v Scarcella (1998) 44 NSWLR 349 Australian Hardboards Ltd v Hudson Investment Group Ltd (2007) 70 NSWLR 201 Burger King Corporation v Hungry Jack's Pty Ltd [2001] NSWCA 187 Erratt v Local Land Board Armidale [2008] NSWSC 959 Gumland Property Holdings Pty Ltd v Duffy Bros Fruit Market (Campbelltown) Pty Ltd (2008) 234 CLR 237 Landale v Menzies (1909) 9 CLR 89 O'Keefe v Williams (1910) 11 CLR 171 Royal Insurance Company Ltd v Mylius (1926) 38 CLR 477 Secured Income Real Estate (Australia) Ltd v St Martin's Investments Pty Ltd (1979) 144 CLR 596 Service Station Association v Berg Bennett (1993) 45 FCR 84 Shepherd v Felt & Textiles of Australia Ltd (1931) 45 CLR 359 Specialist Diagnostic Services Pty Ltd v Healthscope Ltd (2012) 305 ALR 569; [2012] VSCA 175 Commonwealth Bank of Australia v Barter [2014] HCA 32; 88 ALJR 814; 312 ALR 356 Electricity Generation Corporation v Woodside Energy Ltd (2014) 251 CLR 640 Paciocco v ANZ Banking Group Ltd [2015] FCAFC 50 Toll (FGCT) Pty Ltd v Alphapharm Pty Ltd (2004) 219 CLR 165 at [40]. Tote Tasmania Pty Ltd v Garrett (2008) 17 TasR 320 Vickery v Jenner (1896) 17 NSWR (Law) 438 Texts Cited: AJ Bradbrook, CE Croft and RS Hay, Commercial Tenancy Law (LexisNexis Butterworths, Sydney, 3rd ed, 2009), paragraphs [1.3]-[1.4] and [3.1]-[3.3] Butt, Land Law (6th ed, 2010), para [15:59]. HK Insall (ed), Collins' Law of Fences and Pastures Protection (NSW) (Law Book Co, Sydney, 2nd ed, 1984), pages 6-7 K. Stoeckel, R Webb, L Woodward and a Hankinson, Australian Water Law (Law Book Co., Sydney, 2012) M. McKenzie, "Water Rights in NSW" : Properly Property?" (2009) 31 Sydney Law Review 443 Peter Young, "Some Thoughts on Fences" (1994) 2 Australian Property Law Journal 78 at 79 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Plaintiff: Gillian Wren Erratt First Defendant: Abbott John Grills Second Defendant: Phillipa Maree Grills Representation: Counsel: Plaintiff: MB Evans First and Second Defendants: J Turnbull