Kubovic v HMS Management Pty Ltd [2015] NSWCA 315

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Kubovic v HMS Management Pty Ltd [2015] NSWCA 315 Hearing dates: 26 March 2015 Date of orders: 08 October 2015 Decision date: 08 October 2015 Before: McColl JA at [1], Ward JA at [136], Adamson J at [151] Decision: 1. Appeal dismissed. 2. No order as to the costs of the appeal. Catchwords: TORTS – negligence – contributory negligence – where employer failed to provide safe system of work – whether appellant in control of work environment in which accident occurred – whether appellant's conduct a cause of damage suffered

WORK ACCIDENT – work injury damages – admissibility of evidence not disclosed in pre-filing documents – Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998 s 318 – where information that appellant attended gym available before pre-filing defence served – where surveillance evidence not disclosed until after commencement of trial

PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE – procedural fairness – whether treatment of surveillance evidence by primary judge denied appellant procedural fairness – where primary judge concluded medical evidence unreliable on basis of inference experts not informed of gym attendance – where primary judge concluded evidence of physical condition would alter medical experts' opinions – whether incumbent on appellant to call experts to give evidence about impact of surveillance evidence on opinions – whether primary judge erred in assessing expert medical evidence where factual assumptions inconsistent with surveillance evidence.

COSTS – claim for work injury damages – whether "costs in relation to a claim for work injury damages, including court proceedings" in Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998 s 346 extends to Court of Appeal proceedings – whether proceedings "ancillary" for purposes of Workers Compensation Regulation 2010 Legislation Cited: Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW), ss 3B, 5B, 5D, 12 - 14 Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), ss 57 - 59 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), r 31.10(2)(a), 31.29 Workers Compensation Act 1987 (NSW), ss 151G, 151H, 151N Workers Compensation Regulation 2003 (NSW), rr 89 – 91, 93 Workers Compensation Regulation 2010 (NSW), cl 104 – 106, 108 Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998 (NSW) ss 313, 314, 315, 316, 318, 318A, 318B, 319, 325, 346 Cases Cited: Allied Pastoral Holdings Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation [1983] 1 NSWLR 1 Astley v Austrust Ltd [1999] HCA 6; (1999) 197 CLR 1 Australian Postal Commission v Hayes [1989] FCA 176; (1989) 23 FCR 320 Australian Winch and Haulage Company Pty Ltd v Collins [2013] NSWCA 327 CDJ v VAJ [1998] HCA 67; (1998) 197 CLR 172 Chubs Constructions Pty Ltd v Sam Chamma (No 2) [2010] NSWCA 225; (2010) 78 NSWLR 679 Concrete Pty Ltd v Parramatta Design & Developments Pty Ltd [2006] HCA 55; (2006) 229 CLR 577 Drew v State of New South Wales [2015] NSWCA 159 Falasca v Morrissy [1998] ACTSC 35 Falasca v Morrissy [1999] FCA 277 Jones v National Coal Board [1957] 2 QB 55 Keith v Gal [2013] NSWCA 339 Kubovic v HMS Management Pty Ltd (District Court (NSW), Lakatos SC DCJ, 6 March 2014, unrep) Leichhardt Municipal Council v Montgomery [2005] NSWCA 432 Mason v Demasi [2009] NSWCA 227 McGlen-McLeod v Galloway [2012] NSWCA 368 McLean v Tedman & Brambles Holdings Ltd [1984] HCA 60; (1984) 155 CLR 306 Monie v Commonwealth of Australia [2007] NSWCA 230 Nicholson v Nicholson (1994) 35 NSWLR 308 Paper Coaters Pty Limited v Jessop [2009] NSWCA 1 Ramsay v Watson (1961) 108 CLR 642 Re Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs; ex parte Lam [2003] HCA 6; (2003) 214 CLR 1 RHG Mortgage Limited v Rosario Ianni [2015] NSWCA 56 Smith v Sydney West Area Health Service (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 62 State of New South Wales v Moss [2000] NSWCA 133; (2000) 54 NSWLR 536 Stead v State Government Insurance Commission [1986] HCA 54; (1986) 161 CLR 141 Strasburger Enterprises Pty Ltd trading as Quix Foodstores v Serna [2008] NSWCA 354 Strinic v Singh [2009] NSWCA 15; (2009) 74 NSWLR 419 Wiki v Atlantis Relocations (NSW) Pty Ltd [2004] NSWCA 174; (2004) 60 NSWLR 127 Wilkinson v Perisher Blue Pty Ltd [2012] NSWCA 250 Texts Cited: Cross on Evidence (LexisNexis Butterworths) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Marian Kubovic (Appellant) HMS Management Pty Ltd (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: R de Meyrick (Appellant) L King SC, H Halligan (Respondent)