Robert Ho v Paul Mervyn Fordyce t/as PMF Legal Trading (No 2) [2015] NSWSC 1748

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Robert Ho v Paul Mervyn Fordyce t/as PMF Legal Trading (No 2) [2015] NSWSC 1748 Hearing dates: 30 October 2015 Date of orders: 20 November 2015 Decision date: 20 November 2015 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Rein J Decision: See [62] Catchwords: EQUITY - Proceedings relating to contested fee agreements between solicitor and client - Application for indemnity costs - Where a party (who is also a solicitor) has acted unreasonably in the conduct of litigation - Application for costs payable forthwith - Application for interest on costs - Application to amend summons - Application for security for costs - Where an individual is a plaintiff together with corporate plaintiffs - Application to have injunction dissolved - No funds on which the injunction can operate - Assertion of a "fruits of litigation" lien over the proceeds of a settlement to secure unpaid fees - Absence of a fund and application for order for reinstatement of the fund Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) Supreme Court Rules 1970 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) Cases Cited: Abbott v Pilot Development Corporation Pty Ltd [2006] NSWSC 1178 AMC Commercial Cleaning (NSW) Pty Ltd v Coade; Rockcliffs Solicitors & IP Lawyers v Condon as liquidator of AMC Commercial Cleaning (NSW) Pty Ltd [2013] NSWSC 192 Atkinson v Pengelly [1995] 3 NZLR 104 Colgate-Palmolive Co v Cussons Pty Ltd (1993) 118 ALR 248; (1993) 46 FCR 225 Corbett v Nguyen (No 2) [2012] NSWSC 673 Doyles Construction Lawyers v Harsands Pty Ltd (Supreme Court of New South Wales, 24 December 1996,unreported BC9606389) Drummond and Rosen Pty Ltd v Easey and Ors (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 331 Firth v Centrelink [2002] NSWSC 564 Fordyce v Ho [2015] NSWCA 240 Halvanon Insurance Co Ltd v Central Reinsurance Corp [1988] 3 All ER 857 Hamod v New South Wales [2007] NSWSC 707 Harpur v Ariadne Australia Ltd (No 2) [1984] 2 Qd R 523 In Re Wadsworth; Rhodes v Sugden (1886) 34 Ch D 155 Interwest Ltd v Tricontinental Corporation Ltd (1991) 5 ACSR 621 Lahoud v Lahoud [2006] NSWSC 126 Leda Pty Ltd v Weerden (No 2) [2007] NSWCA 283 Maples v Hughes [2002] NSWSC 617 Patience, Ex Parte: Makinson v Minister (1940) 40 SR (NSW) 96 Robert Ho v Paul Mervyn Fordyce t/as PMF Legal Trading [2015] NSWSC 544 Tetijo Holdings Pty Ltd v Keeprite Australia Pty Ltd (FCA, 3/05/91, unreported) Unioil International Pty Ltd v Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (a firm) (1997) 18 WAR 190 Uptown Sydney Development Corp Pty Ltd v Bank of New Zealand (No 1) (1993) 11 ACSR 300 Worrell v Power & Power (1993) 46 FCR 214 Texts Cited: G.E Dal Pont, 'Law of costs' (3rd ed, LexisNexis, 2013) Category: Consequential orders (other than Costs) Parties: Robert Ho (First Plaintiff) Rhodium NSW Pty Ltd (Second Plaintiff) The Trading House Pty Ltd (Third Plaintiff) Paul Mervyn Fordyce t/as PMF Legal Trading (First Defendant) PMF Legal Limited (Second Defendant) Daniel John Papps (Third Defendant) Daniel Alejandro Cravero (Fourth Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr D. Kelly (Plaintiffs) Mr P. Fordyce (Solicitor) (Defendants)