Nightingale v Blacktown City Council [2015] NSWCA 423

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Nightingale v Blacktown City Council [2015] NSWCA 423 Hearing dates: 3 September 2015 Decision date: 23 December 2015 Before: Beazley P at [1]; Basten JA at [13]; Macfarlan JA at [57]; Meagher JA at [85]; Simpson JA at [86] Decision: Appeal dismissed with costs. Catchwords: TORTS – negligence – injury suffered after fall caused by sunken area of footpath – whether Council liable for failure to repair

TORTS – Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW), s 45 – whether Council had "actual knowledge" of the particular risk the materialisation of which resulted in harm

STATUTORY INTERPRETATION – Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW), s 45 – meaning of "actual knowledge" of Council – whether required knowledge of particular class of persons – whether knowledge of those with authority to conduct repairs required – sufficiency of knowledge of those involved in system of inspection

STATUTORY INTERPRETATION – Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW), s 45 – whether protection extends to inspections carried out negligently

COURTS – principles relating to departure from prior authority Legislation Cited: Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW), ss 5B, 5G, 5M, 45 Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW), s 33 Cases Cited: Blacktown City Council v Hocking [2008] NSWCA 144; 144 Aust Torts Rep 81-956 Brodie v Singleton Shire Council; Ghantous v Hawkesbury Shire Council (2001) 206 CLR 512; [2001] HCA 29 Cooper Brookes (Wollongong) Pty Ltd v Federal Commissioner of Taxation (1981) 147 CLR 297 Clutha Developments Pty Ltd v Barry (1989) 18 NSWLR 86 Gett v Tabet [2009] NSWCA 76; 254 ALR 504 Gumana v Northern Territory (2007) 158 FCR 349; [2007] FCAFC 23 Kuhl v Zurich Financial Services [2011] HCA 11; 243 CLR 361 Malika Holdings Pty Ltd v Stretton (2001) 204 CLR 290; [2001] HCA 14 North Sydney Council v Roman HCA [2007]; NSWCA 27; 69 NSWLR 240 Potter v Minahan (1908) 7 CLR 277 RJE v Secretary to the Department of Justice [2008] VSCA 265; 192 A Crim R 156 Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales v Dederer (2007) 234 CLR 330; [2007] HCA 42 Roman v North Sydney Council [2007] HCATrans 405 Strong v Woolworths [2012] HCA 5; 246 CLR 182 Tabet v Gett (2010) 240 CLR 537; 210 HCA 12 Texts Cited: Antonin Scalia and Bryan A Garner, Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts (Thomson/West, 2012) at 318