Wallace v GWH Build Pty Ltd; GWH Build Pty Ltd & Anor v Wallace & Ors [2016] NSWDC 51

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Wallace v GWH Build Pty Ltd; GWH Build Pty Ltd & Anor v Wallace & Ors [2016] NSWDC 51 Date of orders: 15 April 2016 Decision date: 15 April 2016 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Judge Levy SC Decision: See paragraphs [209] – [216] Catchwords: PRACTICE & PROCEDURE – multiple interlocutory issues – application by plaintiffs for grant of leave to file an amended statement of claim – whether a subpoena and a notice to produce respectively issued by the plaintiffs should be set aside as an abuse of process; CONTEMPT – rejection of application by defendant and by cross claimants that the principal and the employed solicitor for plaintiffs be referred to the Supreme Court for prosecution for alleged civil contempt – claimed breach of implied undertaking as to use of documents – whether documents in question were used for an alien, collateral, ulterior or extraneous purpose: Harman v Secretary of State for the Home Department [1983] 1 AC 280 Legislation Cited: Australian Consumer Law, s 236 Civil Procedure Act 2005, s 26, s 56, s 57, s 58, s 61, s 64 District Court Act 1973, s 203 Legal Profession Act 2004, s 357 Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014, cl 4 of Sch 2 Trade Practices Act 1974, s 82 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules, r 5, r 5.3, r 5.4, r 6.19, r 6.24, r 21.3, r 33.4 Cases Cited: Aon Risk Services Australia Limited v Australian National University [2009] HCA 27 Commissioner of Police v Hughes [2009] NSWCA 306 Court of Appeal v Maniam (No 1) (1991) 25 NSWLR 459 GB v Greater Western Sydney Area Health Service [2010] NSWSC 181 Harman v Secretary of State for the Home Department [1983] 1 AC 280 Hearne v Street [2008] HCA 36 Lin & Anor v Borrowdale & Ors [2011] NSWCA 65 Pelechowski v Registrar, Court of Appeal [1999] HCA 19, (1999) 198 CLR 435 Nowlan v Marson Transport Pty Ltd [2001] NSWCA 346; (2001) NSWLR 116 Riddick v Thames Board Mills Ltd [1977] QB 881 Waind v Hill & Anor (1978) 1 NSWLR 372 White v Overland [2001] FCA 1333 White v Tulloch (1995) 127 FLR 105 Witham v Holloway [1995] HCA 3; (1995) 183 CLR 526 Trade Practices Commissioner v Arnotts Ltd (1989) 21 FCR 306 Texts Cited: Metaphors and Legal Reasoning; the Rt Hon Lord Justice Lewison, Judicial Review, Vol 12, No 4, March 2016; Judicial Commission of NSW Category: Procedural and other rulings Parties: Deborah Lee Wallace and Mark Wallace (Plaintiffs) GWH Build Pty Ltd (Defendant) GWH Build Pty Ltd (First cross claimant) ACN 125 668 215 Pty Ltd (formerly known as Maitland Motel and Conference Centre Pty Ltd) (Second cross claimant) Deborah Lee Wallace (First cross defendant) Mark Wallace (Second cross defendant) Neon Rock Pty Ltd (Third cross defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr JL Glissan QC with Mr DH Nagle (for the applicant defendant and cross claimants on the first motion and for the respondents on the second motion) Mr JA Trebeck (for the respondent plaintiffs and cross defendants on the first motion and for the applicant plaintiffs on the second motion)