Amor-Smith v Ching [2016] NSWDC 89

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Amor-Smith v Ching [2016] NSWDC 89 Hearing dates: 31 March 2016 and 1 April 2016 Date of orders: 27 May 2016 Decision date: 27 May 2016 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Gibson DCJ Decision: (1) Summons filed on 31 August 2015 dismissed. (2) Plaintiff pay defendant's costs. (3) Liberty to restore in relation to costs and to any other post-judgment application. Catchwords: TORT – personal injury – plaintiff injured in motor vehicle accident in 2011 brings proceedings for personal injury outside the time limits of the Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999 (NSW) – whether the plaintiff has provided a full and satisfactory explanation to the court for the delay – whether the total damages likely to be awarded are not less than 25% of the maximum amount that may be awarded – estoppel per rem judicatam – defendant obtains consent judgment against the plaintiff for the full sum claimed in motor vehicle property damage proceedings in the Local Court – whether the parties' addition of the words "without admission of liability" to the consent judgment meant that no issue estoppel arose – summons dismissed on all grounds – application by defendant during the hearing for referral of the proceedings to the Director of Public Prosecution – reasons for deferral of this application until the handing down of judgment Legislation Cited: Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), s 338 Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 (UK), s 57 Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), s 128 Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) Law Abuse Reduction Act (LARA) 2015 (HR 758, S 401) Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999 (NSW), s 109 Motor Accidents Compensation (Determination of Loss) Amendment Order 2010 Cases Cited: Adeeb v Alali [2013] NSWSC 312 Application of Alejandro Arturo Toro-Martinez [2008] NSWSC 34 Ashenden v Stewarts & Lloyds [1972] 2 NSWLR 484 Chamberlain v DCT (1988) 164 CLR 502 Charafeddine v Morgan (2014) 66 MVR 232 Clayton Utz v Dale [2015] VSCA 186 Conference & Exhibition Organisers Pty Ltd v Johnson [2016] NSWCA 118 Dai v Zhu [2013] NSWCA 412 Dijakovic v Perez (2015) 71 MVR 334 Eades v Gunestepe [2012] NSWCA 204 Ekes v Commonwealth Bank of Australia (2014) 313 ALR 665 Glover v Australian Ultra Concrete Floors Pty Ltd [2006] NSWSC 503 Isaacs v Ocean Accident & Guarantee Corp Ltd (1958) SR (NSW) 69 Liang v Secretary, Dept of Social Services [2015] AATA 275 Lord v Dernacourt Investments Pty Ltd (Supreme Court of New South Wales, McLelland CJ in Eq, 14 March 1994, unreported) Lyu v Jeon [2012] NSWCA 446 Makhoul v Barnes (1995) 60 FCR 572 Mohareb v Palmer [2015] NSWCA 369 Reeves v Reeves (2002) 36 MVR 488 Rhodes v Fletcher [2002] NSWSC 637 Tiufino v Warland (2000) 50 NSWLR 104 Texts Cited: Spencer Bower and Handley, "Res Judicata", 4th ed (LexisNexis Butterworth) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Plaintiff: Genevieve Audrey Amor-Smith Defendant: Peter Ching Representation: Counsel: Plaintiff: Mr M Thompson Defendant: Mr A J J Renshaw