Helicopter Aerial Surveys Pty Ltd v Garry Robertson [2015] NSWSC 2104

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Helicopter Aerial Surveys Pty Ltd v Garry Robertson [2015] NSWSC 2104 Hearing dates: 15 December 2015 Date of orders: 16 December 2015 Decision date: 16 December 2015 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Brereton J Decision: Orders for delivery, destruction and use of documents made. Catchwords: PROCEDURE – documents produced through voluntary disclosure – whether implied undertaking in Harman v Secretary of State for the Home Department [1983] 1 AC 280 applies to documents produced in absence of order for discovery or other compulsory process – scope of implied undertaking – relevance of compulsion – attachment of undertaking where disclosure could have been obtained by compulsory process had it not been voluntarily provided – release from undertaking – implied undertaking subject to positive obligations to provide discovery or to answer subpoena – whether undertaking attaches to affidavits – whether affidavits sufficiently analogous to witness statements so as to attract undertaking – leave to use documents subject to undertaking for extraneous purposes – whether "special circumstances" or some good reasons warrant relief from undertaking. Legislation Cited: (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005, r 21.2, r 21.10 Cases Cited: Attorney-General (N.T.) v Maurice [1986] HCA 80; (1986) 161 CLR 475 Ainsworth v Hanrahan (1991) 25 NSWLR 155 Bourns Inc v Raychem Corporation [1999] 1 All ER 908 Bourns Inc v Raychem Corporation [1999] 3 All ER 154 Central Queensland Cement Pty Ltd v Hardy [1989] 2 Qd R 509 Crest Homes plc v Marks [1987] 1 AC 829 Esso Australia Resources Limited v The Honourable Sidney James Plowman [1995] HCA 19; (1995) 183 CLR 10 Global Medical Solutions Australia Pty Ltd v Axion Molecular Pty Limited [2013] NSWSC 665 Harman v Secretary of State for the Home Department [1983] 1 AC 280 Hearne v Street [2008] HCA 36; (2008) 235 CLR 125 Holpitt Pty Limited v Varima Pty Limited (1991) 29 FCR 576 Liberty Funding Pty Limited v Phoenix Capital Limited [2005] FCAFC 3; (2005) 218 ALR 283 Medway v Doublelock Ltd [1978] 1 WLR 710; [1978] 1 All ER 1261 Prime Finance Pty Limited v Randall [2009] NSWSC 361 Re Addstone Pty Ltd (in liq); Ex parte Macks (1998) 30 ACSR 156 Springfield Nominees Pty Ltd v Bridgelands Securities Limited (1992) 38 FCR 217 State Bank of South Australia v Smoothdale (No 2) Limited (1995) 64 SASR 224 State of New South Wales v McCarthy [2015] NSWSC 1780 Texts Cited: Edmund Robert Daniell, The Practice of the High Court of Chancery (4th ed) Wigmore on Evidence (1972, 4th ed, Chadbourn Revision) Category: Procedural and other rulings Parties: Helicopter Aerial Surveys Pty Ltd (ACN 088 007 765) (plaintiff) Gary Robertson (defendant) Representation: Counsel: J Simpkins (plaintiff) G Robertson (in person) (defendant)