Priestley v Priestley (No. 2) [2016] NSWSC 1259

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Priestley v Priestley (No. 2) [2016] NSWSC 1259 Hearing dates: 25 August 2016 Decision date: 25 August 2016 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: White J Decision: 1 Order that the defendant pay 60 per cent of the plaintiff's costs. 2 Order that the defendant's costs be paid out of the estate on the indemnity basis. Catchwords: PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE — Costs — Rule 42.1 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 — General rule — Costs follow the event — Plaintiff recovered judgment for a substantial sum — Plaintiff successful on only one of three substantive claims — Whether plaintiff entitled to an order that the defendant pay all of his costs — Defendant's success on dominant issue justifies discounting plaintiff's entitlement to costs — Defendant to pay 60 per cent of plaintiff's costs Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) District Court Act 1912 (NSW) Cases Cited: AT v Cmr of Police NSW (No 2) [2010] NSWCA 337 Bartlett v Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd [2016] NSWCA 30 Bennette v Cohen (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 162 Bostik Australia Pty Ltd v Liddiard (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 304 Bowen Investments v Tabcorp Holdings Ltd (No 2) [2008] FCAFC 107 Coastwide Fabrication & Erection Pty Ltd v Honeysett (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 291 Cretazzo v Lombardi (1975) 13 SASR 4 Deputy Commissioner of Taxation v Meredith (No 2) [2008] NSWCA 133; (2008) 75 NSWLR 462 Elite Protective Personnel Pty Ltd v Salmon (No 2) [2007] NSWCA 373 Griffith v Australian Broadcasting Corporation (No 2) [2011] NSWCA 145 Habib v Nationwide News Pty Ltd (No 2) [2010] NSWCA 291 Hancock v Arnold (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 19 Hughes v Western Australian Cricket Association Inc (1986) ATPR 40-748 Jelbarts Pty Ltd v McDonald [1919] VLR 478 and in New South Wales in Walker v The Public Trustee (1929) 46 WN (NSW) 166 Kable v State of New South Wales (No 2) [2012] NSWCA 361 Malouf v Prince (No 2) [2010] NSWCA 51 McLaughlin v Dungowan Manly Pty Ltd [2010] NSWSC 306 Mount Bruce Mining Pty Ltd v Wright Prospecting Pty Ltd (No 2) [2014] NSWCA 425 Myers v Defries (1880) 5 Ex D 180 Permanent Trustee Australia v FAI General Insurance Co (Supreme Court of New South Wales, Hodgson CJ in EQ, 3 June 1998, unreported); Short v Crawley (No 40) [2008] NSWSC 1302 at [32]; Corbett Court Pty Ltd v Quasar Constructions (NSW) Pty Ltd [2008] NSWSC 1423 Qantas Airways Limited v Chief Commissioner State Revenue (No 2) [2015] NSWSC 1037 Reid, Hewitt & Co v Joseph [1918] AC 717 Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW v Palmer (No 2) [2005] NSWCA 140 Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW v Refrigerated Roadways Pty Ltd (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 336 Sze Tu v Lowe (No 2) [2015] NSWCA 91 Waters v PC Henderson (Australia) Pty Limited [1994] NSWCA 338; (1994) 254 ALR 328 Category: Costs Parties: Duncan James Priestley (Plaintiff) Beverley Joy Priestley as executor of the estate of the late Gordon Wedlock Priestley (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: T Alexis with M Cairns (Plaintiff) M B Evans (Defendant)