Lee v Kwak [2017] NSWDC 202

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Lee v Kwak [2017] NSWDC 202 Hearing dates: 21 March 2017 – 23 March 2017, 11 May 2017 – 12 May 2017, 22 June 2017 Date of orders: 03 August 2017 Decision date: 03 August 2017 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Dicker SC DCJ Decision: (1) Judgment for the plaintiff on the Statement of Claim; (2) The parties are to bring in short minutes of order within 7 days reflecting these reasons in relation to the amount of the claim of the plaintiff and interest; (3) The defendant is to pay the plaintiff's costs of the Statement of Claim as agreed or assessed; (4) The Second Cross-Claim is dismissed. Judgment for the cross-defendant on the Second Cross-Claim; (5) The cross-claimant is to pay the costs of Mr Lee of the second cross-claim as agreed or assessed; (6) Liberty to the parties to apply on two business days' notice for different orders to those in (3) and (5) above; (7) Exhibits to be returned after 28 days. Catchwords: Contract – identity of contracting party – agency - whether disclosed principal - whether variation of contract agreed – whether estoppel established

Torts – inducing breach of contract – intentional interference with contractual relations – injurious falsehood

Company law – whether conduct of unauthorized third parties to enter contract purportedly on behalf of company ratified

Damages – whether assumptions for expert valuation report established – effect of failure to establish assumptions - loss of a chance in relation to a commercial contract – assessment of the value of the loss of a chance Legislation Cited: Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) Foreign Judgments Act 1991 (Cth) Foreign Judgments Regulations 1992 (Cth) Limitation Act 1969 (NSW) Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) Cases Cited: All State Life Insurance Co v ANZ Banking Group Ltd (1995) 58 FCR 26 Ballard v Multiplex [2012] NSWSC 426 Bennett v Strauss [2016] NSWCA 324 Bodycorp Repairers Pty Ltd v AAMI [2015] VSCA 73 Born Brands Pty Ltd v Nine Network Australia Pty Ltd [2014] NSWCA 369 Briginshaw v Briginshaw (1938) 60 CLR 336 Commonwealth v Amann Aviation Pty Ltd (1991) 174 CLR 64; [1992] HCA 54 Crabtree-Vickers Pty Ltd v Australian Direct Mail Advertising and Addressing Co Pty Ltd (1975) 133 CLR 72 Daebo Shipping Co Ltd v The Ship Go Star [2012] FCAFC 156 Deepcliffe Pty Ltd v Council of the City of the Gold Coast [2011] QCA 342 Donaldson v Natural Springs Australia Ltd [2015] FCA 498 Giliberto v Kenny (1983) 48 ALR 620 Hart Security Australia Pty Ltd v Boucousis [2016] NSWCA 307 Integrated Asset Management Pty Ltd v Trans Communications Pty Ltd [2015] NSWSC 984 Kyluk Pty Ltd v Chief Executive, Office of Environment and Heritage [2013] NSWCCA 114 Leybourne v Permanent Custodians Ltd [2010] NSWCA 78 Malec v J C Hutton Pty Ltd (1990) 169 CLR 638; [1990] HCA 20 Maynegrain Pty Ltd v Compafina Bank [1982] 2 NSWLR 141 Network Ten Pty Ltd v Seven Network (Operations) Ltd [2014] NSWSC 692 New South Wales Housing Authority v Diab [2015] NSWCA 133 Northside Developments Pty Ltd v Registrar-General (1990) 170 CLR 146 Origin Energy LPG Ltd v Bestcare Foods Ltd [2013] NSWCA 90 OXS Pty Ltd v Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority [2016] NSWCA 120 Palmer Bruyn & Parker Pty Ltd v Parsons (2001) 208 CLR 388. Qantas Airways v TWU of Australia [2011] FCA 470 Raj Law NSW Pty Ltd v Raj Law Pty Ltd [2013] NSWSC 1621 Ryan and Briggs (as Executrices of Estate of late Donoghue) v Wikramanayake [2013] NSW 1150 Sellars v Adelaide Petroleum NL (1994) 179 CLR 332; [1994] HCA 4 Sharjade Pty Ltd v Commonwealth of Australia [2009] NSWCA 373 Short v Citibank of Sydney (1912) 15 CLR 148 Sidhu v Van Dyke (2014) 251 CLR 505 Siu Yin Kwan v Eastern Insurance Co Ltd [1994] 2 AC 199 Tinyow v Lee [2006] NSWCA 80 Tomko v Palasty [2007] NSWCA 258 Varty v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) [2015] NSWSC 304 White v Baycorp Advantage [2006] NSWSC 441 Williams Group Australia Pty Ltd v Crocker [2016] NSWCA 265 Williams v Hursey (1959) 103 CLR 30 Zhu v Treasurer of the State of New South Wales (2004) 218 CLR 530 Texts Cited: Gooley and Others, Corporations and Associations Law: Principles and Issues, 6th Edition, LexisNexis 2015 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Bonney Hoi Jung Lee (Plaintiff, Cross-Defendant on the Second Cross-Claim) Gregory Kwak (Defendant and Cross–Claimant on the First Cross-Claim) Woorifarm Pty Ltd (Cross-Defendant on the First Cross-Claim, Cross-Claimant on the Second Cross-Claim) Representation: Counsel: D Parish (Plaintiff, Cross-Defendant on the Second Cross-Claim) E Peden (Defendant and Cross–Claimant on the First Cross-Claim, Cross-Defendant on the First Cross-Claim, Cross-Claimant on the Second Cross-Claim)