Hills Central Pty Limited v Anthony Gerard Hagerty & Catherine Elizabeth Hagerty t/a the Executors of the Estate of the late Gladys Delores Hagerty [2018] NSWSC 789

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Hills Central Pty Limited v Anthony Gerard Hagerty & Catherine Elizabeth Hagerty t/a the Executors of the Estate of the late Gladys Delores Hagerty [2018] NSWSC 789 Hearing dates: 8 March 2018 Date of orders: 31 May 2018 Decision date: 31 May 2018 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Slattery J Decision: Declaration made that plaintiff has validly exercised the option. As the plaintiff has been successful the Court proposes to make an order in chambers for the defendants to pay the plaintiff's costs of the proceedings on the ordinary basis unless the defendants file a motion by 4.00pm on Friday, 8 June 2018 for some other costs order. Catchwords: REAL PROPERTY - option deed - option over real property - option exercised - whether requirements for exercise of option met - option deed required the completion date for the contract for sale of land provided with the notice of exercise of option "to be specified on the front page of the contract" and for it to "be the date 192 days from the date of the contract", except in certain defined circumstances - the plaintiff's covering letter with the exercise of option enclosing the necessary documents requested the insertion of a completion date of 192 days from the date of the contract - the requested date was not the correct completion date, as calculated according to the proper construction of the applicable clause in the option deed - what are the requirements for the valid exercise of the option under the option deed - whether the option was validly exercised in accordance with the option deed. Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 Real Property Act 1900 Cases Cited: Ballas v Theophilos (No. 2) (1957) 98 CLR 193 Bondi Beach Astra Retirement Village Pty Ltd v Gora (2011) 82 NSWLR 665 Booker Industries Pty Ltd v Wilson Parking (Qld) Pty Ltd (1982) 149 CLR 600 Boreland v Docker [2007] NSWCA 94 C & P Syndicate Pty Limited v Reddy [2013] NSWSC 643 Cavallari v Premier Refrigeration Co Pty Ltd (1952) 85 CLR 20 Comdox No 24 Pty Ltd v Robins [2009] NSWSC 367 Electricity Generation Corporation v Woodside Energy Ltd (2014) 251 CLR 640 Haixing Group Pty Ltd v Mary Ann Chan [2015] NSWSC 1637 Kavia Holdings Pty Ltd v Suntrack Holdings Pty Ltd [2011] NSWSC 716 Mount Bruce Mining Pty Ltd v Wright Prospecting Pty Ltd (2015) 256 CLR 104 Perry v Suffields [1916] 2 Ch 187 Prudential Assurance Co Limited v Health Minders Pty Ltd (1987) 9 NSWLR 673 Quadling v Robinson (1976) 137 CLR 192 Tonitto v Bassal (1992) 28 NSWLR 564 Young v Lamb [2001] NSWCA 225 Texts Cited: P J Butt, The Standard contract for the Sale of Land in NSW (2nd ed, 1998, LBC Information Services) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Plaintiff: Hills Central Pty Limited Defendant: Anthon Gerard Hagerty & Catherine Elizabeth Hagerty t/a the executors of the estate of the late Gladys Delores Hagerty Representation: Counsel: