Mal Owen Consulting Pty Ltd v Ashcroft [2018] NSWCA 135

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Mal Owen Consulting Pty Ltd v Ashcroft [2018] NSWCA 135 Hearing dates: 23 April 2018 Decision date: 20 June 2018 Before: Basten JA at [1]; Macfarlan JA at [47]; Barrett AJA at [90] Decision: (1) Allow the appeal and set aside the orders made in the District Court on 29 June 2017.

(2) Order that the respondent pay the appellant an amount of $100,000.

(3) Order that the respondent pay the appellant's costs of the proceedings in the District Court and of the appeal. Catchwords: CONTRACT – breach - solicitor's retainer – failure to pursue proceedings against third party – loss of commercial opportunity of recovery – proceedings later successful – no recovery due to third party's bankruptcy – whether solicitor's breach caused loss of valuable opportunity – whether plaintiff entitled to damages – assessing damages for loss of valuable opportunity

CONTRACTS – breach of contract – whether elements of cause of action for breach of contract modified by Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) s 5D, s 5E

WORDS AND PHRASES – "harm" – Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW), s 5 Legislation Cited: Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth), ss 81, 255 Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW), ss 3A, 5, 5A, 5D, 5E; Pt 1A, Pt 2 Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth), s 82 Cases Cited: Allied Maples Group Ltd v Simmons & Simmons (a firm) [1995] 1 WLR 1602 Allied Pastoral Holdings Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation [1983] 1 NSWLR 1 Badenach v Calvert (2016) 257 CLR 440; [2016] HCA 18 Chaplin v Hicks [1911] 2 KB 786 Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society Ltd v Donnelly (1998) 82 FCR 418; [1998] FCA 364 Commonwealth v Amann Aviation Pty Ltd (1991) 174 CLR 64; [1991] HCA 54 Gett v Tabet [2009] NSWCA 76; 254 ALR 504 Johnson v Perez (1988) 166 CLR 351; [1988] HCA 64 Kitchen v Royal Air Force Association [1958] 1 WLR 563 Kuhl v Zurich Financial Services Australia Ltd (2011) 243 CLR 361; [2011] HCA 11 La Trobe Capital & Mortgage Corporation Ltd v Hay Property Consultants Pty Ltd (2011) 190 FCR 299; [2011] FCAFC 4 Malec v J C Hutton Pty Ltd (1990) 169 CLR 638; [1998] HCA 20 McRae v Commonwealth Disposals Commission (1951) 84 CLR 377; [1951] HCA 79 Principal Properties Pty Ltd v Brisbane Broncos Leagues Club Ltd [2017] QCA 254 Secretary, Department of Family and Community Services v Smith [2017] NSWCA 206 Sellars v Adelaide Petroleum NL (1994) 179 CLR 332; [1994] HCA 4 Tabet v Gett (2010) 240 CLR 537; [2010] HCA 12 Wallace v Kam (2013) 250 CLR 375; [2013] HCA 19 Texts Cited: Review of the Law of Negligence – Final Report (September 2002)