Horswill v McClellan [2019] NSWSC 557

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Horswill v McClellan [2019] NSWSC 557 Hearing dates: 13 May 2019 Date of orders: 16 May 2019 Decision date: 16 May 2019 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Darke J Decision: Orders made for specific performance Catchwords: LAND LAW – contract for sale of land – claim for specific performance – doctrine of part performance – plaintiffs and defendants own adjoining properties – plaintiffs entered into oral agreement with defendants to purchase part of the defendants' property – requisite boundary adjustment to be effected by means of two separate subdivisions – where the parties completed the first subdivision but first defendant refused to proceed with the second subdivision – whether sufficient acts of part performance – sufficient acts of part performance established – specific performance granted Legislation Cited: Contracts Review Act 1990 (NSW), s 7 Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW), s 54A Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), r 29.7 Cases Cited: Maddison v Alderson (1883) 8 App Cas 467 McBride v Sandland (1918) 25 CLR 69 Pipikos v Trayans (2018) 92 ALJR 880; [2018] HCA 39 Phung v Phung [2019] NSWSC 117 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Robert Leslie Horswill (First Plaintiff) Kim Maree Horswill (Second Plaintiff) Adam Leslie McClellan (First Defendant) Jennifer Anne McClellan (Second Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr D C Price (Plaintiffs)