Premium Building Management Pty Ltd v The Owners - Strata Plan No 69204 [2019] NSWDC 312

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Premium Building Management Pty Ltd v The Owners - Strata Plan No 69204 [2019] NSWDC 312 Hearing dates: 18 – 20, 24 June 2019 Date of orders: 10 July 2019 Decision date: 10 July 2019 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Abadee DCJ Decision: See paragraph 232 Catchwords: CONTRACT – building management agreement – whether and when agreement existed – terms of the agreement – incomplete or uncertain terms – statutory illegality – validity of contract under s67 of Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW)

ESTOPPEL – conventional estoppel – reply to defence of statutory illegality – whether defendant estopped from denying it entered into a binding agreement.

DAMAGES – claim for loss of profit – whether overhead expenses required to be taken into account proportionately to the business.

EVIDENCE – whether Jones v Dunkel inference available against defendant for failure to call evidence from attendees at meeting of content of discussions – reliability of Minute as business record of the defendant.

PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE – pleading requirements – whether assertion of incompleteness or uncertainty in contract needs to be pleaded – whether a party, in reply to unpleaded contention of incompleteness, may raise alterative case on date when agreement entered into. Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules Cases Cited: ASIC v Hellicar & Ors (2012) 247 CLR 345 ASIC v Rich (2005) 191 FLR 385 Bondlake Pty Ltd v The Owners – Strata Plan No. 60285 (2005) 62 NSWLR 158 Commercial Union Assurance Co of Australia v Ferrcom Pty Ltd (1991) 22 NSWLR 389 Empirnall Holdings Pty Ltd v Machon Paull Partners Pty Ltd (1988) 14 NSWLR 523 Equuscorp Pty Ltd v Haxton (2012) 246 CLR 498 Gynch v Polish Club (2015) 255 CLR 414 Johnston v Brightstars Holding Company Pty Ltd [2014] NSWCA 150 Meriton Apartments Pty Ltd v Owners Strata Plan No. 72381 (2015) 105 ACSR 1 Moratic Pty Ltd v Gordon [2007] NSWSC 5 Mushroom Composters Pty Ltd v IS & DE Robertson Pty Ltd [2015] NSWCA 1 Nelson v Nelson (1995) 184 CLR 538 North Sydney Leagues' Club v Sydney Protection Agency Pty Ltd (2012) 83 NSWLR 710 Pua Hor Ong v Wu You Yang Pty Ltd (2008) SASC 365 Purkess v Crittenden (1965) 114 CLR 164 Ryledar Pty Ltd v Euphoric Pty Ltd (2007) 69 NSWLR 603 Stolfa v Owners Strata Plan 4366 [2009] NSWSC 589 Upper Hunter County District Council Australian Chilling & Freezing Co (1968) 118 CLR 429 Waldorf Apartment Hotel, the Entrance Pty Ltd v Owners Corp Sp 71623 [2010] NSWCA 226 Waltons Stores (Interstate) Ltd v Maher (1988) 164 CLR 387 Water Board v Moustakas (1988) 180 CLR 491 Whitlock v Brew (1968) 118 CLR 445 York Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (A/Sia) Pty Ltd v Commonwealth (1949) 80 CLR 11 Texts Cited: Cheshire & Fifoot Law of Contract, 11th Australian ed Heydon on Contract: The General Part (Lawbook Co 2019) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Premium Building Management Pty Ltd (First Plaintiff) Premium Strata Pty Ltd (Second Plaintiff)