Lou v IAG Limited t/as NRMA Insurance [2019] NSWCA 319

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Lou v IAG Limited t/as NRMA Insurance [2019] NSWCA 319 Hearing dates: 5 November 2019 Date of orders: 20 December 2019 Decision date: 20 December 2019 Before: Gleeson JA at [1]; Payne JA at [2]; Brereton JA at [70] Decision: (1) Application for leave to appeal granted. (2) Appeal allowed. (3) Set aside order 1 of the orders made by the primary judge on 22 May 2019 and in lieu thereof order that: (a) Order 3 made on 4 April 2019 is set aside; (b) No order as to costs between the first defendant and the plaintiff. (4) The first respondent to pay the costs of the appellant limited to the application for leave to appeal and the appeal in relation to ground 1. Catchwords: COSTS – party/party – appeals – court's discretion – where appellant filed a submitting appearance and did not cause or contribute to the first respondent's costs in the proceedings below – where appellant did not cause the errors the subject of the proceedings below – where the proceedings below could not be resolved by consent – whether failure by primary judge to take into account considerations relevant to the costs discretion – order as to costs set aside

COSTS – appeals – Suitors' Fund – whether decision of claims assessor under the Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999 (NSW) is a decision of a "court or tribunal" for the purposes of the Suitors' Fund Act 1951 (NSW) – whether judicial review pursuant to s 69 of the Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW) constitutes "an appeal" for the purposes of s 6 of the Suitors' Fund Act Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), ss 13, 56, 98 Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999 (NSW), ss 5, 62, 92, 94 Suitors' Fund Act 1951 (NSW), ss 2, 6, 6C Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW), s 69 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 6.11, 36.1A, 42.1 Cases Cited: Attorney-General v Sillem (1864) 10 HLC 704 Australian Postal Commission v Dao (No 2) (1986) 6 NSWLR 497 El Deeb v Magistrates Court of SA (1999) 72 SASR 596; [1999] SASC 113 Ex Parte Parsons; Re Suitors' Fund Act (1952) 69 WN (NSW) 380 Henderson v QBE Insurance (Australia) Ltd [2013] NSWCA 480 House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499; [1936] HCA 40 IAG Limited t/a NRMA Insurance v Khaled [2019] NSWSC 320 IAG Limited t/as NRMA Insurance v Qianxia Lou [2019] NSWSC 382 Insurance Australia Limited t/as NRMA Insurance v Banos (No 2) [2013] NSWSC 1668 Kisimul Holdings Pty Ltd v Clear Position Pty Ltd (No 2) (2014) 86 NSWLR 645; [2014] NSWCA 317 Kovalev v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (1999) 100 FCR 323; [1999] FCA 557 Kuru v State of New South Wales (2008) 236 CLR 1; [2008] HCA 26 Latoudis v Casey (1990) 170 CLR 534; [1990] HCA 59 Mahenthirarasa v State Rail Authority of New South Wales [2008] NSWCA 101 Mahenthirarasa v State Rail Authority of New South Wales (No 2) (2008) 72 NSWLR 273; [2008] NSWCA 201 Meeuwissen v Boden (2010) 78 NSWLR 143; [2010] NSWCA 253 Midson v Workers Compensation Commission (No 2) [2017] NSWSC 147 Oshlack v Richmond River Council (1998) 193 CLR 72; [1998] HCA 11 Our Town FM Pty Ltd v Australian Broadcasting Tribunal (No 3) (1987) 15 ALD 112; (1987) 77 ALR 609 Platford v van Veenendaal and Shoalhaven City Council (No 2) [2018] NSWLEC 86 Rodger v De Gelder (2011) 80 NSWLR 594; [2011] NSWCA 97 Seller v Jones [2014] NSWCA 19 Spratt v Perilya Broken Hill Ltd; Spratt v Rowe [2016] NSWCA 192 Zurich Australian Insurance Ltd v Lewis [2019] NSWSC 1232 Texts Cited: K Lewison and D Hughes, The Interpretation of Contracts in Australia (Thomson Reuters, 2012) RF Norton, A Treatise on Deeds (Sweet and Maxwell, 1906) N Seddon, Seddon on Deeds (Federation Press, 2015) GP Stuckey, The Conveyancing Act, 1919-1969 (Law Book Co, 2nd ed, 1970) Halsbury's Laws of England (Butterworth & Co, 2nd ed, 1933) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Qianxia Lou (Appellant) IAG Limited t/as NRMA Insurance (First Respondent) State Insurance Regulatory Authority of New South Wales (Second Respondent) Helen Wall, in her capacity as a Claims Assessor of State Insurance Regulatory Authority of New South Wales (Third Respondent) Representation: Counsel: A Stone SC / J Gumbert (Appellant) M Robinson SC / J Lucy (First Respondent)