Cavallaro v Dahlsens Building Centres Pty Ltd

Cavallaro v Dahlsens Building Centres Pty Ltd concerned a dispute between the plaintiff, Mr Cavallaro, and the defendant, Dahlsens Building Centres Pty Ltd. The plaintiff alleged that he suffered injury as a result of a slip and fall at the defendant's premises. The matter came before Judge Riley in the County Court of Victoria.

The central legal issues before the court were whether the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff, whether that duty of care was breached, and if so, whether the breach caused the plaintiff's injuries. The court was also required to consider the application of the *Wrongs Act 1958* (Vic) regarding contributory negligence.

Judge Riley found that the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff as an invitee on its premises. The court determined that the defendant breached this duty by failing to take reasonable steps to prevent the slip and fall, specifically by not adequately addressing the presence of sawdust on the floor. The court concluded that this breach caused the plaintiff's injuries. However, the court also found that the plaintiff was contributorily negligent in failing to exercise reasonable care for his own safety, reducing the damages recoverable by 20%. The court ordered that the defendant pay the plaintiff damages in the sum of $100,000, representing 80% of the assessed damages.