Hennessy v Lynch (No. 4)

[2008] NSWDC 15

CITATION:	Hennessy v Lynch (No. 4) [2008] NSWDC 15
HEARING DATE(S):	14 February 2008
JUDGMENT DATE:	29 February 2008
JURISDICTION:	Civil
JUDGMENT OF:	Gibson DCJ
DECISION:	(1) Vary order 6 of the orders of 13 December 2007 and order the defendant pay three quarters of the plaintiff’s costs up until the final date for acceptance of the defendant’s Offer of Compromise dated 20 April 2007 and that the plaintiff pay the defendant’s costs thereafter on an indemnity basis.
CATCHWORDS:	Tort - defamation - costs - s.48A Defamation Act 1974 (NSW) - offer of compromise
LEGISLATION CITED:	Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Defamation Act 1974 (NSW), ss.7A, 13 and 48A Defamation Act 2005 (NSW), s.40 Supreme Court Rules 1970 (NSW), Part 52A r.33 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), Parts 26 and 42
CASES CITED:	Antoniadis v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd (Supreme Court of New South Wales, 24 April 1997) Arian v Nguyen [2001] NSWCA 5 Cooper v Whittingham (1880) 15 Ch D 501 Dering v Uris [1964] 2 QB 669 Haertsch v Andrews and Ors (Ireland J, 1 December 2000) Hennessy v Lynch (No.3) [2007] NSWDC 268 Jones v Sutton (No.2) [2005] NSWCA 203 Morgan v Wallis (1907) 33 TLR 495 Morosi v Mirror Newspapers Ltd [1977] 2 NSWLR 749 National Auto Glass Supplies (Aust) Pty Ltd v Nielsen & Moller Auto Glass (NSW) Pty Ltd (No.9) [2007] FCA 1826 Packer v Meagher [1984] 3 NSWLR 486 Ritter v Godfrey [1920] 2 KB 47 Roache v News Group Newspapers [1998] EMLR 161 Skalkos v Assaf [2002] NSWCA 14 Skalkos v T S Recoveries Pty Ltd [2004] NSWCA 281 Stevens v Sullivan [2002] 1 DCLR (NSW) 138 Williams v Ward (1886) 55 LJQB 556 West and Fortunate Investments Pty Ltd v Nationwide News Pty Ltd [2003] NSWSC 767
TEXTS CITED:	Gatley on Libel and Slander, 10th ed. Gazette of Law and Journalism (GLJ Archives, “Costs – October 2003”)
PARTIES:	Plaintiff: Paul James Hennessy Defendant: John Lynch
FILE NUMBER(S):	2288 of 2006
COUNSEL:	Plaintiff: B.A.M Connell Defendant: D Campbell SC / R Weaver
SOLICITORS:	Plaintiff: Courtenay & Co Defendant: Higgins & Higgins

Introduction

1. The plaintiff and the defendant each apply for costs orders following the handing down of my judgment in these proceedings: Hennessy v Lynch (No.3) [2007] NSWDC 268. I note that interest on the judgment debt has been mathematically agreed in the sum of $1,038.39.

2. Each of the parties seeks costs orders pursuant to s.48A Defamation Act 1974 (NSW) as follows:

(a) the plaintiff seeks orders that the defendant pay the plaintiff's costs of these proceedings on a party/party basis;

(b) the defendant seeks an order that each party pay his own costs of these proceedings up until the expiry date of an offer of compromise served on 20 April 2007 and that thereafter the plaintiff pay the defendant's costs on an indemnity basis.

3. In the judgment handed down on 13 December 2007, I made the following orders:

(1) Judgment for the plaintiff in relation…