Morton, M. v Black, D.R

[1987] FCA 105

Judgement No/o$ ........ ..

NOT SUITABLE FOR DISTRIBUTION

IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA ) )

NEW SOUTH WALES DISTRICT REGISTRY No. G.345 of 1985

)

GENERAL DIVISION

BETWEEN :

MARY MORTON and

ALEXANDER WAISAK

Appllcants

- AND :

DONALD ROSS BLACK

,

- - ’ Respondent

EX-TEMPORE REASONS FOR JUDGMENT

BURCHETT J.

ML-. Gullotta seeks to raise a case of slmllal- facts in

respect of a particular representation which he desires to show

was false, having been made to another purchaser in somewhat similar circumstances in respect of a somewhat simllar parcel of land, the representation ltself belnq simllar in form to a representation alleged to have been made to the applicants.

Reliance is placed on the decisions in Mr. Figgins v. Centrepoint Freehold (1981) 36 A.L.R. 23 and Gates v . City Mutual Life Insurance ( 1 9 8 2 ) 4 3 A.L.R. 313, but both of these decisions related to representations proved to have been made to a number of people and not to a case merely of one alleged ~ l e c e of

2

c o n d u c t similar to t h a t a l l e g e d i n t h e i n s t a n t c a s e . I n R o y c e v .

C a f r e d P t y . L i m i t e d ( 1 9 8 5 ) A.T.P.R. 4 6 , 2 5 3 S p e n d e r J . r e f u s e d t o

a d m i t s i m i l a r f a c t e v i d e n c e t h i s o f k i n d r e l a t i o n i n t o

r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s made t o o the i p r o s p e c t l v e p u r c h a s e l - s t h a n t h e

a p p l i c a n t . T h e r e , i n f a c t , t h e e v i d e n c e L - e l a t e d t o

r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s b y o t h e r agen t s o f t h e same c o r p o r a t i o n , a n d n o t

t o r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s b y t h e same representer. N e v e r t h e l e s s , h e

e x p r e s s e d ( a t 4 6 , 2 5 6 ) t h e v i e w t h a t he would have 1-eached t h e

same resu l t h a d t h e same a g e n t b e e n I n v o l v e d . He a l s o a t h e

same page e x p r e s s e d t h e v i e w t h a t e v e n z f t h e e v i d e n c e were

l e g a l l y a d m i s s i b l e , i t s h o u l d b e e x c l u d e d i n t h e e x e r c i s e o f

d i s c r e t i o n a s i t w o u l d s e r i o u s l y m u l t i p l y t h e issues f o r

determination a d d i n g b y c o l l a t e r a l i s s u e s w h i c h w o u l d not

c o r r e s p o n d i n g l y c o n t r i b u t e t o t h e d e t e r m l n a t i o n o f t h e i s s u e o n

w h i c h t h e e v i d e n c e was p r o p o u n d e d a s r e l e v a n t .

S i m i l a r l y , T u r n e r i n J e n o l a n v . I n v e s t m e n t s P y .

L i m i t e d , i n t h e same v o l u m e o f t h e A u s t r a l i a n Trade P r a c t i c e s

Reports, p . 4 6 , 6 3 0 a t p - 4 6 , 6 3 5 , B e a u m o n t J . r e ~ e c t e d t h e e v i d e n c e

o f a n u m b e r o f o t h e r p u r c h a s e r 5 c a l l e d w i t h t h e o b j e c t o f

e s t a b l i s h n g t h a t h e same a g e n t o f a c o r p o r a t l o n h a d m a d e

r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s t o t h e m s i m i l a r t o t h e r e p r e s e n t a t i o n r e l i e d o n

i n t h e a p p l i c a n t ' s case. H e d i d s a y t h a t t h e p o s i t i o n "may well

h a v e b e e n d i f f e r e n t i f w h a t was s a i d t o b e p r o v e d was a b u s i n e s s

p r a c t i c e " . I n r e s p e c t o f t h a t q u a l i f i c a t i o n h e r - e f e L ~ e d t o

M a r t i n v . O s b o r n e 5 5 C . L . R . 367 .

3 .

I t d o e s n o t seem t o me t h a t t h e v l d e n c e of o n e

individual p r o s p e c t i v e p u r c h a s e r - c a n establish a p x - a c t i c e , a n d

a c c o r d l n q l y I d o n o t t h l n k ~n t h l s case t h e p r i n c i p l e i n r e s p e c t

o f s l m l l a r f a c t s e v l d e n c e assists t h e a p p l l c a n t s . I f i t d o e s , I

t h l n k t h a t t h e same c o n s l d e l a t l o n s w h i c h l e d S p e n d e r J . , zn what

a p p e a r s t o h a v e b e e n a s t r o n g e ~ c a s e , t o t h l n k t h e e v i d e n c e

o u g h t , l n a n y e v e n t t o b e e x c l u d e d I n t h e e x e r c l s e o f d i s c r e t l o n ,

wou ld compe l me t o r e a c h t h e same v l e w . A c c o r d l n g l y , I re]ect

t h e q u e s t i o n .

I c e r t i f y t h a t t h i s a n d t h e

p r e c e d l n g two ( 2 ) p a g e s a r e a

t rue c o p y of t h e R e a s o n s f o r

J u d g m e n t h e r e i n of h l s H o n o u l

Mr. J u s t l c e B u x h e t t .

&!$!!h? &!@ A s s o c i a t e

D a t e d : 3 March, 1987.