Salmon v Osmond (No 2)

[2015] NSWCA 131

Court of Appeal

Supreme Court

New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation:

Salmon v Osmond (No 2) [2015] NSWCA 131

Hearing dates:

On the papers

Decision date:

18 May 2015

Before:

Beazley P;
McColl JA;
Gleeson JA

Decision:

(1)   Vary order 5 of the judgment of this Court of 10 March 2015 as follows:

 

“5.   In lieu of order 5 in the judgment of the court below of 17 September 2013, order that the second respondent, Donna Maree Peters, pay the appellants’ costs of proceedings in the court below, on the ordinary basis up to and including 8 January 2013 and on an indemnity basis as and from 9 January 2013.”

 

(2)   Vary order 6 of the judgment of the court below of 17 September 2013 as follows:

 

“6.   The costs referred to in (5) shall be determined as 20 per cent of the costs incurred by the estate in defending the proceedings brought by the first plaintiff and the third plaintiff and shall be credited to the amounts to be distributed from the estate to the first defendant and second defendant in proportion to the amounts paid from their share of the estate to satisfy order (7).”

 (3)   The first and second respondents should pay the costs of the appellants’ notice of motion filed 23 March 2015.

Catchwords:

PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE – Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005, rr 36.16, 36.17 – slip rule – whether no order as to costs prior to offer of compromise

Legislation Cited:

Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 36.16(3A), 36.17

Category:

Procedural and other rulings

Parties:

Michael Augustine Salmon, Esmae Frances Salmon and Sue Frances Salmon (Appellants) 
Kerryn Therese Osmond (First Respondent) 
Donna Maree Peters (Second Respondent)

Representation:

Counsel:
D A Smallbone (Appellants)
M K Meek SC; N C T Bilinsky (Respondents) 

  Solicitors:
RJI Legal (Appellants)
Peter Evans & Associates (Respondents)

File Number(s):

CA 2013/245425

 Decision under appeal 

Court or tribunal:

Supreme Court

Citation:

Peters v Salmon [2013] NSWSC 953
Peters v Salmon (No 2) [2013] NSWSC 1071

Date of Decision:

19 July 2013; 17 September 2013

Before:

Ball J

File Number(s):

2012/60490

Judgment

1. THE COURT: This Court delivered its principal judgment in this matter on 10 March 2015: Salmon v Osmond [2015] NSWCA 42. The appellants were substantially successful in the appeal and costs orders were made in their favour. This included making the following costs order (order 5) having regard to a Calderbank offer of compromise that had been made to the second respondent, Donna Maree Peters (Donna), which had not been accepted:

“5.   Order that the second respondent, Donna Maree Peters, pay the respondents’ costs of proceedings in the court below on an indemnity basis as and from 9 January 2013.”

2. By notice of motion filed 23 March 2015, the appellants sought that order 5 be varied pursuant to Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) (UCPR), r 36.17, known as the “slip rule”. Rule 36.17 provides as follows:

“If there is a clerical mistake, or an error arising from an accidental slip or omission, in a judgment or order, or in a certificate, the court, on the application of any party or of its own motion, may, at any time, correct the mistake or error.”

3. The appellants also relied upon UCPR, rr 36.16(1) and (3A). The former rule allows an order to be varied if application is made to do so before the entry of judgment. The latter rule permits an order to be varied under r 36.16(1) as if the judgment or order had not been entered, if a notice of motion seeking the variation is filed within 14 days after the order has been entered. The notice of motion was filed within that time and accordingly provides another source of power for the variation of the orders.

4. The appellants submitted that the word “respondents” in order 5 is a slip to which r 36.17 would apply, and that the word “respondents” in that order should be replaced with the word “appellants”. That is clearly correct. By order 5, the Court intended to give effect to the finding, at [168] of the judgment, that the appellants should have indemnity costs on the basis of an offer of compromise made to Donna on 8 January 2013.

5. The appellants further submitted that, by order 5, the Court intended that Donna pay the appellants’ costs of the first instance proceedings on the ordinary basis up to the date of the offer and that the terms of the order be clarified to that effect. However, the respondents have contended that the Court intended that, in accordance with the terms of the offer of compromise, there be no order as to the costs of the proceedings up to the date of the offer.

6. The appellants’ contention is correct. It would be extremely unusual for the Court to make an order of the kind suggested by the respondents and it should not be inferred that it has done so. As Donna was not successful in the proceedings below, and the substantive findings in those proceedings relating to her were not challenged on appeal, the appropriate order, and the order the Court intended to convey, is that she pay the appellants’ costs of the first instance proceedings on the ordinary basis until the date of the offer of compromise and thereafter on the indemnity basis.

7. As a consequence of this amendment, order 6 of the costs judgment below: Peters v Salmon (No 2) [2013] NSWSC 1071, must also be varied to accommodate the indemnity costs aspect of order 5 made by the Court in its judgment on the appeal.

8. These variations may appropriately be made under either UCPR, r 36.16(3A) or r 36.17.

9. The appellants seek and the respondents resist an order for the costs of the notice of motion. As the respondents raised a substantive dispute in respect of the appellants’ costs of the first instance proceedings in the period up to the date of the offer of compromise and they were not successful in that argument, it is appropriate that they pay the appellants’ costs of the notice of motion.

10. Accordingly, the Court makes the following orders:

(1)   Vary order 5 of the judgment of this Court of 10 March 2015 as follows:

“5.   In lieu of order 5 in the judgment of the court below of 17 September 2013, order that the second respondent, Donna Maree Peters, pay the appellants’ costs of proceedings in the court below, on the ordinary basis up to and including 8 January 2013 and on an indemnity basis as and from 9 January 2013.”

(2)   Vary order 6 of the judgment of the court below of 17 September 2013 as follows:

“6.   The costs referred to in (5) shall be determined as 20 per cent of the costs incurred by the estate in defending the proceedings brought by the first plaintiff and the third plaintiff and shall be credited to the amounts to be distributed from the estate to the first defendant and second defendant in proportion to the amounts paid from their share of the estate to satisfy order (7).”

(3)   The first and second respondents should pay the costs of the appellants’ notice of motion filed 23 March 2015.

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