State of NSW v Elms (No 2)

New South Wales

Court of Appeal

CITATION: State of NSW v Elms (No 2) [2008] NSWCA 158

HEARING DATE(S): 18 June 2008

JUDGMENT DATE:
18 June 2008

JUDGMENT OF: Beazley JA at [6], [8]; Giles JA at [7]; Hodgson JA at [1]

EX TEMPORE JUDGMENT DATE: 18 June 2008

DECISION: No variation made to costs orders in earlier judgment [2008] NSWCA 157.

CATCHWORDS: PRACTICE – Costs – Whether reasons to depart from usual order.

CATEGORY: Consequential orders

PARTIES: STATE OF NEW SOUTH WALES (Claimant/Appellant)
Brian ELMS (Opponent/Respondent)

FILE NUMBER(S): CA 40572/07

COUNSEL: P MENZIES QC/ D MALLON (Claimant/Appellant)
B TOOMEY QC/ D J PRICE (Opponent/Respondent)

SOLICITORS: McCabe Terrill Lawyers (Claimant/Appellant)
Phillip Sim & Associates (Opponent/Respondent)

CA 40572/07

BEAZLEY JA
GILES JA
HODGSON JA
18 JUNE 2008

STATE OF NEW SOUTH WALES v Brian ELMS

Judgment

1 HODGSON JA: Following the delivery of the judgment that the Court has just given, there have been applications concerning costs.

2 The claimant has sought costs on an indemnity basis on the basis of offers made prior to the hearing. In my view, those offers were not strictly compromise offers and do not in any event completely cover what was decided by this Court. The offers still placed emphasis on a statement of claim and material facts, whereas the judgment of this court has focused rather on the definition of issues in such a way as to enable a judgment to be made whether there can be an acceptably fair trial. For those reasons, I do not think any ground is made out for making any indemnity costs order.

3 There has been an application by the opponent based on a contention that the grounds of appeal were wider than those on which the matter was determined and that the opponent was put to expense in seeking to deal with those wider grounds.

4 In my view, consideration of the grounds of appeal and the written submissions prepared by the parties do not suggest that there has been any identifiable element of costs thrown away by reason of the way the appeal grounds were drafted, in the light of the way the court decided the case.

5 For those reasons, I do not see a basis for varying the costs orders proposed in the earlier judgment.

6 BEAZLEY JA: I agree.

7 GILES JA: I also agree.

8 BEAZLEY JA: The orders of the court are those originally proposed by Justice Hodgson.

oOo

The Court of Appeal of New South Wales considered an application for variation of costs orders made in a previous judgment, *State of NSW v Elms* [2008] NSWCA 157. The parties involved were the State of New South Wales and Mr. Elms.

The central legal issue before the Court was whether there were sufficient grounds to depart from the usual order that costs follow the event, specifically in relation to the costs orders made in the earlier judgment.

The Court, comprising Beazley JA, Giles JA, and Hodgson JA, reviewed the circumstances and determined that no variation to the costs orders previously made was warranted. The Court did not provide detailed reasons for this decision in the provided text, but the outcome indicates that the existing costs orders were upheld.

CaseChat Overview and Summary

Orders of the court

Background to the litigation

Evidence Before The Court

Reasons for decision

Legal Principle Established

CITATION:	State of NSW v Elms (No 2) [2008] NSWCA 158
HEARING DATE(S):	18 June 2008
JUDGMENT DATE:	18 June 2008
JUDGMENT OF:	Beazley JA at [6], [8]; Giles JA at [7]; Hodgson JA at [1]
EX TEMPORE JUDGMENT DATE:	18 June 2008
DECISION:	No variation made to costs orders in earlier judgment [2008] NSWCA 157.
CATCHWORDS:	PRACTICE – Costs – Whether reasons to depart from usual order.
CATEGORY:	Consequential orders
PARTIES:	STATE OF NEW SOUTH WALES (Claimant/Appellant) Brian ELMS (Opponent/Respondent)
FILE NUMBER(S):	CA 40572/07
COUNSEL:	P MENZIES QC/ D MALLON (Claimant/Appellant) B TOOMEY QC/ D J PRICE (Opponent/Respondent)
SOLICITORS:	McCabe Terrill Lawyers (Claimant/Appellant) Phillip Sim & Associates (Opponent/Respondent)