Thompson v Reeves

In *Thompson and Anor v Reeves and Anor* [1990] NSWCA 175, the New South Wales Court of Appeal considered a dispute between the Thompsons (appellants) and the Reeves (respondents) concerning a contract for the sale of land. The Thompsons sought to enforce the contract, while the Reeves sought to resile from it.

The central legal issue before the Court of Appeal was whether the Thompsons had validly exercised their contractual right to extend the settlement date. This involved an examination of the contractual terms relating to the extension of time for settlement and the proper construction of the notice provided by the Thompsons to the Reeves.

The Court of Appeal found that the notice provided by the Thompsons was insufficient to effect a valid extension of the settlement date. It held that the notice did not comply with the specific requirements stipulated in the contract for such an extension. Consequently, the Thompsons had failed to exercise their right to extend the settlement period in accordance with the contractual provisions.

The Court of Appeal accordingly dismissed the Thompsons' appeal, upholding the primary judge's decision that the contract had not been validly extended and that the Reeves were entitled to terminate the agreement.