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HIH Claims Support Limited v. Insurance Australia Limited

Case No. M24/2011
Case information

Lower Court Judgment

29/09/2010 Supreme Court of Victoria (Court of Appeal) (Warren CJ, Mandie JA, Beach AJA)

[2010] VSCA 255

Catchwords

Equity — Contribution — Equal and coordinate liability — Scaffolder Steele sub-contracted to Australian Grand Prix Corporation ("AGPC") — Steele held insurance policy with company in HIH group which, but for HIH collapse, responded to Steele's liability to AGPC — Applicant administrator of HIH Claim Support Scheme —AGPC held insurance policy with State Government Insurance Corporation ("SGIC") which extended to sub-contractors — SGIC's rights, liabilities and obligations vested in respondent — Whether applicant entitled to contribution from respondent — Whether liabilities of applicant and Steele and respondent and Steele equal and coordinate — Whether indemnities not coordinate because applicant may recover from liquidation of HIH — Whether equitable doctrine of contribution sufficiently flexible to do "practical justice" — Whether characterisation of separate contracts of insurance as "primary" and "secondary" prevents contribution — Whether relevant date for determining right to contribution is date of indemnity payment or date of casualty.

Short Particulars

Documents

11/03/2011 Hearing (SLA, Melbourne)

25/03/2011 Notice of appeal

08/04/2011 Written submissions (Appellant)

08/04/2011 Chronology (Appellant)

02/05/2011 Written submissions (Respondent)

20/05/2011 Reply

02/06/2011 Hearing (Full Court, Canberra)

22/08/2011 Judgment  (Judgment summary)