High Court Registry closure

The High Court Registry will be closed from 4.00pm on Wednesday, 24 December 2025 and will re-open at 9:00am on Friday, 2 January 2026.

Any party seeking to file a document due to be filed between 25 December 2025 and 1 January 2026 has an automatic extension of time under the  High Court Rules 2004 (Rule 4.01.5) until 4:00pm on Friday, 2 January 2026 to file the document. Any documents lodged between 25 December 2025 and 1 January 2026 will be reviewed on 2 January 2026.

All inquiries for the High Court will be considered when the Registry re-opens on Friday, 2 January 2026.If a matter is of extreme urgency, you may telephone 1800 570 566, select Option 1 and leave a voicemail. In addition provide details by email to: registry@hcourt.gov.au.

Amaca Pty Limited (Under NSW Administered Winding Up) v Booth
Amaba Pty Limited (Under NSW Administered Winding Up) v Booth

[2011] HCA 53
Judgment date
Case number
S219/2011
S220/2011
Before
French CJ, Gummow, Hayne, Heydon, Crennan JJ
Catchwords

Evidence – Expert evidence - First respondent sued appellants in Dust Diseases Tribunal of New South Wales - First respondent claimed exposure to asbestos fibres in breach of each appellant's duty of care caused his mesothelioma - First respondent's expert evidence that cumulative exposure to asbestos contributed to mesothelioma accepted at trial - Appellants led epidemiological evidence disputing link between exposure to asbestos of members of first respondent's profession and risk of mesothelioma - Whether inference of fact concerning contraction of disease reasonably open on evidence.

Negligence – Causation - Whether more probable than not that appellants' negligence was a cause of first respondent's disease - Whether issues of causation lie within common knowledge and experience - Role of expert medical evidence.

Practice and procedure – Appeal - No evidence - Appeal from Dust Diseases Tribunal of New South Wales to Supreme Court of New South Wales - Section 32 of Dust Diseases Tribunal Act 1989 (NSW) confers a right of appeal to Supreme Court against decision of Tribunal "in point of law" - Whether Tribunal erred in point of law when deciding that appellants' negligence more probably than not a cause of first respondent's disease.

Words and phrases – "causation", "cause and consequence", "epidemiological evidence", "manifest error", "mesothelioma".

Dust Diseases Tribunal Act 1989 (NSW) – s 32.

Files
53.rtf (104.86 KB)
53.pdf (220 KB)