K & S Lake City Freighters Pty Ltd v Gordon & Gotch Ltd [1985] HCA 48

K & S Lake City Freighters Pty Ltd v Gordon & Gotch Ltd [1985] HCA 48

Section 133 of the Motor Vehicles Act 1959 S.A., as amended, applies broadly to any contract by which a person contracts in advance out of the right to claim damages for the negligence of another in driving a motor vehicle, including property damage, and covers both natural and corporate persons; thus the exclusion clause in the carrier's contract was void and the appeal must be dismissed.

Jurisdiction
Australia
Procedural Posture
Appeal / Final Written Judgment and Orders
Outcome
appeal dismissed
Legal Topics
['exclusion Clauses' 'negligence' 'interpretation of Statutory Provisions' 'motor Vehicles Act 1959 S.a. S.133' 'property Damage in Transit']

Case Brief

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Procedural Posture

Appeal / Final Written Judgment and Orders

  1. 1 ['Does s.133 of the Motor Vehicles Act 1959 S.A. apply to contractual clauses excluding liability for negligence resulting in property damage, or is it limited to death or bodily injury?' "Does the term 'person' in s.133 include companies or only natural persons?"]

Ratio Decidendi

Section 133 of the Motor Vehicles Act 1959 S.A., as amended, applies broadly to any contract by which a person contracts in advance out of the right to claim damages for the negligence of another in driving a motor vehicle, including property damage, and covers both natural and corporate persons; thus the exclusion clause in the carrier's contract was void and the appeal must be dismissed.

Court Disposition

appeal dismissed

Orders

  • ['Appeal dismissed with costs']