Oceania

Shortly before midday on 19 June 2009 the plaintiff tripped over the corner of a raised timber platform in the lobby area of the Manly Pacific Hotel. As a result he suffered injuries to his neck, right shoulder and back. That relatively dark timber platform was a permanent structure in the hotel lobby and was positioned to the right side of the walkway to the main bar area, the entrance to which was on the left hand side of the foyer area. It was rectangular in shape – 1770 mm wide, 2625 mm long and 151 mm in height.

The plaintiff, a general medical practitioner, claimed damages for personal injuries allegedly sustained whilst travelling on an international flight between Australia and the United States of America on 9 December 2008. He alledged that his seat did not fully recline and that the passengers seated in the row immediately in front of him kept their seats reclined the entire flight. In the leg room space that would otherwise have been fully available to the plaintiff below the seat immediately in front of him, there was positioned an audio-visual box occupying part of that space.

The appellant was a patron at the respondent Hotel on the night of 4 July 2008. The manager on duty that night formed the view the appellant was intoxicated, and after speaking with the Hotel's licensee, instructed a security guard to remove her from the premises. He did so by pulling the stool on which the appellant was seated out from underneath her. The appellant fell to the floor and was injured. The security guard was employed by a company called "Checkmate".