Queensland court decisions broken down so you understand what happened, why the court decided the way it did, and what it means for you.
Inghams v Tat [2018] QCA
Inghams was negligent — the court never disputed that. But the causal chain between the negligence and the attack required three sequential conclusions, none of which were supported by evidence. The Court of Appeal found each was conjecture rather than inference, and overturned the $150,000 award entirely. A companion case to Coca Cola v Pareezer on the limits of causation.
Colwell v Top Cut Foods
A Gold Coast butcher raised concerns about a volatile co-worker with a known criminal history. Both men separately asked to be moved apart. The employer did nothing. Days later the co-worker attacked him from behind. The District Court found the employer on notice after cumulative warning events.
Silwood v Chandler
A woman slipped on wet steps at her ex-partner's home while dropping off their baby. He had hosed the steps five and a half hours earlier and done nothing to dry them. The external light wasn't on. Both the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal found for the plaintiff.
Keegan v Sussan Corp
A highly regarded assistant store manager returned from maternity leave to a new manager who made her life miserable. When she broke down and contacted HR, the company ignored its own bullying policy. The District Court found the employer's inadequate response actively deepened her isolation and vulnerability.
Habig v McCrae [2013] QSC 335
A backpacker's unlit van blocked the Bruce Highway at 10pm. A truck hit it at almost 100km/h. The truck driver was negligent — but so was the plaintiff, who made no attempt to warn oncoming traffic. The court split fault equally and reduced $400,000 in damages to $200,000.
Wolters v University of the Sunshine Coast
USC's failure to properly investigate and discipline a volatile supervisor after a prior incident was found to have caused the plaintiff's psychiatric injury. The Court of Appeal overturned a Supreme Court decision that awarded her just $100, restoring the full $364,000.
Strong v Woolworths — High Court of Australia
An amputee slipped on a hot chip outside Big W, won at trial, lost on appeal, then won again at the High Court. The decision set a national 20-minute inspection standard that now applies to every slip and fall in a high-traffic public area anywhere in Australia.
Gilmour v Blue Care [2024] QDC 189
Blue Care was found to have breached its duty of care in three distinct ways after a female care worker was sexually assaulted at an Ipswich hostel. The court rejected the employer's argument that the assault was unforeseeable, and found no contributory negligence against the worker.
Eden v Jamieson [2023] QSC 240
A Queensland Supreme Court found the driver negligent after striking a pedestrian from behind on a straight road in good visibility. No contributory negligence was found despite the plaintiff walking on the road itself.
Ackers v Cairns Regional Council
A payroll manager worked 12 extra hours a week for 14 weeks during a staffing crisis, then had virtually every mistake blamed on him personally. The Supreme Court found the employer caused his major depressive illness by ignoring its own performance management procedures.
Coca Cola v Pareezer [2006] NSWCA 45
A Coke delivery worker was shot five times at Werrington TAFE on his first visit back after being mugged there a year earlier. The Supreme Court awarded him $3 million. The Court of Appeal overturned it — not because Coke wasn't negligent, but because the specific injury couldn't be linked to the specific breach.
New breakdown dropping soon
Alex is working through more decisions. Follow @wiseguy_qld on TikTok to catch each breakdown as it drops.
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