until her elevation to the Court of Appeal in June 2015. Simpson retired as a full judge on 29 March 2018, however continues to work as an Acting Justice of Appeal in the NSW Court of Appeal. In the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours Simpson was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia for her "distinguished service to the law, and to the judiciary, particularly in the areas of criminal, defamation, administrative and industrial law". Notable decisions Justice Simpson has presided over a number of high-profile cases. She was the judge responsible for sentencing Neddy Smith, a notorious gangland murderer, to life imprisonment in 1989. In 2005, she presided over the much publicised case Network Ten v Jessica Rowe. Ten claimed that the 5pm Ten News reader had breached her "open-ended" contract by failing to give six months' notice in writing. Simpson dismissed the action and ordered Ten to pay Rowe's court costs, finding that the contract was for a closed period of two years and expired at the conclusion of the case. She set a precedent in 2007 when she awarded around 1 million to a teenager who was bullied at primary school. She concluded that the school had "grossly failed" in its duty of care to Benjamin Cox, who now suffers from a severe psychiatric condition. References External links Supreme Court of New South Wales Australian King's Counsel People educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney 1946 births Living people Judges of the Supreme Court of New South Wales Australian women judges Charles Sturt University alumni People from the Central West (New South Wales) University of Sydney alumni 20th-century Australian judges 21st-century Australian judges Officers of the Order of Australia 20th-century women judges 21st-century women judges 20th-century Australian women