Chandrasekaran v Commonwealth of Australia (No 3) [2020] FCA 1629

Federal Court of Australia

Chandrasekaran v Commonwealth of Australia (No 3) [2020] FCA 1629 File number: NSD 974 of 2019

Judgment of: WIGNEY J

Date of judgment: 11 November 2020

Catchwords: PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE – summary judgment – whether applicant has no reasonable prospect of successfully prosecuting the proceeding – whether proceeding is frivolous or vexatious – whether no reasonable cause of action disclosed – whether the proceeding is an abuse of the processes of the Court – whether pleadings should be struck out – whether pleading is evasive, ambiguous or likely to cause prejudice or embarrassment – Held: judgment entered in favour of each respondent against the applicant

Legislation: Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) Sch 2 Australian Consumer Law s 18 Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) ss 19, 31A, 31A(2), 37M Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth) s 39B(1) Federal Court Rules 2011 (Cth) rr 16.02, 16.21, 16.21(1)(c), 16.21(1)(d), 16.21(1)(e), 26.01 Limitation Act 1969 (NSW) s 14

Cases cited: Allstate Life Insurance Co v Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (1994) 217 ALR 226 Attorney-General v Wentworth (1988) 14 NSWLR 481 Bartlett v Swan Television & Radio Broadcasters Pty Ltd [1995] FCA 638; ATPR 41-434 Batistatos v Roads and Traffic Authority (NSW) (2006) 226 CLR 256 Breen v Williams (1996) 186 CLR 71 Byrnes v Majak [2020] NSWSC 906 Cavill Business Solutions Pty Ltd v Jackson [2005] WASC 138 Chandrasekaran v Commonwealth of Australia (No 2) [2019] FCA 1490 Chandrasekaran v Commonwealth of Australia [2019] FCA 1169 Chandrasekaran v Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists [2019] FCA 1687 Chandrasekaran v Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists [2020] FCA 214 Chandrasekaran v Western Sydney Local Health District (No 7) [2019] NSWSC 567 Clavel v Savage [2013] NSWSC 775 Clavel v Savage [2015] NSWCA 61 Corrs Pavey Whiting & Byrne v Collector of Customs (Vic) (1987) 14 FCR 434 Council for the City of the Gold Coast v Pioneer Concrete (Qld) Pty Ltd [1998] FCA 791; 157 ALR 135 Fair Work Ombudsman v Eastern Colour Pty Ltd [2011] FCA 803; 209 IR 263 Federal Commissioner of Taxation v United Aircraft Corporation (1943) 68 CLR 525 Fuller v Toms (2012) 247 FCR 440 Gallo v Attorney-General (unreported, Supreme Court of Victoria, Full Court, 4 September 1984) Hoath v Connect Internet Services Pty Ltd [2006] NSWSC 158 Hobbs v Petersham Transport Co Pty Ltd (1971) 124 CLR 220 J C Techforce Pty Ltd v Pearce [1996] FCA 599; 138 ALR 522 Johnson v Gore Wood & Co [2002] 2 AC 1 Matthews v State of Queensland [2015] FCA 1488 Odeh v State of New South Wales [2019] NSWSC 342 Palmer Bruyn v Parsons (2001) 208 CLR 388 Polar Aviation Pty Ltd v Civil Aviation Safety Authority (2012) 203 FCR 325 Ratcliffe v Evans [1892] 2 QB 524 Rogers v The Queen (1994) 181 CLR 251 Shelton v National Roads and Motorists Association Ltd [2004] FCA 1393; 51 ACSR 278 Spencer v The Commonwealth (2010) 241 CLR 118 Spiteri v Nine Network Australia Pty Ltd [2008] FCA 905 Tomlinson v Ramsey Food Processing Pty Ltd (2015) 256 CLR 507 Trade Practices Commission v Australian Iron & Steel Pty Ltd (1990) 22 FCR 305 Trade Practices Commission v Pioneer Concrete (Qld) Pty Ltd (1994) 52 FCR 164 UBS AG v Tyne (2018) 265 CLR 77 Von Reisner v Commonwealth (2009) 177 FCR 531 White Industries Australia Ltd v Federal Commissioner of Taxation (2007) 160 FCR 298 Wilkinson v Downton [1897] 2 QB 57 Williams v Spautz (1992) 174 CLR 509