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1N THE HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA
CATHCART. & ANOR «0
OP ee
REASONS FOR JUDGMENT
(ORAL)
Judgment delivered at___SYDNEY
W, M, Houston, Gort, Print., Melb, Bales
Ve
This is an appeal from an order of the Full Court
of the Supreme Court of New South Wales refusing a new trial
in a ease where the jury found a verdict for the plaintiff in
an action claiming dasages for personal injuries.
My. Woodward has argued the ease with clearness
and candour but we think that. this appeal cannot succeed.
The sole ground on which it is based is that the jury's verdict
was against the evidence and the weight of the evidence, It is
not contended, and never hax been contended, that if the jury
believed the plaintiff to the exelusion of other evidence there
was not evidence fit to go to the jury of negligence on which a
verdict might be found in favour of the plaintiff. What is
contended is that there is such a great preponderance of evidence
in favour of a more probable solution of the accident that
occurred and that the probabilities are s extrenely high that
the verdict ought not te be allowed to stand, The contention
is that it 1s an wireasonable conclusion to draw from all the
evidence which was adduced. It is, in our opinion, entirely «
question of credibility whieh the jury attached to the various
witnesses ond of the inferences vhich they chose to draw from
such eireumstances as they found. It is clear that a very
close investigation of the case was made by the jury and it is
not a case where you ¢an point to a definite wisunderstending
or error in the course of thelr consideration of the case as a
whole; it is simply a case where they preferred to take a view
vhich aseording to the appellants, the defendants, was entirely
erronegus, an error which ean be seen on & consideration of the
preponderance of evidence and the probabilities.
2.
We think the appeal is one which could not be
supported on grounds of that description; it is, indeed, a
very difficult ground te make goed and experience of such
eppeals shows that it is not = ground which often succeeds.
The concluding observations of Mrs Justice-Owen seen to mean
that.
In our opinion the appeal should be dismissed.
The order will be appeal dismissed with costs,
on sini e —
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