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IC iT
JOHN BRUCE BANNISTER & ANOR
ORAL JUDGMENT GAUDRON J
On 13 February 1998, the Court, constituted by McHugh and
Gummow JJ, dismissed Mr Weston's application for special leave to
appeal from an order of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of
Victoria. On 23 March 1998, he filed a Notice of Motion seeking,
amongst other orders, an order that the order dismissing his
application for special leave to appeal be vacated. Pursuant to O 58
1 4(3) of the Rules of the High Court, Hayne J directed, on 26 March
1998, that the Notice of Motion not issue without the leave of a Justice.
Mr Weston now seeks leave to issue the Notice of Motion.
It is necessary to say something of the Supreme Court
proceedings in respect of which Mr Weston sought special leave to
appeal. They were proceedings by mortgagees for the possession of
land pursuant to a registered mortgage executed in their favour by
Mr Weston and for the repayment of moneys secured by that
mortgage. It is not now in issue that Mr Weston executed the
mortgage or that moneys were advanced pursuant to it. However, he
contended in the Supreme Court proceedings, as he still does, that the
mortgage was procured by fraud on the part of his then solicitor,
Mr Connor. He also claimed, as he still does, that there was a
conspiracy involving his solicitor and the mortgagees.
At first instance, Southwell J found that Mr Weston's allegations
of fraud and conspiracy were "wild and wholly unsubstantiated". His
Honour held that the mortgagees were entitled to possession and to
judgment for the moneys owing under the mortgage. Mr Weston then
appealed to the Court of the Appeal, contending, amongst other things,
that Southwell J "erred in law by ignoring the evidence and the [weight]
of [the] evidence". It was this issue which was the focus of the
application for special leave to appeal to this Court.
In support of his Notice of Motion of 23March and his
application for leave to issue that Notice of Motion, Mr Weston
contends, in essence, that there was "a biased finding of fact by [the]
trial judge" who should have found that the mortgage was executed in
consequence of the fraud of his solicitor Mr Connor. He asserts a
belief that the judges of the Court of Appeal "did not bring free and
independent minds to the matter' because they knew Mr Connor's
father. He asserts also that, on the hearing of the special leave
application, he was misled by McHughJ and deprived of a real
opportunity of putting his case. He also asserts a conflict of interest on
the part of McHugh J by reason of his having been president of the
Media Law Association and Australian Bar Association in 1984.
There is nothing to support the various complaints which
Mr Weston makes against those members of the judiciary who have
participated in the proceedings arising out of the mortgage transaction.
Of greater significance, he bore the onus of proving fraud before
Southwell J and failed to do so. Thus, an appeal to this Court would
enjoy no prospect of success. In these circumstances, leave should
not be granted to issue the Notice of Motion of 23 March 1998.
The application for leave to issue Notice of Motion dated
23 March 1998 is refused.
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