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47 C.L.R.] OF AUSTRALIA,
{HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA. }
FIEMAN ¥ % i) K : = : . APPELLANT ;
PLAINTIFF,
AND
BALAS AND OTHERS J . Z 3 . RESPONDEN'
DEFENDANTS,
ON APPEAL FROM THE SUPREME COURT OF
VICTORIA.
Appeal—Trial by jury—General verdict—Appeal from judgment thereon.
An appeal does not lie to the High Court of Australia from a verdict of a
jury, and, so long as the verdict stands, an appeal from a judgment of the
Supreme Court of a State given by the trial Judge in accordance with a
general verdict of a jury must fail.
Appeat from the Supreme Court of Victoria.
An action was brought in the Supreme Court of Victoria by
John Fieman in which he claimed £3,000 damages from the
defendants, Joseph Balas, Robert Leslie Forsyth and Hedley Frank
Summons. The plaintiff's claim indorsed on the writ was against
the defendant Balas for damages for procuring the certificates
hereinafter mentioned and/or causing the plaintiff to be detained
in the hospital for insane at Royal Park and elsewhere, and against
the defendants Forsyth and Summons as medical practitioners for
damages for negligence in giving certificates, on or about 18th June
1927, according to the form prescribed by the Lunacy Act 1915
(Vict.) whereby they certified, among other things, that they,
Forsyth and Summons, had separately and personally examined
the plaintiff and that he was insane, whereas in truth and in fact
H.C. or A.
1930.
)
MELpourNE,
Oct. 29.
Isaacs C.J ,
Gavan Duty,
Rich, Starke
and Dixon JJ.
H.C. or A.
1930.
es,
Fireman
®
Batas.
Oct. 29, 1930.
HIGH COURT
the plaintiff was not insane ; whereby the plaintiff suffered da
The action was tried by Irvine C.J. and a jury of six. The
brought in a general verdict for the defendants, and judg
was entered for the defendants accordingly.
The plaintiff applied to the High Court for an order
"the whole of the judgment given and pronounced by his Hono
the Chief Justice and the verdict of the jury . . . whereby
was ordered that judgment should be entered for the defen
with costs to be taxed . .. be set aside and reversed, and that
in lieu thereof it may be ordered that judgment be entered for the
above-named appellant or alternatively that there be a new trial
of the action."
D. Claude Robertson, for the appellant.
Walker, for the respondent Balas.
Robert Menzies K.C. and Reynolds, for the respondents Fors}
and Summons. E
Musgrove v. McDonald (1); The King v. Snow (2); Commonweal
v. Brisbane Milling Co. (3).
Tue Court delivered the following judgment :—
This appeal must be dismissed. So long as the verdict sti
the judgment is correct. In view of the authorities cited we cannot
alter the verdict. The judgment must stand. This order is without
prejudice to any application that may be made to the Suprem
Court for a new trial. Appellant to pay the costs.
Appeal dismissed accordingly. 4
Solicitors for the appellant, Loughrey & Douglas.
Solicitor for the respondent Balas, J. H. S. Campbell.
Solicitors for the respondents Forsyth and Summons,
Williams & Heathfield. 4
H. DW
(1) (1905) 3 CLR. 132. (2) (1915) 20 C.L.R. 315.
(3) (1916) 21 C.L.R. 559.