Munro v Wheeler (No 2) [2024] NSWDC 492

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Munro v Wheeler (No 2) [2024] NSWDC 492 Hearing dates: 18 October 2024 Date of orders: 18 October 2024 Decision date: 21 October 2024 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Gibson DCJ Decision: (1) Second defendant's application dismissed. (2) Costs of the application to be determined as part of the costs of the hearing. Catchwords: TORT – defamation – defendants' application during adjournment of the hearing for dismissal of proceedings for asserted failure to give full discovery and destruction of a mobile phone – application dismissed Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), ss 56-58, 61, 67 Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), ss 128, 140 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 12.7, 13.4, 21.2 Cases Cited: Arrow Nominees Inc v Blackledge [2000] EWCA Civ 200 Briginshaw v Briginshaw (1936) 60 CLR 336 British American Tobacco Australia Services Ltd v Cowell (2002) 7 VR 524; [2002] VSCA 197 Brown v Dunn [1893] R 67 Capellupo v FMC Corporation, 126 FRD 545 (D Minn, 1989) Clark v State of New South Wales [2012] NSWCA 139 Clark v State of New South Wales (2006) 66 NSWLR 640; [2006] NSWSC 673 Director of Public Prosecutions v Zegers [2023] VCC 75 Erincole Building Services Pty Ltd (ACN 075 796 842) v John Holland Pty Ltd (ACN 004 282 268) [2010] ACTSC 77 Farah Constructions Pty Ltd v Say-Dee Ltd (2007) 230 CLR 89 Geoffrey Andrew Smith v Robert Gould [2014] VSCA 138 Hoxton Park Residents Action Group Inc. v Liverpool City Council [2014] NSWSC 372 Hunter New England Local Health District v Munters Pty Limited [2018] NSWSC 788 Lehrmann v Network Ten Pty Limited (Trial Judgment) [2024] FCA 369 Logicrose Ltd v Southend United Football Club Limited (The Times, 5 March 1988) Mirus Australia Pty Ltd v Gage [2017] NSWSC 1046 Moroney v Zegers [2018] VSC 446 Munro v Wheeler [2024] NSWDC 23 Nitopi v Nitopi [2021] NSWSC 669 Palavi v Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd & Anor [2012] NSWCA 182 Palavi v Radio 2UE Sydney Pty Ltd [2011] NSWCA 264 Powell v Boladz [2003] All ER 131 Powell v UK (2000) 30 EHRR CD 362 Raja v Van Hoogstraten [2004] 4 All ER 793 Texts Cited: Australian Law Reform Commission, "Discovery in Federal Courts" (ALRC CP 2) (Consultation Paper, 15 November 2010) Cameron, Camille and Jonathan Liberman, "Destruction of Documents before Proceedings Commence: What is a Court to Do?" [2003] MelbULawRw 12; (2003) 27(2) Melbourne University Law Review 273 Yvonne Kux, "Charmyne Palavi v Radio 2UE", Gazette of Law and Journalism, 28 March 2012 Antonia Glover, "What's Plainly Wrong in Australian Law? An Empirical Analysis of the Rule in Farah" [2020] UNSWLawJI 31; (2020) 43(3) UNSW Law Journal 850 Category: Procedural rulings Parties: Ainslee Kate Munro (1st Plaintiff) Lauren Alicia Marchant (2nd Plaintiff) Shannan Kathleen-Jean Wheeler (1st Defendant) Anne-Marie Francis Curry (2nd Defendant) Representation: Counsel: M Lazinski (Plaintiffs) P Larkin SC, J Petry (2nd Defendant)