Potkonyak & Ors v Commonwealth of Australia [2009] NSWDC 198

New South Wales District Court

CITATION: Potkonyak & Ors v Commonwealth of Australia [2009] NSWDC 198 This decision has been amended. Please see the end of the judgment for a list of the amendments.

HEARING DATE(S): 24 July, 27 and 28 August 2009

JUDGMENT DATE: 16 September 2009

JURISDICTION: Civil

JUDGMENT OF: Levy SC DCJ

1. The plaintiffs' summons seeking discovery is dismissed; 2. The respondent is to pay plaintiffs' costs of the plaintiffs' summons seeking discovery; DECISION: 3. The plaintiffs' statement of claim is struck out and the proceedings are dismissed; 4. The plaintiffs are to pay the defendant's costs of the strike-out motion and of the proceedings generally except in relation to the costs of the summons seeking discovery; 5. The documents marked for identification are to be retained with the court file.

CATCHWORDS: PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE – identity discovery – plaintiffs seeking identity of further potential defendants to the litigation – summary dismissal of proceedings – whether principal claim by plaintiffs should be characterised as being frivolous, vexatious, not disclosing of a reasonable cause of action and amounting to abuse of process – claimed liability of Family Court officials – immunity from suit – whether proceedings are without arguable merit – considerations for making an order to strike out the proceedings

Civil Liability Act 2002 Civil Procedure Act 2005 LEGISLATION CITED: Family Law Act 1975 (Cwth) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005, r 5.2 Supreme Court Rules, 1970 Part 3

AAMI v NRMA Insurance Ltd [2002] 124 FLR 518 Bradshaw v McEwans Pty Ltd (1951) 217 ALR 1 Cabassi v Vila [1940] HCA 41; (1940) 64 CLR 130 Church of Scientology v Woodward [1982] HCA 78; (1982) 154 CLR 25 Dey v Victorian Railways Commissioner [1949] HCA 1; (1949) 78 CLR 62 Exley v Wyong Shire Council, NSWSC Master Allen, Unreported 9 December 1996 Fingleton v The Queen [2005] HCA 34; (2005) 227 CLR 166 General Steel Industries Inc v Commissioner for Railways NSW & Ors [1964] HCA 69; (1964) 112 CLR 125 John Fairfax & Sons Ltd v Cojuangco (1987) 8 NSWLR 145 CASES CITED: John Fairfax & Sons Ltd v Cojuangco [1988] HCA 54; (1988) 165 CLR 346 Luxton v Vines [1952] HCA 19; (1952) CLR 352 Malec v JC Hutton Pty Ltd [1990] HCA 20; (1990) 169 CLR 638 Potkonyak v Lenda [2006] FamCA 947 Potkonyak v Powell [2007] NSWDC 282 RTA of NSW v Australian National Car Parks Pty Ltd [2007] NSWCA 114 Rajski v Powell & Anor (1987) 11 NSWLR 522 Scanlon v Director-General, Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation [2007] NSWCA 204; (2007) 70 NSWLR 1 Stewart v Miller & Anor [1979] 2 NSWLR 128 Yeldam v Rajski [1989] 18 NSWLR 48 Webster v Lampard [1993] HCA 57;(1993) 177 CLR 598