Newcastle City Council v Batistatos; Roads & Traffic Authority of NSW v Batistatos [2005] NSWCA 20

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION: Newcastle City Council v Batistatos; Roads & Traffic Authority of NSW v Batistatos [2005] NSWCA 20

HEARING DATE(S): 09/02/2005

JUDGMENT DATE: 12 May 2005

JUDGMENT OF: Mason P at 1; Giles JA at 2; Bryson JA at 6

DECISION: Leave to appeal granted. Appeal allowed. Proceedings permanently stayed. See [83]

CATCHWORDS: PRACTICE and PROCEDURE - abuse of process - delay - plaintiff injured in motor accident in 1965, disable person, sued highway authorities in 1994 - defendants applied for strike-out under Pt.15 r.26 on ground that fair trial was impossible due to delay - review of evidence and findings on whether a fair trial was possible - found that it was not - proceedings stayed permanently.

Limitation Act 1623 (Imperial) Limitation Act 1969 Local Government Act 1919 LEGISLATION CITED: Main Roads Act 1924 Notice of Action and Other Privileges Abolition Act 1977 Public Roads Act 1902 Supreme Court Act 1970

Brodie v Singleton Shire Council; Ghantous v Hawkesbury Shire Council(2001) 206 CLR 1. General Steel Industries Inc. v. Commissioner for Railways (NSW) (1964) 112 CLR 125 Dey v. Victorian Railways Commissioners (1949) 78 CLR 62 Carson v. Legal Services Commissioner & Anor [2000] NSWCA 308 Connelly v. Director of Public Prosecutions [1964] AC 1254 Jago v. District Court of New South Wales & Ors (1989) 168 CLR 23 Walton v. Gardiner (1993) 177 CLR 378 Birkett v. James [1978] AC 297 CASES CITED: Stollznow v. Calvert [1980] 2 NSWLR 749 Subramaniam v. The Queen [2004] 79 ALJR 116 Holt v. Wynter (2000) 49 NSWLR 128 Brisbane South Regional Health Authority v. Taylor (1996) 186 CLR 541 Williams v. Spautz (1992) 174 CLR 509 Cox v. Journeaux No. 2 (1935) 52 CLR 713 Herron v McGregor (1986) 6 NSWLR 246 Metropolitan Bank Ltd v Pooley (1885) 10 App Cas 210 Norman v Howarth (2003) 180 FLR 1