Alex v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2015] NSWDC 78

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Alex v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2015] NSWDC 78 Hearing dates: 26 May 2015 Date of orders: 26 May 2015 Decision date: 26 May 2015 Jurisdiction: Civil Before: Gibson DCJ Decision: (1) Pursuant to r 12.11(e) of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) ("UCPR") the order made on 20 February 2015 extending the time for service of the Statement of Claim is discharged. (2) Pursuant to r 12.11(b) of the UCPR the service of the Statement of Claim on the defendants on 4 March 2015 is set aside. (3) Proceedings dismissed. (4) The plaintiff is to pay the first defendant's costs of the proceedings and additionally such travel or other disbursements as are assessed to be payable to the second defendant. Catchwords: PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE – application to discharge an order extending time for service of the statement of claim where the limitation period was about to expire – provision of inaccurate and misleading information in support of the application – whether the order extending time should be discharged – whether the whole, or only part, of the claim should consequentially be dismissed by reason of expiry of the limitation period – pleading failed to identify which parts of the claim fall within the time period prior to the limitation period - proceedings dismissed Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), ss 56-62 and 63 Defamation Act 2005 (NSW), s 23 Limitation Act 1969 (NSW), s 14B Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 6.2 and 12.11 Cases Cited: Agricultural & Rural Finance Pty Ltd v Kirk [2011] NSWCA 67 Arthur Andersen Corporate Finance Pty Ltd v Buzzle Operations Pty Ltd (in liq) [2009] NSWCA 104 Australian Coastal Shipping Commission v Curtis Cruising Pty Ltd (1989) 17 NSWLR 734 Coren v Master Builders Association of Australia [2014] NSWCA 244 Crux - Southern Cross University Post Graduate Association Inc v Watts [2013] NSWDC 254 Dank v Cronulla-Sutherland District Rugby League Football Club [2013] NSWSC 1101 Dow Jones & Co Inc v Gutnick (2002) 210 CLR 575 Fernance v Nominal Defendant (1989) 17 NSWLR 710 Flanagan v Urban Publishing Pty Ltd [2012] NSWDC 238 Foley v Rosier [2014] NSWDC 92 Hoskins v Van Den Braak (1998) 43 NSWLR 290 Hunter v Hanson [2014] NSWCA 263 In re Chittenden [1970] 3 All ER 562 Jingalong Pty Ltd v Todd [2014] NSWCA 330 Jones v TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd (1992) 26 NSWLR 732 Onefone Australia Pty Ltd v One.Tel Ltd; Weston v Publishing Broadcasting Ltd [2007] NSWSC 1320 Pelechowski v Registar of Court of Appeal (1999) 198 CLR 435 Rust v Barnes [1980] 2 NSWLR 726 Sleeman v Tuloch Pty Ltd [2013] NSWDC 43 Webb v Bloch (1928) 41 CLR 331 Weston v Publishing & Broadcasting Ltd [2009] NSWSC 321 Weston in Capacity as Special Purpose Liquidator of One.Tel Ltd (in liq) v Publishing & Broadcasting Ltd (2012) 88 ACSR 80 White v Sparks [2015] NSWDC 53 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Plaintiff: George Alex First Defendant: Australian Broadcasting Corporation Second Defendant: Brian Fitzpatrick Representation: Counsel: Plaintiff: Mr M Rollinson First Defendant: Mrs L Barnett Second Defendant: Mr B Fitzpatrick (in person)