Burton v Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions [2019] NSWCA 245

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Burton v Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions [2019] NSWCA 245 Hearing dates: 22 July 2019 Decision date: 11 October 2019 Before: Bell P at [1]; White JA at [47]; McCallum JA at [68] Decision: 1. Grant leave to appeal other than in respect of ground 3 of the draft notice of appeal. 2. Set aside orders 1 and 2 made by the primary judge on 12 April 2019. Catchwords: APPEALS – civil procedure – summary disposal – dismissal of proceedings – no reasonable cause of action disclosed – whether trial judge erred in dismissing proceedings – whether instituting criminal proceedings to vex the accused is within the lawful scope of the criminal process – non-publication order – Court Suppression and Non-Publication Orders Act 1998 (NSW) – whether order an interim order

TORTS – tort of collateral abuse of process – distinguished from abuse of process justifying a stay of proceedings – elements of the tort Legislation Cited: Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (NSW), ss 62, 105 Court Suppression and Non-Publication Orders Act 2010 (NSW), ss 7, 10, 11(1) 12, 16 District Court Act 1973 (NSW), s 127(2)(a) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 13.4, 14.28 Cases Cited: Burton v Secretary, Department of Family and Community Services [2019] NSWCA 21 Butler v Simmonds Crowley & Galvin [2000] 2 Qd R 252; [1999] QCA 475 C.A.L. No 14 Pty Ltd v Motor Accidents Insurance Board; C.A.L. No 14 Pty Ltd v Scott (2009) 239 CLR 390; [2009] HCA 47 Capilano Honey Ltd v Dowling (No 2) [2018] NSWCA 217 Capilano Honey Ltd v Dowling (No 2) [2018] NSWSC 865 Catto v Hampton Australia Ltd (In Liq) (No 3) (2004) 89 SASR 234; [2004] SASC 242 Crawford Adjusters (Cayman) Ltd v Sagicor General Insurance (Cayman) Ltd [2014] AC 366; [2013] UKPC 17 CSR Limited v Cigna Insurance Australia Limited (1997) 189 CLR 345; [1997] HCA 33 Dey v Victorian Railways Commissioners (1949) 78 CLR 62; [1949] HCA 1 Dowling v Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society Ltd (1915) 20 CLR 509; [1915] HCA 56 General Steel Industries Inc v Commissioner for Railways (NSW) (1964) 112 CLR 125; [1964] HCA 69 Gilding v Eyre (1861) 10 CBNS 592 Goldsmith v Sperrings Ltd [1977] 1 WLR 478 Gordon v Treadwell Stacey Smith [1996] 3 NZLR 281; [1996] NZCA 110 Grainger v Hill (1838) 4 Bing (NC) 212; 132 ER 769 Hanrahan v Ainsworth (1985) 1 NSWLR 370 Hanrahan v Ainsworth (1990) 22 NSWLR 73 Ibrahimi v Commonwealth of Australia (2018) 366 ALR 341; [2018] NSWCA 321 Jago v District Court of New South Wales (1989) 168 CLR 23; [1989] HCA 46 Kable v New South Wales [2012] NSWCA 243; 268 FLR 1 Land Securities plc v Fladgate Fielder [2010] Ch 467; [2009] EWCA Civ 1402 Leerdam v Noori (2009) 255 ALR 553; [2009] NSWCA 90 Maxwell-Smith v S & E Hall Pty Ltd (2014) 86 NSWLR 481; [2014] NSWCA 146 Miller v Miller (2011) 242 CLR 446; [2011] HCA 9 Moubarak by his tutor Coorey v Holt [2019] NSWCA 102 O'Brien v Bank of Western Australia Ltd [2013] NSWCA 71; (2013) 16 BPR 31,705 Paradise Grove Pty Ltd v Stubberfield [2001] QCA 117 QIW Retailers Ltd v Felview Pty Ltd [1989] 2 Qd R 245 Simmons v NSW Trustee and Guardian [2014] NSWCA 405 Spautz v Williams [1983] 2 NSWLR 506 Spencer v The Commonwealth (2010) 241 CLR 118; [2010] HCA 28 Sullivan v Moody (2001) 207 CLR 562; [2001] HCA 59 The Beach Club Port Douglas Pty Ltd v Page [2006] 1 Qd R 307; [2005] QCA 475 Varawa v Howard Smith Co Ltd (1911) 13 CLR 35; [1911] HCA 46 Voth v Manildra Flour Mills Pty Ltd (1990) 171 CLR 538; [1990] HCA 55 Wickstead v Browne (1992) 30 NSWLR 1; [1992] NSWCA 272 Willers v Joyce [2018] AC 779; [2016] UKSC 43 Williams v Spautz (1992) 174 CLR 509; [1992] HCA 34 Texts Cited: RP Balkin and JLR Davis, Law of Torts (5th ed, 2013) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Paul Robert Burton (appellant) Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (respondent) Representation: Counsel: Applicant (self-represented) E Chrysostomou (Respondent)