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Martin v. Moy Contractors Ltd. [1999] IESC 26 (11th February, 1999)
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[1999] IESC 26
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Martin v. Moy Contractors Ltd. [1999] IESC 26 (11th February, 1999)
THE
SUPREME COURT
Record
No. 113 & 187 of 1998
O’Flaherty
J.
Murphy
J.
Lynch
J.
BETWEEN
GERARD
MARTIN
Plaintiff
AND
MOY
CONTRACTORS LIMITED, AUGUSTINE TREACY
JOSEPH
TREACY, SEAN TREACY TREFORM LIMITED,
THOMAS
GARLAND AND PARTNERS, FRANK HUGHES
TRADING
AS HUGHES INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING
AND
PROJECTS, AND DE BEERS INDUSTRIAL DIAMOND
DIVISION
(IRELAND) LIMITED
Defendants
JUDGMENT
delivered the 11th day of February 1999 by Lynch J. [Nem. Diss.]
1. In
this case two appeals came before the Supreme Court and were argued on the same
day one after the other. The first appeal No. 113 of 1998 was by the plaintiff
against an order of the High Court (Morris P.) made on the 30th of March 1998
whereby the plaintiffs claim against the sixth defendant (hereafter
-2-
2. Garlands)
was struck out with costs against the plaintiff on foot of a Motion by Garlands
dated the 3rd of February 1998 seeking orders dismissing the plaintiff’s
claim against them for want of prosecution.
3. The
second appeal No. 187 of 1998 was by the eighth defendant (hereafter de Beers)
against the refusal by the High Court (Shanley J.) by an order made on the 8th
of May 1998 on foot of a motion by De Beers of the 15th of January 1998 to set
aside an earlier order of the High Court (Laffoy J.) made on the 10th of
November 1997 renewing the plenary summons so as to enable the same to be
served on de Beers. I shall deal with the two appeals in the same order as
mentioned above namely the plaintiffs appeal against the order obtained by
Garlands first and thereafter de Beers appeal against the refusal of their
application to set aside the renewal of the plenary summons.
The
Factual Background in Garlands Case
4. The
plaintiff claims that he suffered injuries to his left foot on the 11th of
August 1988 in an accident which happened in the course of his work. It appears
that the plaintiff was employed by the seventh defendant on some form of
construction works in premises situate at Shannon County Clare owned by De
Beers in respect of which works Garlands were consulting engineers.
5. The
plaintiff appears to have consulted his solicitors about April of 1991. They
wrote a preliminary letter of claim on the 2nd of July 1991 to Garlands and the
other defendants. They issued a plenary summons against the eight
-3-
defendants
on the 30th July 1991 that is to say some eleven days or so before the statute
of limitations would have run against the plaintiffs claim. Service of the
plenary summons was effected in January 1992 on Garlands’ solicitors who
had undertaken to accept such service and enter an appearance and they duly
entered an appearance on the 21st of January 1992. Nothing happened thereafter
for over 18 months whereupon Garlands’ solicitors in September 1993
issued a motion to dismiss the plaintiff’s action as against them for
want of prosecution by reason of the plaintiffs failure to deliver a statement
of claim. By order of the 18th of November 1993 an extension of two weeks was
granted to the plaintiff to deliver a statement of claim and on the 25th of
November 1993 the statement of claim was delivered to Garlands’ solicitors.
6. The
statement of claim was vague. It did not disclose who was the plaintiff’s
employer or what were the functions and involvement of the various defendants
in connection with the plaintiff and the works. The statement of claim gave
particulars of negligence against each defendant. The first seven particulars
that is to say subparagraphs (a) to (g) inclusive were identical in relation to
each defendant and were as follows:-
“(a)
failing to provide a safe place of work.
(b)
failing to provide a safe system of work.
-4-
(c)
failing to provide proper training.
(d)
failing to provide proper supervision.
(e)
failing to provide a sufficient number of competent employees.
(f)
failing to heed the complaints of previous employees including the plaintiff in
relation to provision of an adequate number of employees.
(g)
failing to comply with the provisions of the Factories Acts 1955 and the Safety
Act 1989 as amended and the regulations made there under.”
7. As
against Garlands the particulars of negligence continued as follows:-
(h)
failing to supervise the work.
-5-
(i)
failing to ensure that proper excavation work was carried out and to provide a
representative on site.
(j)
failing to provide a clerk of works.
(k)
failing to ensure that the work was carried out in a proper manner.
(1)
failing to ensure that pit walls would not slide down into an excavated site.
(m)
the
plaintiff reserves the right to adduce further particulars after
discovery.”
8. Not
surprisingly Garlands’ solicitors served a notice for particulars on the
17th of January 1994 seeking
inter
alia
information
as to the plaintiff’s employers and as to the circumstances of the
accident. Once again silence descended. Eventually the plaintiff’s
solicitors wrote to Garlands’ solicitors on the 15th September 1997
enclosing a notice of intention to proceed dated the 9th of September 1997
almost four years since their last step in the action namely the delivery of a
statement of claim on the 25th of November 1993. On
-6-
the
22nd of December 1997 the plaintiff’s solicitors replied to
Garlands’ notice for particulars of the 1 7th of January 1994 namely four
years less one month after the Notice for Particulars. It then transpired that
Mr. Michael Ledwidge a partner in Garlands had died on the 26th of May 1997
almost nine years after the accident the subject matter of these proceedings
and almost six years after the commencement of the proceedings.
9. In
paragraphs six and seven of the said replies to the notice for particulars the
plaintiff alleged:-
“(6)
The plaintiff claims that (Garlands) failed in its duty of care by inadequate
inspections on site and failure to ensure the working environment was safe for
the purposes of excavation mining and earth works.
(7)
The plaintiff claims (Garlands) owed him a duty of care including statutory
duty to ensure adequate inspection and to ensure the system of excavation and
earth works.
Garlands’
solicitors then issued the motion which gives rise to this appeal in February
1998 seeking
-7
“(1)
An order dismissing the plaintiff’s claim herein for want of prosecution,
or
(2)
An order dismissing the plaintiff’s claim for want of expeditious
prosecution and as a consequence whereof (Garlands) has been irrevocably
prejudiced in its capacity to defend the plaintiff’s claim.”
10. This
motion was grounded on an affidavit sworn on the 26th of January 1998 by John
Coakley another partner in Garlands, in paragraphs 3 and 6 of which he says
inter
alia:
-
“(3)....
In this statement of claim the particulars of negligence against the defendants
are in very general terms and there are no specific allegations of negligence
against our firm. In order to clarify the plaintiff’s case against our
firm I say that on the 17th of January 1994 a notice for particulars was sent
by our solicitors to the solicitors for the plaintiff and a reply thereto was
not received until receipt of a letter from the plaintiff’s solicitors
dated the 2nd of December 1997. The partner who oversaw and was responsible for
the project in question being intimately involved in same was Mr. Michael
Ledwidge who died on the 26th day of May 1997 and
-8-
I
beg to refer to a copy of his Death Certificate upon which marked with the
letter A I have endorsed my name prior to the swearing hereof. Thus the person
who was vital in relation to answering the two specific allegations of
negligence set out in the said reply and preparing our defence thereto was
unavailable to us as a result of the delay on the part of the plaintiff
(6)
I submit to this honourable court that as a consequence of the delay of nine
years on the part of the plaintiff to prosecute his claim in respect of an
accident which allegedly took place on the 11th day of August 1988 the
plaintiff is guilty of inexcusable and inordinate delay. I say further that
such delay has prejudiced the sixth named defendant to the extent that for the
reason given herein a fair trial is no longer possible. I further believe and
say that the reason for the aforesaid prejudice to the sixth named defendants
ability to defend the plaintiff’s proceedings herein is a direct
consequence of the failure on the part of the plaintiff to prosecute his cause
of action herein with reasonable diligence and expedition.”
-9-
11. The
plaintiffs solicitor swore a replying affidavit on the 23rd of March 1998 in
which he says at paragraphs 8 to 11 inclusive as follows:-
“(8)
I say and believe that no motion to compel the plaintiff to reply to
particulars was brought to my attention during the period from the 17th of
January 1994 to the 2nd of December 1997.
(9)
I say and believe that a member of my office who had been dealing with this
file transferred from the litigation section to the conveyancing section and
the file was misplaced for a considerable period of time.
(10)
I say and believe that once the file was located I filed a notice of intention
to proceed which was dated the 9th of December (recte September) 1997 to be
served on the defendant.
(11)
I refute the suggestion contained in the affidavit herein before referred to
(Garlands) has been grossly and irrevocably prejudiced in its ability to file a
defence to the claim or that they cannot adduce evidence to the effect that the
plaintiff
-
10 -
did
not suffer or sustain the loss or damage which he allegedly suffered and
sustained.”
12. Nowhere
is it denied in this affidavit that Michael Ledwidge died in May 1997 or that
he was the partner in Garlands’ dealing with the works in question.
Moreover it should be noted that in the preliminary letter of claim of the 2nd
of July 1991 Michael Ledwidge is named as the sixth defendant and Garlands are
named as the seventh defendant. When it came to draft the proceedings the
partnership Garlands was correctly sued as such and it was not necessary to
name Michael Ledwidge individually. However, the fact that Michael Ledwidge was
individually named in the letter of claim confirmed that he was the member of
the partnership in charge of Garlands involvement in the works. In these
circumstances it is difficult to understand the basis for paragraph 11 of the
plaintiff’s solicitor’s affidavit.
The
High Court Judgment
13. As
I have said Garlands’ motion to dismiss came before Morris P. on the 30th
of March 1998. He delivered an ex tempore judgment and counsel for both parties
have agreed a note of a judgment which has been approved by the learned
President on the 20th of July 1998. The judgment reads as follows:-
-11-
“The
judge stated that although there are rare circumstances in which he felt
compelled to dismiss a claim for want of prosecution, this was a case in which
significant prejudice had been suffered by (Garlands). He stated that there had
been significant delay in the prosecution of this case. Firstly, there was the
delay prior to the issuing of the writ and he stated that the first letter
bringing the accident to the attention of (Garlands) was not until the 2nd of
July 1991. Secondly, he stated that the motion to dismiss for want of
prosecution in 1993 should have had the effect of bestirring the plaintiff to
move the case on. Thirdly, he felt that the delay in replying to the notice for
particulars was appalling and inexcusable. The judge then stated that although
he may in some cases be able to live with slowness, the fact that this slowness
was coupled with a side by side element of prejudice due to the death of Mr.
Ledwidge the managing partner who could answer the claim. He felt obliged to
strike out the case as a result of the ensuing two if not three elements of
gross delay and resulting prejudice.
-
12-
The
Submissions
Counsel
for the plaintiff submitted that Garlands were content to let sleeping dogs die
so far as the replies to their notice for particulars were concerned and they
could not complain of the delay in replying when they had not brought any
motion to compel the delivery of reply. He also submitted that there may be
other partners or employees of Garlands who could deal with the case in place
of Mr. Ledwidge.
Counsel
for Garlands submitted that when the plaintiff as in this case delays
commencing his proceedings until the Statute of Limitations has almost run
there is an added onus on him to prosecute his action expeditiously. In
delaying for years he must take the risk that circumstances may give rise to a
particular prejudice to one or more defendant as in this case to Garlands by
the death of Mr. Ledwidge. In any event the mere passing of over ten years
since the accident happened inevitably causes prejudice to all parties in that
witnesses are put at a great disadvantage in trying to recollect events so long
passed.
Counsel
in the course of their submissions referred to the following authorities:-
-
13-
Celtic
Ceramics Ltd and Others v. The Industrial Development Authority and Kenneth
Hunt,
High
Court 9th September 1992 reported at [1993] ILRM 248 and
Supreme
Court Unreported 4th February 1993.
Sheehan v. Amond
[1982]
IR 235
and Hogan & Ors v. Jones, Edmonds and G. & T. Crampton Limited
[1994]
1 ILRM 512 at p.519
Conclusions
It
is manifest from the foregoing summary of the facts that there has been both
inordinate and inexcusable delay on the part of the plaintiff in the
prosecution of this claim. That being so an inference of prejudice by the mere
dimming of the recollection of witnesses on events so long ago must arise. In
this case there is added the specific prejudice caused by the death of Mr.
Ledwidge on the 26th of May 1997 and this prejudice is challenged only in the
most general and unconvincing terms in paragraph 11 of the plaintiff’s
solicitors affidavit quoted above.
The
High Court has a measure of discretion in these applications to dismiss actions
for want of prosecution. Provided that the High Court decision is within the
limits of reasonable discretion this court should not interfere with it. In
this case the learned President gave a reasoned judgment and his reasoning is
clearly valid. His decision naturally follows from such reasoning
-
14 -
and
is also therefore clearly valid. There is, accordingly, no basis on which this
court should interfere with the judgment of the learned President save that I
would order that the plaintiff’s action against Garlands should be
dismissed for want of prosecution and not merely struck out.
One
further point was raised by the court. On the 12th of January 1998 a letter was
written on behalf of the second, third, fourth and fifth defendants claiming
indemnity against Garlands. The court queried whether those defendants should
have been served with the motion to dismiss as well as the plaintiff. The
plaintiff did not make any submissions in relation to this query. Counsel for
Garlands submitted that the Motion to dismiss for want of prosecution was a
matter between them and the plaintiff and should not require the incurring of
added costs by serving other parties not directly involved.
He
also submitted that in any event if the second, third, fourth and/or fifth
defendants established any fault against Garlands they would be entitled to
avail of that finding as against the plaintiff by way of an appropriate
reduction of his damages pursuant to
section 35 of the
Civil Liability Act
1961. Without deciding the point I believe that that is probably correct and in
any event the issue as to whether or not the plaintiff’s action against
Garland’s should be dismissed for want of prosecution is primarily a
matter between those parties.
-
15-
I
now come to deal with the plaintiff’s case against de Beers and the
appeal by de Beers against the refusal by the High Court to set aside the
renewal of the plenary summons as against them.
The
Factual Background
I
have already set out the date of the accident the 11th of August 1988: the date
of the preliminary letter of claim the 2nd of July 1991 and the date of the
issue of the plenary summons the 30th of July 1991. Following the issue of the
plenary summons de Beers’ insurers the Hibernian Insurance Company
Limited nominated Messrs. Corrigan & Corrigan, Solicitors to accept service
of the plenary summons and so informed the plaintiff’s solicitors on the
6th of December 1991. Some correspondence passed between the plaintiff’s
solicitors and de Beers’ insurers ending with a letter dated the 9th of
December 1991 from the plaintiff’s solicitors to the insurers enclosing
copies of the plaintiff’s medical reports.
The
plenary summons was not served on Corrigan & Corrigan following this
correspondence and accordingly no further action was required by de Beers their
insurers or their solicitors all of whose files relating to the matter no doubt
remained dormant if not eventually becoming dead.
-
16-
However
the plaintiff’s solicitors sent a letter on the 15th of September 1997 to
Corrigan & Corrigan enclosing a notice of Intention to Proceed dated the
9th of September 1997. Corrigan & Corrigan could find no file relating to
the case and accordingly wrote on the 19th of September 1997 to the
plaintiff’s solicitors for information as to the case and who they
(Corrigan & Corrigan) represented. As a result of this inquiry the
plaintiff’s solicitor discovered that they had never served the plenary
summons on de Beers or Corrigan & Corrigan and they sought consent to an
extension of time within which to do so. This was almost six years since
Corrigan & Corrigan had been nominated to accept service on the 6th
December 1991 and over nine years since the date of the accident. The only
explanation offered by the plaintiff’s solicitors is that it was a
complete oversight on their part contributed to by the multiplicity of
defendants, they having served seven defendants and believing that they had
served all eight. Not surprisingly no consent to an extension of time or more
properly the renewal of the plenary summons was forthcoming.
On
the 10th of November 1997 the plaintiff applied ex parte to the High Court for
a renewal of the summons pursuant to Order 8 Rule 1 of the Rules of the
Superior Courts. That order was granted on that date and on the 15th of January
1998 de Beers solicitors served a motion pursuant to Order 8 Rule 2 to set
aside the renewal of the summons and that application was refused on the
-17-
8th
of May 1998. De Beer’s have appealed against that refusal which is the
matter now for decision by this court.
De
Beers’ application to set aside the order of the High Court renewing the
plenary summons was grounded on an affidavit sworn on the 8th of January 1998
by Jean Corrigan of Messrs. Corrigan & Corrigan and a further affidavit
sworn on the 26th of January 1998 by Eoin McMahon, Assistant Company Secretary
of De Beers in which he says as follows:-
“(3)
I say that I know nothing whatsoever other than what I have
been recently able to ascertain
about the circumstances surrounding this accident and I have discussed the
matter with the personnel manager and he in turn knows nothing whatsoever about
this accident.”
(4)
I say that (de Beers) is extraordinarily prejudiced by the delay in relation to
this matter since it is now going to be extremely difficult to try and
investigate this accident for the purposes of defending this action which
occurred so very long ago.
-
18-
(5)
Further it is clear that any party that may have a knowledge in relation to
this matter will be relying upon their memory of what took place nearly ten
years ago on the 11th August 1988. In those circumstances I say and believe and
have been informed by my legal advisers that it would be inequitable to allow
the plaintiff continue his claim against (de Beers) in the circumstances which
have been outlined above.
(6)
Not only have the insurers destroyed their file in relation to this matter but
the formal record of the accident in de Beers’ accident report book.
14. Regarding
the averrment in paragraph 6 just quoted it is not clear to me that the
insurers have destroyed their files: they wrote a letter dated the 21st of
November 1997 to Corrigan and Corrigan saying that “the brokers advise
that their records have been destroyed”. Nowhere is there any statement
by the insurers that they have destroyed their records and that they no longer
have in their possession the correspondence between July and December 1991
including the plaintiff’s medical reports which were enclosed with the
plaintiff’s solicitor’s letter of the 9th of December 1991.
-
19 -
15. In
a replying affidavit sworn on the 7th of May 1998 by the plaintiffs solicitor
he first says at paragraphs 7 and 8 that there were great difficulties in
serving the various defendants but it appears from these very same paragraphs
that all the defendants except the seventh named defendant nominated solicitors
to accept service so that it is nonsense to be trying to rely on difficulties
in effecting service to excuse the extraordinary delay in relation to serving
de Beers. However, at paragraphs 9, 10, 11, 12 and 18 the plaintiffs solicitor
says:
“(9)
Unfortunately due to an oversight it was believed that the plenary summons had
been served on the solicitor for de Beers. Unfortunately this was not the case.
(10)
However, at this point both (de Beers) and (de Beers) insurance company had
received letters and copy medical reports detailing the nature of the
plaintiff’s accident and his injuries.
(11)
It should also be said that I am instructed that the plaintiff’s employer
reported the accident at the time it occurred to representatives of both the
first and eight named defendants (de Beers). In that regard I say and am
instructed that the plaintiff’s
-
20 -
employer
namely the second named defendant wrote to the first named defendant about the
accident on the 11th of August 1988 and he received a reply dated the 22nd of
August 1988. I beg to refer to a copy of the aforementioned reply upon which
marked with the letter G, K, 3 1 sign my name prior to the swearing thereof I
am also instructed that both the accident and the question of insurance was
discussed with representatives of the first and eight named defendants (de
Beers) at a site meeting that took place after the accident. I say that minutes
of the site meeting were kept and I beg to refer to a copy of the minutes of
the site meeting of the 31st of August 1988 in minutes dated the 7th of
September 1988 at which the plaintiff’s accident was inter alia
discussed. I beg to refer to a copy of the aforementioned minutes dated the 7th
day of September 1988 upon which marked with the letter GK4 I sign my name
prior to the swearing hereof and in particular to paragraph No. 10 titled
insurances wherein there is a reference to my accident. I say that at this
stage my employer had written to the first named defendant about the accident
that he had received a reply by letter dated the 22nd of August 1988 which
appears at Exhibit GK3.
-21-
(12)
I say and am instructed by the plaintiff that no direct employee of de Beers
actually witnessed the accident although I am instructed that medical staff did
arrive after the accident and provided some initial bandaging and strapping and
medical treatment for the plaintiff I say and am instructed that two employees
of (de Beers) namely two gentlemen called Mr. Borge and Mr. William Roche were
frequently involved in site decisions at (de Beers) premises and that this is
reflected in the aforementioned minutes of the site meeting. I say and am
instructed that the aforementioned Mr. Roche worked in the design office of(de
Beers) and was in fact a long-term employee of theirs and has been working for
(de Beers) in 1979 when works had previously being carried out at (de Beers)
premises. I say that I am instructed by the plaintiff that it is quite likely
that (de Beers) would keep maps and drawings relation to the pits where the
work was being carried out. This is because the aforementioned maps and
drawings would be necessary in the event that excavation works or engineering
works would ever have to be carried out at the premises in the future i.e. to
replace the existing pits.
-22-
(18)
1 now beg to refer to the affidavit of Eoin McMahon sworn on the 27th day of
January 1998 when produced. In particular / beg to refer to paragraph 3 of the
aforementioned affidavit. I say that Mr. McMahon does not outline what he has
been able to ascertain about the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Secondly, I say that given the nature of the accident and the fact that there
were no witnesses of the accident who were employed by de Beers and given the
fact that plaintiff himself is not an employee of de Beers that it is not
surprising that their personnel manager is not aware of the matter. I say that
it is not clear at this stage that (de Beers) has been inevitably prejudiced by
the delay in the matter and I would submit that same would be more properly
ascertained following discovery and more at the trial of the action.”
The
High Court Judgment
16. The
learned high Court judge delivered an ex tempore judgment on the 8th of May
1998. A note of the judgment has been prepared and agreed by junior counsel for
both parties. It had not been approved by the learned High Court judge before
his sudden tragic death within a few months of delivering the judgment. This
court is satisfied to accept the note prepared and approved
-23-
by
counsel as a satisfactory and accurate note of the judgment. I quote from the
substance of the judgment
“On
the 10th October 1997 Messrs. Keans indicate to Corrigan & Corrigan that
they proposed issuing a notice to proceed then the penny dropped that they
hadn’t served (De Beers) but had served the others, they say purely and
simply they made a mistake. The plenary summons was issued just 11 days before
the limitation period. It is that factual matrix against which I must decide
pursuant to Order 8 Rule 1 to renew the summons. I have jurisdiction where I am
satisfied that reasonable efforts to serve were made or for other good reasons.
The first jurisdiction does not apply so I must determine whether there is any
other good reason. Looking at it from the point of view of (de Beers)
undoubtedly there was some considerable substantial delay in prosecuting this
claim it is coming up to the 10th Anniversary. The defendant and solicitor have
no file, they did not it seems obtain any statements while they have an account
of the accident from a letter dated the 2nd of July 1991, they did not choose
to get any further information. While the affidavit recites an extraordinary
delay the reasons for this prejudice are not set out.
-
24 -
What
about Mr. Borge and Mr. Roche? What other inquiries have been made and come up
with a dead end? It is quite possible that a lengthy delay can occur in any
case. I am not unduly impressed with the claim of prejudice made by the
defendant. It is indicated that de Beers and Hibernian have closed their file.
There is no evidence that the accident was investigated or destruction of
records showed a huge prejudice. A bland assertion is not evidence of
prejudice. I am not particularly moved by the suggestion of prejudice by the
defendant in the absence of the defendant particularising the prejudice. There
is no indication that the plaintiff’s conduct caused the defendant to
believe the plaintiff had abandoned his claim this is no where averred so the
destruction of files was not on foot of any indication by plaintiff that it
(was) abandoning its claim. The plaintiff’s solicitors come in and tell
the court candidly and say that it was overlooked that the plenary summons was
not served upon (de Beers). If I refuse to renew the plenary summons the
statute of imitations will defeat the plaintiff’s claim against de Beers.
That reason alone is not enough in itself to entitle the plaintiff to
automatically have the plenary summons renewed. However, the combination of the
statute having run the correspondence threatening litigation
-25-
within
the limitation period and the fact of eight defendants outweighs the assertion
of prejudice to (de Beers). In the other cases there was not a multiplicity of
defendants. The failure to serve was
bona
fide
and genuine in this case that defendant not misled that proceedings abandoned
and not satisfied by any grounds to persuade me that more prejudice caused the
defendant. I dismiss the motion that seeks to set aside the renewal of the
summons.
“As
a footnote I might add that if it transpires upon the investigation of the
matter that this defendant is materially prejudiced by for example the death of
witnesses or whatever that it may be entitled to bring a motion to dismiss the
plaintiff’s claim for want of prosecution or plead in defence and seek a
preliminary issue and rely on actual examples of prejudice.”
The
Submissions
17. Counsel
for De Beers submitted that there is no question of reasonable effort to serve
the plenary summons on de Beers having being made in this case. Consequently to
be entitled to a renewal of the plenary summons the
-
26 -
plaintiff
must show ‘other good reason’. Mere carelessness or inadvertence
cannot constitute good reason nor the fact that the Statute of Limitations has
run. The mere lapse of time since the accident in this case gives rise to a
presumption of prejudice.
18. Counsel
for the plaintiff submitted that no specific or any real prejudice has been
shown by de Beers by reason of the delay. In those circumstances the fact that
the statute of limitations will have run if the plenary summons was not
renewed, coupled with the absence of any specific prejudice and notice to de
Beers shortly after the accident and the furnishing of the plaintiff’s
medical report is sufficient good reason to entitle the plaintiff to a renewal.
19. Counsel
in the course of their submissions referred to
Baulk
v. Irish National Insurance Company Limited
[1969]
IR 66
:
McCooey v. The Minister for Finance
[1971]
IR 159
;
Roche v. Clayton & Ors.
[1998]
1 IR 596
;
O’Brien v. Fahy
(Supreme
Court 21st March 1997).
Conclusions
20. The
mere lapse of time in this case, now ten and a half years since the accident,
gives rise to a general presumption of some prejudice by the dimming of
memories of witnesses of the events. However, in this case de Beers had no
actual witnesses to the accident. It was reported to them promptly and while
they no longer have an accident book they should have minutes of site
-
27 -
meetings
and if they have not they can easily obtain them from the plaintiff or by
discovery. I think it would be wrong to say that mere oversight or inadvertence
or carelessness can never be excused as amounting to “other good
reason”: for example where the plenary summons may have expired in the
recent past. In the present case de Beers have not shown any specific prejudice
whatever. So far as the measure of damages is concerned if the plaintiff should
succeed in his action de Beers and the other defendants should surely
co-operate with each other and rely on the same medical evidence rather than
calling numerous doctors to say the same thing quite unnecessarily.
21. As
I said in Garland’s case above, the learned High court judge has a
measure of discretion in these sort of matters and so long as he does not
exceed the bounds of that discretion his decision should not be interfered
with. In this case I am satisfied that the learned High Court judge was
entitled to take the view of the case which in fact he adopted and I would
accordingly dismiss this appeal.
© 1999 Irish Supreme Court
