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Civil Procedure Notes...

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LLW4000 Civil Procedure 2020

Prepared by: Abdullahi Ahmed VICTORIA UNIVERSITY

WELCOME TO CIVIL PROCEDURE Table of Contents Some ground rules .....................................................................................................................................................7 Approach to this subject ..........................................................................................................................................7 Assessment at a snapshot: details on VU Collaborate ......................................................................................8 The role of procedural law in resolving disputes ...............................................................................................9 Courts & the adversary system in adjudicating disputes ................................................................................9 Tribunals and resolution of disputes ..................................................................................................................10 Some differences between courts and tribunals (not exhaustive) ................................................................11 Alternatives to litigation.........................................................................................................................................12 Why Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is preferred to litigation .......................................................12 The ADR Spectrum .................................................................................................................................................13 “Without Prejudice” settlement negotiations at common law .....................................................................14 The underpinnings of Civil Procedure ...............................................................................................................17 SESSION - 2 ..............................................................................................................................................................17 Overarching Obligations – Causes of Action – Limitation Periods ............................................................17 Terminology and Abbreviations: Legislation & Courts ...........................................................................................18 Rules of Court: ............................................................................................................................................................18 Rules are divided into orders, parts and rules .........................................................................................................18 Particular requirements before commencing litigation...........................................................................................19 The Civil Procedure Act 2010 (Vic) ............................................................................................................................19 Sections of the CPA relevant to commencement of proceedings and litigation generally .................................20 Making a Claim and Causes of Action ......................................................................................................................29 Limitation of Actions Act 1958 (Vic) ..........................................................................................................................31 “Long-stop” limitation periods for special cases involving claim for personal injuries or death ......................31 Postponed limitation periods for persons under disability ....................................................................................32 Parties ..........................................................................................................................................................................32 Supreme Court and County Court litigation flowchart ............................................................................................33 Page 1 of 137

Magistrates Court........................................................................................................................................................34 SESSSION – 3 ..............................................................................................................................................................35 Pre-action Processes – Jurisdiction & Forum – Originating Process – Service ..................................................35 Preliminary discovery: Order 32 SCR/CCR/MCR .....................................................................................................35 Pre-action orders or injunctions to protect interests ..............................................................................................36 Choice of jurisdiction and forum ...............................................................................................................................38 Forum ...........................................................................................................................................................................39 Choice of law ...............................................................................................................................................................39 Originating process in the Supreme Court and County Court ...............................................................................40 Originating process in the Magistrates Court ..........................................................................................................41 Money and debt claims...............................................................................................................................................42 Duration of originating process.................................................................................................................................43 Service .........................................................................................................................................................................43 Territorial (in personam) jurisdiction ........................................................................................................................43 Extra-territorial jurisdiction ........................................................................................................................................44 Service of originating process...................................................................................................................................44 Substituted service .....................................................................................................................................................47 Setting aside originating process served outside Australia service .....................................................................48 SESSION - 4 .................................................................................................................................................................49 Parties – Claims – Joinder – Res Judicata – Class Actions ...................................................................................49 Parties ..........................................................................................................................................................................49 Joinder of claims: Rule 9.01 (Order 9 SCR/CCR/MCR) ............................................................................................49 Joinder of parties: Order 9 SCR/CCR/MCR ..............................................................................................................50 Disallowance of joinder: Rule 9.04 SCR/CCR/MCR. ................................................................................................53 Addition, removal or substitution of party: Rule 9.06 SCR/CCR/MCR ...................................................................53 Non-party who wants to join: Rule 9.07(2) SCR/CCR/MCR .....................................................................................53 Consolidation of actions or trial together: Rule 9.12 SCR/CCR/MCR ....................................................................53 The Statement of Claim: Order 13 SCR/CCR and rule 13.01 MCR..........................................................................54 Appearance (SC/CC only): Order 8 SCR/CCR only ..................................................................................................54 Defence: Order 13 & 14 SCR/CCR and Rule 13.02 & Order 8 MCR ........................................................................56 Counterclaim: Order 10 SCR/CCR/MCR....................................................................................................................57

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Reply: Rule 14.05 SCR/CCR and rule 13.03 MCR .....................................................................................................57 Reply & Defence to Counterclaim: r.14.07 SCR/CCR & r.13.09 MCR .....................................................................57 Prior adjudication........................................................................................................................................................61 Group and representative proceedings ....................................................................................................................63 SESSION - 5 .................................................................................................................................................................64 Costs – Calderbank Offers – Offers of Compromise – Pre-litigation Offers – Notices to Admit .........................64 Costs: General principles...........................................................................................................................................64 Costs between parties under Parts 3 of Orders 63 SCR, Order 63A CCR & Order 63 MCR ................................65 Taxation (assessment) of costs between parties: Order 63 Part 5 SCR ................................................................67 Payment of costs ........................................................................................................................................................67 Solicitor’s entitlement to costs from client: Parts 6 Order 63 SCR, Order 63A and Order 63 MCR ....................68 Consequences of commencing a claim in the wrong court ...................................................................................68 The Bullock and Sanderson costs orders ................................................................................................................69 Negotiations, compromise and costs .......................................................................................................................72 How a Calderbank offer works...................................................................................................................................73 Circumstances where the court will exercise its discretion to award a different costs order ............................74 Offers of compromise under rules of court ..............................................................................................................75 Costs consequences of not accepting an offer of compromise: rules 26.08 SCR/CCR/MCR .............................76 Offers made prior to litigation: rules 26.08.1 SCR/CCR/MCR .................................................................................77 Notices to admit: Order 35 SCR/CCR/MCR...............................................................................................................78 SESSION - 6 .................................................................................................................................................................79 Defining Issues – The Drafting of Pleadings ............................................................................................................79 Defining issues and drafting pleadings ....................................................................................................................79 What are pleadings? ...................................................................................................................................................79 Functions of pleadings ...............................................................................................................................................79 General requirements of pleadings ...........................................................................................................................80 Amendment of pleadings ...........................................................................................................................................83 The rules as to contents of pleadings.......................................................................................................................84 Example of a simple statement of claim based on Marey’s case ...........................................................................91 Statement of Claim......................................................................................................................................................91 Particulars....................................................................................................................................................................92

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Requirements under the MCR....................................................................................................................................93 Rule 13.01

Statement of claim ......................................................................................................................93

Important considerations when drafting a statement of claim ...............................................................................93 Rule 13.02

Defence ........................................................................................................................................94

Important considerations when drafting a defence .................................................................................................95 Rule 13.03

Reply ....................................................................................................................................................96

Considerations whether to file a reply ......................................................................................................................96 General strategies in drafting pleadings ..................................................................................................................96 Consequences of shoddy or deficient pleadings ....................................................................................................97 Ethical considerations ................................................................................................................................................97 SESSION – 7 ................................................................................................................................................................98 Interlocutory applications – Affidavits – Discovery – Interrogatories – Subpoenas ............................................98 Applications, affidavits and interim relief .................................................................................................................98 Interlocutory applications (Order 46 SCR/CCR/MCR) .............................................................................................98 Affidavits (Order 43 SCR/CCR/MCR) .........................................................................................................................99 An affidavit should be confined to facts. ..................................................................................................................99 The rule against hearsay ..........................................................................................................................................100 Security for costs (Order 62 SCR/CCR/MCR) .........................................................................................................100 Injunctions (Order 38 SCR/CCR/MCR) ....................................................................................................................100 An injunction may be sought ex parte – rule 38.02 SCR/CCR/MCR. ....................................................................101 The Mareva injunction/order (common law) and Orders 37 & 37A SCR/CCR/MCR ............................................101 Some important features of applications for orders under Order 37 and 37A: ..................................................101 The Anton Piller injunction/order (common law) and Order 37B SCR/CCR/MCR...............................................102 Order 37B SCR/CCR/MCR ........................................................................................................................................102 Privilege, discovery, interrogatories and subpoenas............................................................................................103 Client legal privilege under the Evidence Act 2008 (Vic) ......................................................................................103 Ethical Conduct .........................................................................................................................................................104 Discovery: general principle ....................................................................................................................................105 Discovery & Inspection (Order 29 SCR/CCR/MCR)................................................................................................105 General principle .......................................................................................................................................................105 Scope of discovery ...................................................................................................................................................106

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The discovery and inspection process ...................................................................................................................106 Inspection of documents referred to in court documents ....................................................................................107 Retention and destruction of documents ...............................................................................................................107 Sanctions for failure to provide discovery/inspection in court rules ..................................................................108 Discovery under Part 4.3 of the Civil Procedure Act 2010 ....................................................................................108 55B

Affidavit of document management ............................................................................................................108

55C

Order for oral examination ...........................................................................................................................108

56

Court may order sanctions............................................................................................................................109

57

Cross-examination regarding discovery obligations ..................................................................................109

Interrogatories ...........................................................................................................................................................109 Service of interrogatories.........................................................................................................................................110 Answering interrogatories ..................................................................................