The plaintiff, Sujatha Chandrasekaran, commenced proceedings on 21 August 2019 when she filed a Statement of Claim against Kannan Navaratnem. In general terms, the Statement of Claim alleged that the defendant was responsible for the provision of confidential information to others, to the detriment of the plaintiff.
The Statement of Claim claimed damages for a breach of confidence, inducing a breach of contract, unlawful interference in trade, conspiracy and harassment. The statement of claim claimed damages, including aggravated, exemplary, punitive and pecuniary damages, and injunctive relief with respect to ongoing activities.
That Statement of Claim was amended on 14 October 2019. Broadly, claims of the previous kind were maintained, except for a claim relating to harassment, which was removed.
By a Notice of Motion filed on 1 November 2019, the plaintiff sought summary judgment.
On 12 November 2019, the defendant filed a Notice of Appearance to the proceedings, and at the same time filed a Notice of Objection indicating that he, a resident of the United Kingdom, did not consent to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, and announced an intention to file an application to dismiss the proceedings.
On 11 December 2019, the defendant filed a Notice of Motion. It sought the following orders:
"1. An order pursuant to r 11.6 of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 or s 67 of the Civil Procedure Act 2005 that the proceedings be permanently stayed on the basis of forum non conveniens.
In the event that the Court does not grant the order sought in prayer 1,
2. An order pursuant to r 13.4 of the UCPR, that the proceedings be dismissed on the basis that they are frivolous and vexatious.
3. Alternatively, an order pursuant to r 14.28 of the UCPR that the amended statement of claim be struck out.
4. Plaintiff to pay the costs of the notice of motion.
5. Plaintiff to pay the costs of the proceedings"
There are seven affidavits relied upon for this Motion: three by Ms Chandrasekaran in November 2019, January 2020, and July 2021; and four by the solicitor for the defendant, Ms Breannon Bailey, three in 2019 and one in 2021.
In addition, the defendant has filed and served written submissions in February 2020 and October 2021, setting out all of his arguments with respect to the orders which he seeks.
The defendant's Notice of Motion was listed for hearing before Adamson J on 18 February 2020. The plaintiff, who was represented by counsel at that time, sought an adjournment of the proceedings essentially on the basis that there was a related case before Button J (being a proceeding brought by the plaintiff against the Western Sydney Local Health District t/as Westmead Hospital). At the time of the hearing before Adamson J, those proceedings were then part‑heard and were expected to resume on 30 March 2020 for a period of one week. It was expected that the hearing would conclude in that time.
Counsel informed Adamson J that if the plaintiff was unsuccessful before Button J, then the proceedings before her "will become futile and unnecessary". Counsel also informed her Honour that if the plaintiff was successful before Button J, then the damages which she claimed against the Western Sydney Local Health District would probably incorporate any damages recoverable in these proceedings.
Her Honour, for the reasons which she gave, adjourned the hearing of the defendant's Motion to the Registrar's list, and ordered the plaintiff to pay the defendant's costs thrown away by reason of the adjournment. Her Honour's reasons are to be found in Chandrasekaran v Navaratnem [2020] NSWSC 95.
On 29 July 2021, Button J delivered his judgment in the proceedings to which I have referred. His Honour dismissed the proceedings, ordering that there be a verdict and judgment for each of the defendants. His reasons are to be found in Chandrasekaran v Western Sydney Local Health District [2021] NSWSC 920.
Consistently with what Adamson J was told when this matter was adjourned, it appears that the plaintiff took the view that the maintenance of this suit was no longer appropriate because, on 15 September 2021, she filed a document electronically which purported to be a Notice of Discontinuance. The Notice did not have the consent of the defendant endorsed upon it, and the plaintiff did not have the leave of the Court to file the document.
In those circumstances, the document itself was inappropriately filed but, nevertheless, it can be taken from the fact that the plaintiff filed it that she did not at that time wish to maintain these proceedings.
The defendant's Notice of Motion has been fixed before me for hearing today. Last week, the Court was informed by email that the plaintiff was an in‑patient in hospital and would not be able to attend today. The plaintiff was informed that any application for adjournment needed to be supported by proper evidence setting out the basis for the plaintiff's inability to attend court.
On 8 November 2021, the plaintiff filed an affidavit which she had signed but which had not been witnessed. It recorded that she had been admitted to hospital on 28 October 2021 and remained an in-patient. She said that her condition, which was not anywhere described, was such that she could not participate in any hearings, including that listed today.
The plaintiff attached a medical certificate signed by a registrar at the Royal North Shore Hospital which recorded that the plaintiff had been an in-patient, presumably at that hospital, since 28 October 2021, that she remained an in-patient. It further recorded that "she will be unfit for work/school/usual activities from 28 October 2021 to ongoing".
In all but exceptional cases, a certificate such as this is wholly inadequate to justify the adjournment of a matter which has been listed for so long. However, one thing is plain and that is that the plaintiff is an in-patient at a hospital for some condition or other (which is unspecified) and cannot physically be present today.
The plaintiff was provided with an electronic link to enable her to connect into the virtual courtroom, but when the matter was called today the plaintiff had not connected; nor did she appear physically.
Ordinarily, I would not regard this as an adequate basis for an adjournment of a matter which has been listed for hearing in the circumstances in which I have described earlier. However, it seems to me that the plaintiff should be afforded one last chance to put on any submissions that she might wish in opposition to the defendant's Notice of Motion.
It will then be appropriate for the Court to determine the Motion without any further hearing by considering the matter solely on the papers that have been filed. In that way, the plaintiff will have an opportunity to put such arguments as she wishes before the Court and the Court will not require the parties to appear again and incur costs.
That way of proceeding best accords with the overriding purpose in s 56 of the Civil Procedure Act 2005.
[2]
Orders
I make the following orders:
1. Vacate the hearing of the defendant's Notice of Motion filed 11 December 2019 today.
2. Order that any further determination of the Motion take place on the papers and in Chambers.
3. Direct that, if the plaintiff wishes to file any further submissions in opposition to the relief sought in the defendant's Notice of Motion, then any such submissions should be filed and served by no later than 4pm, 26 November 2021.
4. Order the defendant to file and serve any submissions in reply to the plaintiff's submissions by 4pm, 3 December 2021.
5. Upon receipt of the last set of submissions, judgment in this matter will be reserved, and that judgment will be determined on the basis of all the papers which have been filed to date.
6. Reserve all questions of costs of and occasioned by the vacation of today's hearing date.
7. Grant both parties liberty to apply.
[3]
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Decision last updated: 09 November 2021