Procter v Kalivis
[2009] FCA 1518
At a glance
Source factsCourt
Federal Court of Australia
Decision date
1997-05-26
Before
Harper J, Besanko J
Source
Original judgment source is linked above.
Judgment (11 paragraphs)
REASONS FOR JUDGMENT 1 By application dated 19 June 2009, the applicants in this proceeding sought preliminary discovery from the respondents. The application was made under O 15A r 6 of the Federal Court Rules ("Rules"). That rule is in the following terms: "Where:
(a) there is reasonable cause to believe that the applicant has or may have the right to obtain relief in the Court from a person whose description has been ascertained; (b) after making all reasonable inquiries, the applicant has not sufficient information to enable a decision to be made whether to commence a proceeding in the Court to obtain that relief; and (c) there is reasonable cause to believe that that person has or is likely to have or has had or is likely to have had possession of any document relating to the question whether the applicant has the right to obtain the relief and that inspection of the document by the applicant would assist in making the decision; the Court may order that that person shall make discovery to the applicant of any document of the kind described in paragraph (c)." 2 On 25 June 2009, I made a number of orders including the following order: "In the event that the Respondents determine to consent to the Application in full or in part, the Respondents are to make discovery of those categories of documents within the Application to which they consent on or before Thursday 6 August 2009." 3 The respondents filed and served an Amended List of Documents on 14 October 2009 ("List of Documents"). The respondents had filed and served a List of Documents on 7 August 2009, but it is the List of Documents filed and served on 14 October 2009 which is the relevant document. 4 The respondents consented to the applicants' application, save and except as to documents "generated" after November 2006. The List of Documents contains the following statement: "Pursuant to order 3 made on 25 June 2009, the Respondents make discovery in part the said part being all documents within their possession, custody or power (or within the possession, custody or power or one or more of them) described in the Application except as to documents generated after the end of November 2006 …" 5 The applicants have issued an Amended Notice of Motion ("Motion") in which they seek the following orders, relevantly: "1. The Applicants be granted leave to cross-examine each of the First, Third and Fourth Respondents on their respective Affidavits sworn on 14 October 2009 verifying the discovery of the Respondents. 2. The Respondents make further and better discovery in terms of the Applicants' Amended Notice of Motion dated 19 June 2009. 3. The Respondents produce the documents identified and described in Part 2 of Schedule 1 of the Respondents' Amended List of Documents filed 14 October 2009, pursuant to Order 15A rule 10 of the Federal Court Rules. 4. The Respondents make discovery of and produce for inspection the records and files of Perks Chartered Accountants in respect of their review of the Bayview Apartments joint venture including all documents. 4.1 provided by each or any of the Respondents to Perks Chartered Accountants; 4.2 recording or evidencing instructions provided by each or any of the Respondents to Perks Chartered Accountants, pursuant to Order 15 rule 8 and Order 15A rule 10 of the Federal Court Rules." 6 These reasons deal with this Motion. 7 The List of Documents follows the form of Form 22 of the Rules and is divided into three sections, being Schedule 1 Part 1, Schedule 1 Part 2 and Schedule 2. The List is verified by a short affidavit from each respondent. The first respondent has verified the List of Documents on behalf of himself and on behalf of the second respondent. He is the sole director of the second respondent. 8 Schedule 1 Part 1 contains 136 documents or classes of documents said to be in the respondents' possession, custody or power. 9 Schedule 1 Part 2 contains one class of document, which is described in the following way: "Computer records of Perks Accountants generated since some date in April 2009 being partly prepared financial analysis of the 2001 purchase of the Bayview Complex and subsequent sale of all Strata Units, the Reception area and the rear land and an analysis of the income and expenditure during that period." 10 The List of Documents contains a statement to the effect that the class of documents described in Schedule 1 Part 2 is privileged on the ground that the documents were prepared for the dominant purpose of anticipated legal proceedings. 11 Schedule 2 contains five classes of documents which the respondents state they have had, but do not now have, in their possession, custody or power. The List of Documents describes the five classes of documents in the following way: "1. Primary records (other than Minutes of Meeting) of the management of the Baview [sic] Apartments Complex which records were last on [sic] the possession custody or control of the Respondents (or of any [sic] them) in or about August 2007 and which were disposed of at or about that time. 2. Booking Books 3. Receipt Books 4. Booking Slips prior to March 2005 5. Small Desk Diary - This Diary was last seen in the Bayview Office in late 2005 or early 2006." 12 The respondents' statement as to when they parted with the documents and what has become of them is as follows: "(a) The documents in Item 1 of Schedule 2 were last in the First Respondent's possession, custody or power on about August 2007; The documents in Items 2 and 3 of Schedule 2 were last seen in the Bayview Office (Unit 31) in 2006. The documents in Item 4 were last seen in the Bayview Office in 2005. The document in Item 5 was last seen in the Bayview Office in late 2005 or early 2006. (b) The documents in Item 1 of Schedule 2 were disposed of in about August 2007. The Respondents do not know what has become of the documents in Items 2, 3, 4 and 5 of Schedule 2." 13 The order which the applicants seek in paragraph 1 of the Motion relates to the five classes of documents described in Schedule 2. They seek to cross-examine the respondents about the documents they (the respondents) have had but do not now have in their possession, custody or power. I have reached the conclusion that it is not appropriate to make an order for cross-examination at this stage. However, it is appropriate to order that the respondents each file a further affidavit providing a better statement of when they parted with the documents and what has become of them. 14 The order which the applicants seek in paragraph 2 of the Motion was particularised prior to, and then during, the submissions, by the identification by the applicant of six categories or classes of documents which, they submit, should be the subject of an order for further and better discovery. There is power in the Court to order a party giving discovery to file a further affidavit of discovery. That is part of the power to order that a party provide an affidavit of discovery in the first place. However, I have concluded that there is no power in O 15A to make the type of order which may be made under O 15 r 8. There is no equivalent of O 15 r 8 in O 15A and, in my opinion, there is no sufficient reason to conclude that O 15A incorporates the power in O 15 r 8. The order which the applicants seek in paragraph 4 of the Motion is of a similar nature to the order sought in paragraph 2. For reasons I will give, I think the respondents' affidavit of discovery is insufficient in so far as it does not discover documents in the possession, custody or power of the respondents which meet the description of the six categories or classes of document identified by the applicants and the description in paragraph 4 of the Motion. A further affidavit of discovery should be provided by each respondent on this ground. 15 The order which the applicants seek in paragraph 3 of the Motion is an order for production. I have concluded that privilege has been waived and the documents described in Schedule 1 Part 2 should be produced. I will make an order for production. 16 Before explaining my reasons for reaching these conclusions, it is necessary to summarise very briefly the nature of the applicants' proposed claim.