Batson and Ors and Batson

The proceeding involved applications for costs brought by the respondents, Batson and Ors, and Batson, following a decision by Rees J in the Supreme Court of Victoria. The specific nature of the underlying dispute that led to these cost applications was not detailed in the provided text.

The central legal issue before Rees J was whether the respondents were entitled to an award of costs in relation to the proceedings. This required the Court to consider the general principles governing the award of costs in litigation and any specific circumstances that might justify or preclude such an award.

Rees J dismissed the applications for costs. While the reasons for this dismissal are not elaborated in the provided text, the outcome indicates that the Court found no grounds to depart from the usual rule or that specific circumstances weighed against an order for costs in favour of the respondents. The final orders reflect the Court's decision to leave the parties to bear their own costs.