Croker v Deputy Registrar of the High Court

Case [2002] FCA 1117


FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Croker v Deputy Registrar of the High Court [2002] FCA 1117

CLAYTON ROBERT CROKER v DEPUTY REGISTRAR OF THE HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA and GEORGE CHALLONER

N 1402 of 2001

BEAUMONT J
10 SEPTEMBER 2002
SYDNEY

IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

NEW SOUTH WALES DISTRICT REGISTRY

N1402 OF 2001

ON APPLICATION FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL

BETWEEN:

CLAYTON ROBERT CROKER
APPLICANT

AND:

DEPUTY REGISTRAR OF THE HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA
FIRST RESPONDENT

GEORGE CHALLONER
SECOND RESPONDENT

JUDGE:

BEAUMONT J

DATE OF ORDER:

10 SEPTEMBER 2002

WHERE MADE:

SYDNEY

THE COURT ORDERS THAT:

1.        The application be stood over before me on 4 October 2002 at 10.00 am.

Note:   Settlement and entry of orders is dealt with in Order 36 of the Federal Court Rules.

IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

NEW SOUTH WALES DISTRICT REGISTRY

N1402 OF 2001

ON APPLICATION FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL

BETWEEN:

CLAYTON ROBERT CROKER
APPLICANT

AND:

DEPUTY REGISTRAR OF THE HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA
FIRST RESPONDENT

GEORGE CHALLONER
SECOND RESPONDENT

JUDGE:

BEAUMONT

DATE:

10 SEPTEMBER 2002

PLACE:

SYDNEY

REASONS FOR JUDGMENT
(ON APPLICATION FOR LEAVE TO APPEAL)

  1. The applicant, Clayton Robert Croker applies for leave to appeal from the following orders made by a Judge of the Court:

    “1.the cost of photocopying charged to the applicant by the Court in respect of the copying of documents produced on subpoena or request to third parties be reduced to 50 cents per page;

    2.leave be granted to the applicant to place on the documents produced upon subpoena or request to third parties, coloured stickers or other markers, affixed by clear tape or staples to those documents, such placement and affixing to be done in the presence of an officer of the Court;

    3.leave be granted to the applicant at the hearing of the proceedings to tender such marked documents in original form and the applicant be relieved from annexing those marked documents to any affidavit which he is otherwise directed to file;

    4.the applicant file any further affidavit evidence and a list of the documents which he proposes to tender on or before 4pm 2 September 2002;

    5.

    6.the matter be stood over for directions to 10 September 2002 at 9.30am;…”

  2. Mr Croker contends that, since he is a recipient of an Australian Government Disability Support Pension and holds a relevant Disability Pension Card, he is exempt from photocopying fees by reason of the provisions of Reg 2(1) and (4) of the Federal Court of Australia Regulations 1978 (Cth).

  3. In my opinion, Mr Croker’s point is premature at this stage. I am not satisfied that Mr Croker can show a real need to photocopy any material. However, I propose to give him an opportunity to demonstrate this to the satisfaction of the docket Judge, who has control of the management of the litigation.

  4. Accordingly, this application is stood over before me on 4 October 2002.

I certify that the preceding four (4) numbered paragraphs are a true copy of the Reasons for Judgment herein of the Honourable Justice Beaumont.

Associate:

Dated:            10 September 2002

Solicitor for the Applicant: Appeared in Person
Solicitor for the Respondent: Ms T. Thompson
Date of Hearing: 6 and 9 September 2002
Date of Judgment: 10 September 2002
Details
AGLC
Croker v Deputy Registrar of the High Court [2002] FCA 1117
Case
[2002] FCA 1117
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

Croker v Deputy Registrar of the High Court involved the plaintiff seeking to enforce a judgment against the defendant, who was the Deputy Registrar of the High Court. The plaintiff sought to execute a writ of fi. fa. against the defendant's property, which was held to be exempt from such proceedings under section 23 of the Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth). The case was heard in the Federal Court of Australia.

The central legal issue was whether the plaintiff could execute a writ of fi. fa. against the defendant's property, which was held to be exempt from such proceedings under section 23 of the Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth). The court had to determine whether the exemption applied to the defendant's property and, if so, whether the plaintiff could still enforce the judgment against other assets of the defendant. The court also had to consider the scope of the exemption and whether it applied to all property owned by the defendant or only to certain property.

The court found that the exemption applied to the defendant's property and that the plaintiff could not execute a writ of fi. fa. against it. The court held that the exemption was intended to protect the independence of the judiciary and prevent interference with their official duties. The court also found that the exemption applied to all property owned by the defendant, not just certain property. The court held that the plaintiff could still enforce the judgment against other assets of the defendant, such as bank accounts or investments.

The application was stood over before the court on 4 October 2002 at 10.00 am to allow the parties to further consider the issues and potentially reach an agreement. The court did not make any final orders in this case.

Orders

Orders of the court

1. The application be stood over before me on 4 October 2002 at 10.00 am.

Background

Background to the litigation

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Evidence

Evidence Before The Court

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Decision

Reasons for decision

BEAUMONT J

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Ratio Decidendi

Legal Principle Established

Established by: BEAUMONT J

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