Date of Judgment: 5 December 2024

Mr Reynolds brought an application for special leave to appeal against a decision of the Full Court of the Federal Court, which had dismissed his appeal against the National Australia Bank Limited. The application for special leave to appeal was filed following an earlier refusal of Mr Reynolds' initial application for special leave, which was dismissed by Edelman and Jagot JJ. The primary legal issue before the court was whether Mr Reynolds' proposed grounds of appeal were devoid of merit and whether the application for special leave to appeal constituted an abuse of process.

The court found that the proposed application for special leave to appeal and the supporting affidavit did not disclose any arguable basis for the relief sought. The court determined that Mr Reynolds' proposed grounds of appeal were entirely devoid of merit and that his invocation of the Court's jurisdiction was "confused or manifestly untenable". Consequently, the court concluded that if the application was filed, it would be an abuse of process. The court ruled that the application should be dismissed without an oral hearing, pursuant to rule 13.03.1 of the High Court Rules.

The court dismissed the application dated 17 September 2024 for leave to issue or file the application for special leave dated 22 August 2024. The court also refused the application filed on 17 September 2024 for leave to issue or file the application for special leave dated 22 August 2024. The court's decision was based on the finding that the application for special leave to appeal did not disclose any arguable basis for the relief sought and that it constituted an abuse of process.