Grant and Curtis and Anor

The application before Cronin J concerned a dispute between the father and Ms Curtis, the respondent. The father had filed an application alleging contravention, which Ms Curtis sought to have struck out.

The central legal issue before the court was whether the father's application for contravention should be dismissed. This involved considering the father's failure to attend a scheduled hearing and his subsequent failure to notify the respondents of his non-attendance.

Cronin J determined that the father's application for contravention should be struck out due to his unexplained absence from the hearing and his failure to notify the respondents of this absence. The court ordered the father to pay Ms Curtis a sum of $249.90 by a specified date. Liberty was granted to the father to apply within seven days to set aside this payment order, provided he filed an affidavit explaining his non-attendance and failure to notify. The court also ordered that its reasons be transcribed and made available to the parties.