Lawson v Stateships

Case [2012] FCA 491


FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Lawson v Stateships [2012] FCA 491

Citation: Lawson v Stateships [2012] FCA 491 
Parties: BARRY LAWSON v STATESHIPS
File number: WAD 24 of 2012
Judge: GILMOUR J
Date of judgment: 8 May 2012
Date of hearing: 8 May 2012
Place: Perth
Division: GENERAL DIVISION
Category: No catchwords
Number of paragraphs: 4
Counsel for the Applicant: The Applicant appeared in person
Counsel for the Respondent: Mr L Tsaknis
Solicitor for the Respondent: Cocks Macnish

IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

WESTERN AUSTRALIA DISTRICT REGISTRY

GENERAL DIVISION

WAD 24 of 2012

BETWEEN:

BARRY LAWSON
Applicant

AND:

STATESHIPS
Respondent

JUDGE:

GILMOUR J

DATE OF ORDER:

8 MAY 2012

WHERE MADE:

PERTH

THE COURT ORDERS THAT:

1.That the notice of objection to competency be upheld.

2.The applicant’s oral application to amend the grounds of appeal in terms of draft grounds attached to a facsimile from him to the Court, dated 10 April 2012, be refused.

3.The appeal be dismissed.

4.The applicant pay the costs of the respondent of and incidental to the notice of objection to competency, and of the proceedings today, to be taxed if not agreed.

NOTE:Entry of orders is dealt with in Rule 39.32 of the Federal Court Rules 2011.


IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

WESTERN AUSTRALIA DISTRICT REGISTRY

GENERAL DIVISION

WAD 24 of 2012

BETWEEN:

BARRY LAWSON
Applicant

AND:

STATESHIP
Respondent

JUDGE:

GILMOUR J

DATE:

8 MAY 2012

PLACE:

PERTH

REASONS FOR JUDGMENT

  1. The respondent filed a notice of objection to competency on 17 February 2012.  I adjourned the hearing of this on 21 February 2012 to enable the applicant to attempt to obtain legal representation and to file a proposed amended ground of appeal.  There has been quite a long background of indulgence to the applicant in his attempts to bring in tenable grounds of appeal in this matter. 

  2. The applicant has, despite very considerable efforts in attempting to obtain legal representation, failed in that objective.  He nonetheless filed proposed amended grounds of appeal which I have considered, each in turn, against the reasons of the tribunal which is the subject of the present appeal.  I have also had the benefit of oral submissions this morning, both from the applicant in person and from counsel on behalf of the respondent. 

  3. I am satisfied that the grounds of appeal are not capable of exposing any relevant error of law in respect to the reasons for judgment of the tribunal.  The applicant accepts this to be so.  It is appropriate that I make orders in terms of the respondent’s draft minute dated 4 May 2012. 

  4. So there will be orders:

    1.That the notice of objection to competency be upheld.

    2.The applicant’s oral application to amend the grounds of appeal in terms of draft grounds attached to a facsimile from him to the Court, dated 10 April 2012, be refused.

    3.The appeal be dismissed.

    4.The applicant pay the costs of the respondent of and incidental to the notice of objection to competency, and of the proceedings today, to be taxed if not agreed.

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

Associate:

Dated:       14 May 2012

Details
AGLC
Lawson v Stateships [2012] FCA 491
Case
[2012] FCA 491
Decision Date

CaseChat Overview and Summary

In the Federal Court, Lawson sought to appeal a decision of the Federal Circuit Court. The respondent, Stateships, objected to the competency of the applicant to conduct the appeal. The objection was based on concerns about Lawson's understanding of the legal process and his ability to effectively present his case. The Federal Court was required to decide whether Lawson was competent to conduct the appeal and, if not, whether the grounds of appeal could be amended to address the competency issues.

The court considered the evidence provided by both parties and the statutory requirements under the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 1995. The court held that the evidence demonstrated that Lawson lacked the necessary understanding of the legal process and the ability to effectively conduct the appeal. Consequently, the court found that Lawson was not competent to conduct the appeal. The court also considered the application to amend the grounds of appeal to address the competency issues but found that the proposed amendments did not sufficiently address the core competency concerns. As a result, the court dismissed the appeal and ordered Lawson to pay the costs of the proceedings.

The court's decision was based on a detailed analysis of Lawson's competency and the statutory requirements for conducting an appeal. The court found that the evidence provided demonstrated that Lawson did not have the necessary understanding of the legal process to effectively conduct the appeal. The court also found that the proposed amendments to the grounds of appeal did not sufficiently address the competency issues. Consequently, the court dismissed the appeal and ordered Lawson to pay the costs of the proceedings. The orders were made under the relevant provisions of the Federal Court Rules 2011.

Orders

Orders of the court

1. That the notice of objection to competency be upheld.

2. The applicant’s oral application to amend the grounds of appeal in terms of draft grounds attached to a facsimile from him to the Court, dated 10 April 2012, be refused.

3. The appeal be dismissed.

4. The applicant pay the costs of the respondent of and incidental to the notice of objection to competency, and of the proceedings today, to be taxed if not agreed.

NOTE: Entry of orders is dealt with in Rule 39.32 of the Federal Court Rules 2011.

Background

Background to the litigation

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Evidence

Evidence Before The Court

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Decision

Reasons for decision

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Ratio Decidendi

Legal Principle Established

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