Prescott v Police - [2020] NZHC 847

IN THE HIGH COURT OF NEW ZEALAND AUCKLAND REGISTRY

I TE KŌTI MATUA O AOTEAROA TĀMAKI MAKAURAU ROHE

CIV-2016-404-2164

[2020] NZHC 847

BETWEEN
PETER RICHARD PRESCOTT

Appellant

AND

NEW ZEALAND POLICE

First Respondent

DISTRICT COURT AT AUCKLAND

Second Respondent

CIV-2016-404-2259

IN THE MATTER

of the unlawful arrest and violation of the Applicant’s rights

BETWEEN

PETER RICHARD PRESCOTT

Applicant

AND

NEW ZEALAND POLICE

Respondent

Hearing: On the papers

Appearances:

Appellant/Applicant in person in both proceedings A F Todd for the Respondent(s) in both proceedings

Judgment:

30 April 2020

JUDGMENT OF GAULT J

(Costs)

This judgment was delivered by me on 30 April 2020 at 11:30 am pursuant to r 11.5 of the High Court Rules 2016.
Registrar/Deputy Registrar

……………………………………

PRESCOTT v NEW ZEALAND POLICE [2020] NZHC 847 [30 April 2020]

[1] Following my judgment dated 18 December 2019 dismissing Mr Prescott’s appeal and application for judicial review,1 the parties have filed memoranda as to costs. The parties are agreed that the costs of the High Court proceedings (appeal and judicial review) are to lie where they fall. However, the parties disagree as to the costs awarded in the District Court.

[2] The respondent seeks confirmation that the costs order made in the District Court stands, in the interests of finality. The District Court awarded the respondent costs and disbursements on a 2B basis in the sum of $27,111.02. The respondent seeks my confirmation given familiarity with the matter.

[3] Mr Prescott submits that costs in the District Court should also lie where they fall on the basis that costs are seldom awarded in genuine Bill of Rights cases.

Discussion

[4] Ordinarily, an issue as to costs in the Court under appeal would not arise where the appeal has been dismissed. While costs in the Court under appeal are often best left to that Court to revisit in light of the appellate Court’s judgment, I accept in this case the parties seek my determination on the basis that the same issue arises, namely costs in a case involving the application of NZBORA.

[5]In my judgment of 18 December 2019, I said in relation to costs:

[113] Costs ordinarily follow the result. The respondents have succeeded but, at least in relation to the arrest appeal, on grounds not raised in the District Court. Also, the Courts have acknowledged that it may not always be appropriate to allow costs to follow the event in cases involving the application of NZBORA because the normal costs rules may discourage litigants from bringing NZBORA claims.2 It is unlikely that costs will be awarded against an unsuccessful plaintiff if a NZBORA claim is bona fide and is found to have had some merit even though unsuccessful, especially if the plaintiff sought no more than a vindication of rights, and the conduct of the case did not warrant an adverse costs order.3 I record my view that the lawfulness of the arrest issue did have merit.

1 Prescott v Police [2019] NZHC 3376.
2 Attorney-General v Udompun [2005]…

Grounds of appeal

[14] The appellant contends that the primary judge erred in finding that the respondent had discharged the onus of establishing the matters required under the relevant provision.

[15] It was submitted that his Honour failed to give adequate weight to the evidence of the second witness, and that the findings of fact were not reasonably open on the material before the Court.

[16] The respondent, for its part, submits that no error is disclosed, and that the conclusions reached were well within the range of outcomes available to the primary judge.

Consideration

[17] It is convenient to deal first with the question of construction, as the resolution of that issue informs the remaining grounds advanced by the appellant.

[18] For the reasons that follow, we are of the view that the appeal should be allowed in part and the matter remitted for further determination.

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Details

Case: [2020] NZHC 847
Decision Date: 30 April 2020

CaseChat Overview and Summary

The case of Prescott v Police involved the appellant, Peter Richard Prescott, who sought to challenge the costs awarded in his case. The first respondent was the New Zealand Police, and the second respondent was the District Court at Auckland. The case originated from Prescott's unlawful arrest and a violation of his rights. The matter was heard on the papers, and the appellant appeared in person, while A F Todd represented the respondents. The judgment was delivered on April 30, 2020, by Gault J, who considered the parties' memoranda on the costs in the High Court proceedings and the District Court. The primary legal issue was whether the costs in the District Court should lie where they fall, as the parties had agreed for the High Court proceedings, or if they should be awarded to the respondent based on the costs order made in the District Court.

The court acknowledged that ordinarily, an issue as to costs in the Court under appeal would not arise when the appeal has been dismissed. However, the court recognised that the same issue of costs in a case involving the application of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act (NZBORA) arose in both the High Court and District Court. In the judgment of December 18, 2019, Gault J had noted that the lawfulness of the arrest issue did have merit, and the conduct of the case did not warrant an adverse costs order. The court considered that Prescott's claim was bona fide, and the issue of the lawfulness of his arrest had merit, even though the arrest was ultimately found to be lawful. Therefore, the court accepted that in the unusual circumstances of this case, the observations on costs applied equally to the District Court. The court concluded that it was appropriate to order that the costs in the District Court also lie where they fall, rather than refer the secondary issue back to the District Court Judge.

The court's reasoning was based on the notion that the normal costs rules may discourage litigants from bringing NZBORA claims, and it is unlikely that costs will be awarded against an unsuccessful plaintiff if a NZBORA claim is bona fide and is found to have had some merit even though unsuccessful, especially if the plaintiff sought no more than a vindication of rights, and the conduct of the case did not warrant an adverse costs order. The court found that the District Court Judge may have been justified in awarding costs in respect of other parts of Prescott's claim on the basis that they lacked merit, but those claims took up relatively little time and the court was not in a position to split them out. As the respondent sought finality in this Court, the court considered it appropriate to order that costs in the District Court also lie where they fall.

In conclusion, the court determined that the costs in the District Court should also lie where they fall, in line with the costs in the High Court proceedings, due to the bona fide nature of Prescott's NZBORA claim and the merit of the issue of the lawfulness of his arrest. The court also took into account the secondary nature of the claims that lacked merit and the fact that they took up relatively little time in the proceedings.

Orders