Patricia Gibbs et al v The Attorney General et al

BARBADOS

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE

HIGH COURT

CIVIL JURISDICTION

CV NO. 1840 of 2014

BETWEEN

PATRICIA GIBBS                                                                                                                                           1^ST CLAIMANT

SHIRLEY LINTON                                                                                                                                         2^ND CLAIMANT

DONNYA CODRINGTON(An infant, by his grandmother and next friend, Patricia Gibbs)                    3^RD CLAIMANT

DONIKO CODRINGTON (An infant, by his grandmother and next friend, Patricia Gibbs)                     4^th CLAIMANT

ZAVIER BRATHWAITE (An infant, by his mother and next friend, Lisa Brathwaite                               5^TH CLAIMANT

MAURICE FORDE                                                                                                                                            6^TH CLAIMANT

MAURICE LINTON                                                                                                                                          7^TH CLAIMANT

NICOLE CODRINGTON                                                                                                                                  8TH CLAIMANT

SHEILA CODRINGTON                                                                                                                                    9^TH CLAIMANT

KRYSTLE CODRINGTON                                                                                                                                10^TH CLAIMANT

AND

THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL                                                                                                                           1^ST DEFENDANT

LEMUEL RAWLINS                                                                                                                                        2^ND DEFENDANT

MAHY RIDLEY HAZZARD ENGINEERS LTD.                                                                                               3^RD DEFENDANT

JERRY EMTAGE                                                                                                                                              4^TH DEFENDANT

Before Dr. The Hon. Madam Justice Sonia L. Richards, Judge of the High Court.

2020: July 15

Mr. D. Comissiong, in association with Mrs. K. Turton and Mr. S. Thompson, for the Claimants.

Ms. D. Brathwaite Q.C., Deputy Solicitor General for the 1ST Defendant.

Mr. P. Pilgrim Q.C., for the 2ND Defendant.

Mr. L. Haynes Q.C., in association with Mrs. D. Haynes and Ms. F. Finisterre, for the 3RD Defendant.

Mrs. R. Nicholls of Clarke Gittens Farmer for the 4TH Defendant.

DECISION

Introduction

[1] This is an application for the Court to exercise its discretionary power, under Part 13.3 of the Supreme Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2008, (“the CPR”), to set aside a regularly obtained default judgment.

Background

[2] The claim in this matter was filed in December 2014,seeking damages against the Defendants as a result of the deaths of five members of a family. These individuals perished after their apartment building at Arch Cot Terrace, Brittons Cross Road, St. Michael, collapsed into a subterranean cave on 26 August 2007.

[3] On 04^TH March 2016, this Court heard an application filed on 09 November 2015 requesting a default judgment against the Attorney-General (“the A-G”), as the 1^ST Defendant, for his failure to file a defence. The Court granted the order on the basis that the A-G was in flagrant breach of the CPR. The time for the filing of the defence had expired in February 2015, and the A-G filed a defence but did not apply for leave to file the defence out of time. Therefore, the defence was not only out of time, but filed without the permission of the Court.

[4] The A-G filed an application to set aside the default judgment on 17 March 2016. The application was supported by the affidavits of counsel for the A-G and Mr. Mark Cummins, the then Chief Town Planner.

The Legal Framework

[5] Part 13 of the CPR provides inter alia that:

“13.3 (1) The court may set aside or vary a
judgment entered under Part 12 if the defendant has
a real prospect of successfully defending the claim.

(2) In considering whether to set aside or
vary a judgment under this rule, the court must
consider whether the defendant has

(a) applied to the court as soon as
reasonably practicable after
finding out that judgment had
been entered; and

(b)given a good explanation for the
failure to file an acknowledgement of service or a defence
as the case may be.

(3) Where this rule gives the court power to
set aside a judgment the court may instead vary it.

13.4 (1) An application may be made by any person
who is directly affected by the entry of judgment.

(2) The application must be supported by
evidence on affidavit.

(3) The affidavit must exhibit a draft of the
proposed defence”.

[6] Rule 13.3 of the CPR has a counterpart in Rule 13(3) of the Jamaica procedural rules. It has been observed that these rules which place:

“…‘real prospect of defending the claim’ in pole position in subsection (1), with the other two
elements relating to promptitude of the application and good explanation for failure to acknowledge
service or to defend, in subsection (2), thereby confirming the primacy of the requirement of a
good defence as established in Evans v. Bartlam . All Rights Reserved.