Bates & Ors v Post Office Ltd [2017] EWHC 2844 (QB) (10 November 2017)

Bates & Ors v Post Office Ltd [2017] EWHC 2844 (QB) (10 November 2017)

Hearings in group litigation will not be fixed to accommodate the availability of counsel; they will be set well in advance to ensure expeditious and fair resolution, in accordance with the overriding objective and to avoid unnecessary delay and increased costs.

Citation
[2017] EWHC 2844
Parties
Claimant: Alan Bates and Others; Defendant: Post Office Limited
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Judgment Date
10 November 2017
Procedural Posture
Group Litigation Order (glo) Proceedings / Case Management Ruling on Fixing Hearing Dates
Outcome
Application to move the trial date refused; hearings to proceed as scheduled.
Legal Topics
Group Litigation Order, Case Management, Hearing Scheduling, Overriding Objective, Costs Management
Civil Procedure Contract Law Tort Law Group Litigation Order Case Management Hearing Scheduling Overriding Objective Costs Management

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Parties

Alan Bates and Others

Claimant

Post Office Limited

Defendant

Procedural Posture

Group Litigation Order (glo) Proceedings / Case Management Ruling on Fixing Hearing Dates

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Whether hearings in group litigation should be fixed to accommodate counsel availability
  2. 2 Appropriate approach to scheduling hearings in large group litigation
  3. 3 Impact of delays on justice and costs

Ratio Decidendi

Hearings in group litigation will not be fixed to accommodate the availability of counsel; they will be set well in advance to ensure expeditious and fair resolution, in accordance with the overriding objective and to avoid unnecessary delay and increased costs.

Court Disposition

Application to move the trial date refused; hearings to proceed as scheduled.

Orders

  • Substantive hearing set for 5 November 2018 for 20 days.
  • Further trial of substantive issues set for 20 days commencing 11 March 2019.