陳麗玲 v. 國泰航空公司
The application for an extension of time to appeal was dismissed because the applicant's reasons for delay (being in Beijing and voluminous documents) were not reasonable and, more importantly, the proposed appeal was hopeless given the unjustified refusal to undergo the defendant's appointed medical examination;...
Source-derived case information.
- Citation
- 陳麗玲 v. 國泰航空公司
- Parties
- Plaintiff: Plaintiff; Defendant: Defendant
- Court
- Court of First Instance
- Jurisdiction
- Hong Kong
- Judgment Date
- 22 April 2009
- Case Number
- HCMP621/2009
- Procedural Posture
- Personal Injury / Application for Extension of Time to Appeal From Order Staying Action
- Outcome
- application dismissed
- Legal Topics
- Extension of Time, Stay of Proceedings, Medical Examination by Expert, Expert Evidence, Costs Assessment
- Source Language
- en
Source-derived case record
Summary, issues, holding and outcome
More case intelligence is available
Unlock the full research layer for this judgment.
Parties
Plaintiff
Plaintiff
Defendant
Defendant
Procedural Posture
Personal Injury / Application for Extension of Time to Appeal From Order Staying Action
Legal Issues
- 1 Whether extension of time to appeal should be granted
- 2 Whether plaintiff was justified in refusing examination by defendant's nominated orthopaedic expert
- 3 Whether the proposed appeal is hopeless
Ratio Decidendi
The application for an extension of time to appeal was dismissed because the applicant's reasons for delay (being in Beijing and voluminous documents) were not reasonable and, more importantly, the proposed appeal was hopeless given the unjustified refusal to undergo the defendant's appointed medical examination; the appropriate sanction is dismissal with costs pursuant to O.62 r.9A.
Court Disposition
application dismissed
Orders
- Application for extension of time to appeal dismissed
- Costs assessed under Order 62 rule 9A (O.62 r.9A) at $16,000
Full Case Text
Judgment text and source record
1 paragraphs
bjbjC zzlQ ______________ Before: Hon Tang VP in Chambers Date of Hearing: 22 April 2009 Date of Decision: 22 April 2009 _______________ DECISION _______________ In this action, the plaintiff claims damages for personal injury allegedly suffered during her employment with the defendant in October 2003. On 28 May 2008, Master B Kwan, who was the personal injuries master, directed that the medical evidence be limited to one orthopaedic consultant per party. Dr David Cheng was nominated by the defendant to be its orthopaedic expert. Despite the defendant s repeated requests, the plaintiff has refused to be examined by Dr Cheng. On 13 January 2009, Master B Kwan ordered that the action be stayed until the plaintiff has been examined by Dr Cheng. The plaintiff appealed against that decision. Her appeal was dismissed by Poon J on 13 February 2009. The plaintiff now applies for an extension of time to appeal against Poon J s order. According to the plaintiff, she did not have sufficient time to prepare for her appeal. She was out of Hong Kong and in Beijing most of the time. Whilst she was preparing for her appeal, even when she was in Beijing, because of the amount of documents involved, she could not file the documents in time. She told me that apart from the two sets of documents which she has filed in court which I have, and they run to about 19 pages. There was a third set of document which she had served for the defendant which contained even more documents. Even so, I do not believe that is a reasonable excuse for the delay. It does not matter because in any event, I regard the proposed appeal as hopeless. According to Poon J, she refused to be examined because the defendant, according to her, has failed to disclose medical report about her injury. The plaintiff has filed a 15-page affirmation in support of her intended appeal, in which she complained that the defendant is contesting her claim and has refused to pay her any or fair compensation. She also complained that a report to the Labour Department was inaccurate. None of this is a good reason for refusing to undergo examination by the defendant s appointed expert. If she is able to show that the defendant has indeed withheld relevant evidence from her, she can make an application to the court for them. That is no reason to refuse to undergo examination by the defendant s appointed expert. For these reasons, I dismiss the application, with costs assessed under O. 62 r. 9A at $16,000. (Robert Tang) Vice-President The Plaintiff, in person, pres 1udk H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V 1udk ~Xx, Y<2^ k`8h H; < ZxYb Pl?^R Pl?^ & 6" Normal user Microsoft Word 9.0 Title Source Erica Microsoft Word Document MSWordDoc Word.Document.8