BL-2023-000713 - Draft Authorities Bundle

Persons” and solving a substantial range of service and drafting defects in the previous procedure and documents since the Claim Form had been issued. A direction was given for Acknowledgements of Service and Defences to be served by early October 2023 and the claim was discontinued against Defendants 16, 19, 26, 29, 38, 46 and 47 on the basis that they no longer posed a threat. A direction was given for any other Defendant to give an undertaking by the 6th of October 2023 to the Claimants’ solicitors. Service was to be in accordance with the provisions laid down by Master Cook in June 2023. 19. On the 30 th November 2023 Master Eastman ordered that service of exhibits to witness statements and hearing bundles was to be by: (1) uploading them onto the specific website, (2) emailing a notification to the 4 Organisations, (3) placing a notice at the 8 Sites entrances and access roads, (4) postal service to of a covering letter named Defendants who had provided addresses informing them where the exhibits could be read.

20. The Claimants applied for summary judgment on the 12th of December 2023.

21. By the time of the hearing before me, 43 named Defendants had provided undertakings in accordance with the Order of Mr Justice Bourne. Defendants 14 and 44 were wrongly added and so 17 named Defendants remained who had refused to provide undertakings. None of these attended the hearing or communicated with the Court. The lay witness evidence 22. I read evidence from the following witnesses provided in statements served and filed by the Claimants: 22.1 Laurence Matthews, April 2022, June 2023. 22.2 David Blackhouse, March and April 2022, January, June and November 2023. 22.3 Emma Pinkerton, June and December 2023. 22.4 Kate McCall, March and April 2022, January (x3) 2023. 22.5 David McLoughlin, March 2022, November 2023. 22.6 Adrian Rafferty, March 2022 22.7 Richard Wilcox, April and August 2022, March 2023. 22.8 Aimee Cook, January 2023. 22.9 Anthea Adair, May, July and August 2023. 22.10 Jessica Hurle, January 2024 (x2). 22.11 Certificates of service: supplementary bundles pages 3234-3239. The previous orders made by the Judges who have heard the interlocutory matters dealt with all previous service matters. In relation to the hearing before me I carefully checked the service evidence and was helpfully led through it by counsel. A concern of substance arose over some defective evidence given by Miss Hurle which was hearsay but did not state the sources of the hearsay. This was resolved by the provision Service evidence 23.

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