CIVIL PROCEDURE – discontinuance – costs – no consent to discontinue without paying costs – plaintiff sought leave to discontinue with no order as to costs – proceedings lacking practical utility – both defendants impecunious – defendants’ cross-claim abandoned – no right by way of defence and set-off to recover any amount exceeding the debt owed to the plaintiff – litigation had begun to “feed on itself” – Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), r 12.1

COSTS – discontinuance – usual rule that discontinuing party pay defendant’s costs – power to order otherwise – plaintiff sought leave to discontinue with no order as to costs – Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) (UCPR), r 42.19(2)

Tim Castle SC appeared for the Respondent.

Reasons for the decision can be found here.