O’Dwyer: the one where everything went wrong

This was a case that had six days of first instance final hearing three days in July 2017 two days in November 2017 and a day in March 2018; with an appeal hearing in December 2018 and the appeal judgment in July 2019 it meant that after seven days of Court time over a period of two years the parties finally obtained a final outcome. 

 

In addition to this delay and numerous hearings having circulated the draft judgment the first instance judge ‘never circulated a perfected judgment’. Three chasing emails were sent by Counsel even a handwritten letter was delivered to the Court from Counsel and yet by the time of the appeal hearing on 19th December 2018 precisely one year after the first instance judgment had been circulated to the parties in draft form Mr Justice Francis had ‘neither a final version of the Judgment nor an agreed order still less a sealed order’ (para 5). 

 

The Husband brought the appeal and whilst ‘considerable difficulties’ were caused due to the lack of final order and judgment Mr...