Judgment entered

Press, 17 December 1983, Page 4

Judgment entered

Judgment for $52,400 damages against 11 members and former members of the Canterbury Drivers’ Union in accordance with the jury's verdict was entered by Mr Justice Roper in the High Court yesterday. The damages were awarded by the jury on Tuesday to Patrick Martin O’Boyle, aged 46, unemployed, after a seven-day trial. When Mr A. A. P. Willy, senior counsel for Mr O’Boyle, applied for costs against the 11 defendants on an individual basis, His Honour said that he thought that they should be awarded on the global amount of the judgment of $52,400. Mr Willy said that each defendant had to be served separately and the case had to be proved against each individually. Senior counsel for all defendants, Mr B. McClelland, Q.C., submitted that judgment should not be entered at that stage because there were some conflicts in the jury’s findings. When his Honour said that he intended to enter judgment, Mr McClelland asked that the question of costs, interests, leave to apply for a new trial, and related matters be adjourned until the end of February becaue of the ap-

proach of the Christmas vacation. Objection to such a lengthy adjournment was taken by Mr Willy who asked that it be to the end of January which was considerably longer than the normal 14-day period. “If it becomes necessary to enforce the judgment, as it appears it might be, it is not going to be easy,” Mr Willy said. The question of costs and related matters were adjourned to February 15, 1984. On December 13, a jury found that the 11 defendants had conspired to injure Mr O’Boyle by making him pay an unlawful levy; causing him mental and physical suffering; to lose the right to attend union meetings; and by putting his job as a tanker driver with the Mobil Oil Company in jeopardy. The defendants are Peter Reginald Liggett, secretary of the Canterbury Drivers’ Union; Daryl Collins, former president of the union; Rodney Kennedy Root, Ronald John Rogatski, Murray Allan Rayner, Kevin Maxwell Penn, Roger Frank Carson, Brian Richard Bennison, Robert William Michael Taylor, William Douglas Lynn, and George Edward Bloomfield.