Liu Chen v Chan Poon Wing (unrep., HCPI 779/2006, [2009] HKEC 1650)

The plaintiff made a late application two days before the assessment of damage hearing to file a witness statement and to give further discovery out of time.

Master Marlene Ng chastised the plaintiff for such late application and said that “last minute applications fly in the face of the underlying objectives of reasonable expedition, procedural economy, costs-effectiveness and fairness between the parties“. Master Marlene Ng further stressed that after the implementation of the Civil Justice Reform, if there is any last minute application, the court will expect a full account for the lateness of the application, and expect the applicant to place before the court full justification as to why the application should be entertained at all at such late stage notwithstanding the underlying objectives. The judgment provides guidance on the expectation of the court regarding efficient handling of cases and the importance of adherence to the prescribed timetable.

CJR Alerter: For full analysis of this case subscribe to the Sweet & Maxwell CJR Alerter, produced in association with Clifford Chance.

This article is available in [2009] 18 CJRA.

Discovery

The changes in respect of discovery under the Hong Kong Civil Justice Reform (“CJR”) are less radical than the changes implemented in other areas of procedure. Nonetheless, litigation practitioners and their clients should note carefully the two key changes to discovery: pre-action/trial discovery and case management discovery.

CJR Alerter: For full analysis of the changes in discovery subscribe to the Sweet & Maxwell CJR Alerter, produced in association with Clifford Chance.

This article is available in [2009] 4 CJRA.

Sweet & Maxwell Video Blog: Hong Kong Civil Justice Reform – Evidence and Trials

In this short video Martin Rogers Head of Litigation and Dispute Resolution in Asia for Clifford Chance, and General Editor of The Hong Kong White Book discusses the changes to evidence and trial procedure following the implementation of Civil Justice Reform in Hong Kong (2 April 2009).

在這影片中，Clifford Chance 的合夥人暨香港及亞洲區訴訟及調解糾紛主管、Sweet & Maxwell出版之《香港民事訴訟程序》總編輯Martin Rogers，將講述於2009年4月2日實行之香港民事司法改革之相關事項，包括討論證據及審訊程序。

在这影片中，Clifford Chance 的合夥人暨香港及亚洲区诉讼及调解纠纷主管丶Sweet & Maxwell出版之《香港民事诉讼程序》总编辑Martin Rogers，将讲述於2009年4月2日实行之香港民事司法改革之相关事项，包括讨论证据及审讯程序。