The Gazette 1996

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GAZETTE AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1996
MULTIPLE DEFENDANTS
A c o n n e c t ed c l a i m, w h i ch w o u ld
n o r m a l ly fall w i t h in the j u r i s d i c t i on of
a n o t h er c o u r t, c an be d e t e r m i n ed by the
c o u rt b e f o re w h o m the m a in action is
b r o u g h t. A r t i c le 6( 1) p r o v i d es that c o-
d e f e n d a n ts m a y b e s u ed in the d o m i c i le
of any one of them. In Kalfelis-v-
Schroder t he C o u rt h e ld that f or
A r t i c le 6( 1) to a p p ly t h e re m u s t b e a
c o n n e c t i on b e t w e en the a c t i o ns b r o u g ht
a g a i n st e a c h of t he d e f e n d a n t s.
Gannon -v- B&I Steam Packet Company
Ltd and Ors d e m o n s t r a t es that the Irish
c o u r ts r e f u se to a l l ow Article 6 ( 1) to b e
u s ed as a p r o c e d u r al d e v i c e. T h e
plaintiff h a d b e en i n j u r ed in a r o ad
traffic a c c i d e nt in E n g l a n d. S h e a r g u ed
that t he first d e f e n d a nt h a d a c o n t r a c t u al
liability to h er in relation to its selection,
c h o i ce a n d i n s t r u c t i on of the c o a ch a nd
d r i v er a n d that the C o u r ts s h o u ld h e ar
h er c l a im a g a i n st the c o m p a n y w h i ch
o w n e d the c o a ch a nd the o w n e rs of the
lorry w i th w h i ch the c o a ch collided,
u n d e r A r t i c le 6( 1). T h e S u p r e me C o u rt
h e ld that t h e re w a s n o g r o u n ds f or
s u g g e s t i ng that t he selection, c h o i ce a nd
instruction of the c o a ch a n d d r i v er h ad
a n y c a u s a t i ve link w i th the a c c i d e n t. It
c o n c l u d ed that the sole r e a s on f or
b r i n g i ng an a c t i on a g a i n st B & I w a s so
that the o t h er d e f e n d a n ts c o u ld be j o i n ed
in u n d er A r t i c le 6( 1) a n d the j u r i s d i c t i on
of the E n g l i sh c o u r ts o u s t e d. T h e C o u rt
r e f u s ed to a l l ow this.
INSURANCE
In t he c a s e of i n s u r a n ce a nd c o n s u m er
c o n t r a c t s, s p e c i al p r o t e c t i on w a s
t h o u g ht to be n e c e s s a ry f or the w e a k er
party. T h i s led to the i n t r o d u c t i on of
t w o sets of s e p a r a te j u r i s d i c t i o n al rules.
A r t i c l es 7 - 1 2 deal w i th i n s u r a n c e.
A r t i c le 8 g i v es a w i d e c h o i ce to the
p o l i cy h o l d er w h o c an s ue w h e re he is
r e s i d e nt o r in the d o m i c i le of the
insurer. T h is rule w a s i n c l u d ed as m a n y
i n s u r a n ce c o m p a n i es o p e r a te o n a trans-
n a t i o n al basis. A n i n s u r er w h o is not
d o m i c i l ed in a c o n t r a c t i ng state but h as
a b r a n c h, a g e n cy o r o t h er e s t a b l i s hm e nt
in o n e of t he c o n t r a c t i ng states is
d e e m e d to b e d o m i c i l ed in that state in
r e g a rd to d i s p u t es a r i s i ng out of the
o p e r a t i o ns of the b r a n c h, a g e n cy o r
o t h er e s t a b l i s h m e n t.
CONSUMER CONTRACTS
1 A c o n s u m er c an sue either in the p l a ce
w h e r e he is d o m i c i l ed or in the c o u r ts of
the d o m i c i le of the o t h er party ( A r t i c l es
13-15). In Shearson Lehman Hutton -v-
TVB2' the C o u rt h e ld that w h e re a
p e r s on w a s a c t i ng in the e x e r c i se of his
p r o f e s s i on he is n ot a c o n s u m e r.
EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION
C e r t a in c o u r ts are g i v en e x c l u s i ve
j u r i s d i c t i on in p r o c e e d i n gs c o n c e r n i ng
in rem rights in i mm o v a b le p r o p e r t y.
T h e l e a d i ng c a se is Rosier -v-
Rottwinker. A n a g r e e m e nt w a s d r a wn
u p b e t w e en t w o G e r m a n s, c o n c e r n i ng a
h o l i d ay villa in Italy. C o u l d t he G e r m a n
c o u r ts entertain a c l a im c o n c e r n i ng
d a m a g e a nd a r r e a rs of r e n t? T h e C o u rt
of J u s t i ce h e ld that the Italian c o u r ts h ad
j u r i s d i c t i on as it c o n c e r n ed rights in rem
o v e r i mm o v a b le p r o p e r t y.
COMPANIES
Article 16(2) p r o v i d es that the c o u r ts of
the c o n t r a c t i ng state in w h i ch a
c o m p a n y, legal p e r s on o r a s s o c i a t i on
h as its seat h a v e j u r i s d i c t i o n, "in
p r o c e e d i n gs w h i ch h a v e as their o b j e ct
the validity of the c o n s t i t u t i o n, the
nullity or the d i s s o l u t i on of c o m p a n i es
or o t h er legal p e r s o ns or a s s o c i a t i o ns of
natural o r legal p e r s o n s, o r t he d e c i s i o ns
of their o r g a n s ".
Footnotes
1. Which still govern disputes falling outside the
scope of the Convention.
2. DeCavel -v- DeCavel (Case 120/79) [1989
ECR 1055.
3. Gourdain -v- Nadler (Case 133/78) [ 1979)
ECR 733.
4. (Case 9/87) [1988] ECR 1539.
5. (Case 38/81) 11982] ECR 825.
6. 11996] 2 All ER 257.
7. (Case 14/76) [ 1976] ECR 1497.
8. (Case 266/85) [ 1987] ECR 239.
9. [1991]2IR 88.
10. [1993] 3 IR 77.
11. (Case 12/76) 11976] ECR 1473.
12. [1994| 1 ILRM 39.
13. (Case 21/76) [ 1976] ECR 1735.
14. Dumez Bailment and Tracoba -v- Hessische
Landesbank (Case 220/88) [1990] ECR 49.
15. [1996] 2 WLR 159.
16. (Case 68/90) [ 1992] 1 ALL ER 409.
17. Jay Murray, Murray Telecommunications
Group Ltd. Murray Telecommunications Ltd
and Murray Telecommunications (UK) Ltd -v-
Times Newspapers Ltd, Irish Times, 8 April
1996.
18. Though he allowed the plaintiffs to proceed
with their claim on the basis that the
defendants had submitted to the jurisdiction of
the Irish courts pursuant to Article 18.
19. Kalfelis -v-Schroder. Munchmeyer. Hengst &
Co (Case 189/87) [ 1988] ECR 5565.
20. [ 1993] 2 IR 359.
21. (Case 89/91), 19 January 1993.
22. [1986] QB 33.
* Education Officer, Law Society of
Ireland, formerly Lecturer in Law,
University of Leeds.
Compensation Fund -
Payments Out
July 1996
T h e f o l l o w i ng c l a im a m o u n ts w e r e
a d m i t t ed by the C o m p e n s a t i on F u n d
C o mm i t t ee a nd a p p r o v ed f o r p a y m e nt
b y t he C o u n c il at its m e e t i ng in J u ly
1996.
I R£
D e r m o t K a v a n a gh 8 7 8 . 00
2 M a r y Street,
N e w R o s s,
C o . W e x f o r d.
A n t h o n y O ' M a l l e y 4 , 3 5 0 . 00
J a m e s Street,
We s t p o r t,
C o . M a y o .
J a m e s G . G l y n n 6 0 0 . 00
D u b l in R o a d ,
T u a m ,
C o . G a l w a y.
F r a n c is G . C o s t e l lo 1 6 3 , 0 7 2 . 38
51 D o n n y b r o ok R o a d,
D o n n y b r o o k,
D u b l in 2.
1 6 8 , 9 0 0 . 38
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S o l i c i t o rs in b o th litigation a nd
n o n - c o n t e n t i o us m a t t e rs -
i n c l u d i ng legal aid.
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Surrey GU21 5AU.
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