Claim made against a county Court over an issue of breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 - Crown says it's incorrectly served?

[honeybee13]

It would be helpful if you could upload the N205A, today, please.

 

HB

Edited October 9, 2017 by honeybee13

[today]

Please find attached the N205A Notice of issue (specified amount) (& request for judgment)

n205a-eng.pdf

[honeybee13]

I see legal people are hovering, today, but I can't see any information on what you uploaded.

 

HB

[today]

The relevant passage of the N205A Notice of issue (specified amount) (& request for judgment) that I have attached in my previous post is in the Notes for Guidance where it is stated

 

" The claim form must be served on the defendant

within 4 months of the date of issue ( 6 months if

you are serving outside England or Wales).You may

be able to apply to extend the time for serving the

claim form but the application must generally be

made before the 4 month or 6 month period expires."

 

The claim forms were sent back to me by the court so that I served them myself because I asked this in my claim form. However if I would not have asked this the court would have served the claim forms itself.

 

Therefore there is another issue which puzzles me which that in the claim form it is asked the address the defendant but not the address of its representative so the issue is how the staff of the court when they received my claim form would have known to which address to send the claim form to the defendant's representative if I would not have asked that the claim form are sent back to me so that I served them myself? Unless there is something that we have not understood in this story

[unclebulgaria67]

If you want to proceed, i think you just have to get with it, rather than debate it here for days. The longer you leave, then the time delay issue gets worse.

[Ganymede]

The claim forms were sent back to me by the court so that I served them myself because I asked this in my claim form. However if I would not have asked this the court would have served the claim forms itself.

 

Therefore there is another issue which puzzles me which that in the claim form it is asked the address the defendant but not the address of its representative so the issue is how the staff of the court when they received my claim form would have known to which address to send the claim form to the defendant's representative if I would not have asked that the claim form are sent back to me so that I served them myself? Unless there is something that we have not understood in this story

 

 

The address for service is clearly requested in the bottom left box on the front page of the N1 Claim Form.

 

You're really reaching for excuses now.

[today]

In the bottom of the first page of the N1 form it is stated

 

“Defendant's

name and

address for

service including

postcode”

 

i.e. the defendant ‘s name and not the name of the representative of the defendant. Obviously if it is the name of the defendant which is asked it is also its address which is asked and not this of its representative

 

Moreover in the second page of the N1 form it is stated

 

“Claimant or claimaint’s legaI representative's

address to which documents or payments

should be sent if different from overleaf including

(if appropriate) details of DX, fax or e-mail”

 

We notice this time that it is made reference to the address of the representative

 

In this condition I think that if the court would have served the claim form instead of me it would have sent it to the address of the defendant and not to this of its representative and the defendant would have passed it to its representative as usually we do. This is a mystery if we consider that CPR 6.10 says that the claim form should be served on the defendant’s representative and not on the defendant itself.

[Ganymede]

You're making it very difficult to help. If you already know all of the answers why are you here?

 

To clarify, the Court will only serve at the address you put in that bottom left box on the Claim Form regardless. It is for YOU to put the correct service address and comply with the CPR, not for the Court staff to check it and do it for you.

 

For example, you should have put in that box:

 

Ministry of Justice

C/O Government Legal Department

One Kemble Street

London

WC2B 4TS

[SuperVillain]

As said above, it is the responsibility of the Claimant to ensure the details on the claim form are correct.

 

Have you taken any steps to correctly serve these proceedings on the solicitors yet? In my view the longer you wait after the four month deadline, the more difficult you will make any application for service out of time if the MOJ takes issue (although the suggestion in your first post is that they invited you to serve proceedings on them, and so will not take issue if you do it correctly).

 

Until you send that claim form to the solicitors, strictly speaking it has not been served.

 

For what it's worth I think the GLD are giving you an opportunity to correctly serve the proceedings so as they aren't seen to be taking advantage of a Litigant in Person's procedural error...

[BazzaS]

You're making it very difficult to help. If you already know all of the answers why are you here?

 

Absolutely. The OP needs to make it clear if they want:

a) advice (as they are showing no sign of taking it!), or

b) validation of their viewpoint.

 

There seems little point in asking for a) and being given advice, if the OP is only going to accept b)

[Ganymede]

For what it's worth I think the GLD are giving you an opportunity to correctly serve the proceedings so as they aren't seen to be taking advantage of a Litigant in Person's procedural error...

 

I told the OP on the first page to contact the Government Legal Department and ask that very thing.

 

In fact it was in my very first reply.

[SuperVillain]

Yea I know I saw that a couple of days ago I stayed quiet hoping the OP would address it...

Edited January 10, 2022 by dx100uk
unnecessary previous post quote removed

[today]

I am going to send an email to the defendant’s solicitor asking him if he will take issue if I serve late on him the claim form and if he will not take advantage of this to make an application to strike out my claim

 

However I will be surprised if he will not take issue because I do not see why he will act in a way which is contrary to its client's interest because it is in the interest of his client that he does his best to strike out my claim if he can.

 

Moreover the court can on its own initiative also strike out my claim if the claim form was served on the defendant’s representative out of time

 

I am gathering the greatest number of pieces of evidence in my favour in case I need to make an application under CPR 7.6 for an extension of time. Therefore in the meantime I would like to reply to the Ganymede the following

 

The term C/O that you use means that the claim form will be sent to the Ministry of Justice i.e. the defendant which will be responsible to passed it to the Government Legal Department which is at another address. This means that the claim form will be served on the Ministry of Justice which will pass it to its representative as usually we do i.e. the Claim form will be served on the defendant and not on its representative contrary to CPR 6.10. Obviously this is confusing and complicated. Therefore we have to accept that the fact that that it is made reference in the bottom of the first page of the Claim Form N1 to the name of the defendant and to the address for service means that it is made reference to the address for service of the defendant and not of this of its representative

[Ganymede]

You are wrong, sorry.

 

To comply with CPR 6.10 you should have put the name and address of the MoJ care of the GLD exactly how I wrote it a few posts ago.

 

I really don't know why you are trying to argue these meaningless points and not simply calling the GLD.

[SuperVillain]

Just send them the claim form, 'by way of service' (ideally do this by post and email), at the same time as asking them if they intend to take issue with late service. Then it is served.

 

The end result of your claim being struck out for being out of time for service, is that you have to issue proceedings again. It doesn't stop you from bringing a claim entirely (unless your claim is now statute barred under the Limitation Act). So, that means that the MOJ will just be awaiting another potential claim, that is inevitably going to be served correctly and therefore will have to be dealt with at some point in the future.

 

It is almost certainly more beneficial to the GLD and their Client if all is dealt with now.

[today]

It seems to me strange that a claimant has to use the term 'C/O' because most of the people even not know what it means

 

it will be careless for me to serve my claim out of time without the agreement of the LGD or permission of the court because my claim could be struck out at a hearing and I could be ordered to pay the cost of the hearing

 

Unfortunately I cannot issue another claim because it is now statute barred

[BazzaS]

So, it appears you know what you want (and feel you have) to do. What is your outstanding question (or are you merely hoping for validation?)

Edited January 10, 2022 by dx100uk
unnecessary previous post quote removed

[today]

Firstly I would like to know if I can add anything to my application for an extension of time which could increase the chances that I will get this permission. Secondly if what I say in my posts is wrong I would like you explain me why so that I amend accordingly the witness statement that I am writing for this application. Thirdly to know how to properly explain my arguments in this witness statement

[honeybee13]

How did you get on with ringing the GLD, today? From what I read from the experts on this thread, the clock is ticking for you.

 

HB

[today]

As I predicted the LGD refuses to do me such a favour. So now I have no choice but to make an application either under the overriding objective of doing justice which is to save time and money for an order from the court considering that the claim form was served on the defendant's representative because he has nevertheless received it and he makes reference to its contents in his last email. Or in the alternative for an order under CPR 6.10 to get permission to serve again my claim form this time on the defendant's representative after the four month deadline

 

Therefore I need you reply to my questions in my last post

[honeybee13]

That's a shame.

 

Could you remind us please why you missed the four month deadline and why you came up to the SB limit?

 

HB

[today]

I served my claim form within the four months deadline but I served it on the defendant instead of serving it on its representative because CPR 6.10 says that for claims against the Crown we have to serve the claim form on the defendant's representative. This is a stupid technicality it is judicial bureaucracy which wastes time and money because the defendant's representative has received my claim form as evidenced by his last email and could respond to it if he wishes. As a consequence if now I have to serve again my claim form this time on the defendant's representative I will be now outside the four months deadline.

 

I had to go through the several steps of the MOJ's complaint procedure and this has taken a long time. Moreover I had also other commitments. I made my first claim within the six years deadline but if I have to make another claim this time it will be slightly outside the six years limitation period

[SuperVillain]

As I predicted the LGD refuses to do me such a favour.

 

What did they actually say to you?

[Ganymede]

I served my claim form within the four months deadline but I served it on the defendant instead of serving it on its representative because CPR 6.10 says that for claims against the Crown we have to serve the claim form on the defendant's representative. This is a stupid technicality it is judicial bureaucracy which wastes time and money because the defendant's representative has received my claim form as evidenced by his last email and could respond to it if he wishes. As a consequence if now I have to serve again my claim form this time on the defendant's representative I will be now outside the four months deadline.

 

I had to go through the several steps of the MOJ's complaint procedure and this has taken a long time. Moreover I had also other commitments. I made my first claim within the six years deadline but if I have to make another claim this time it will be slightly outside the six years limitation period

 

There's part of your grounds for the application.

 

It's a minor error and easy for a LiP to make and the Defendant has not suffered any prejudice as the GLD was passed a copy of the pleadings by the MoJ.

[today]

I asked him to change his mind and to accept the service of my claim even if he has received it from the defendant and not directly from me. He has not told me yes . However he told me I have myself accepted that now I am out of time to serve correctly the claim form on him directly