Page 282 - Bundle for MF Final
P. 282

Bates no   281


                                                    2
               16 June 2020
               MA/JLW/116416/1



                       hearing  which  was  attached  to  her position  statement.  Your  client  is
                       aware of this and that it was discussed with her then solicitor, Thomas
                       Burton-Wills of Grosvenor Law. A cursory look at their file will bear
                       this out and we are very surprised that you have not done so. We liaised
                       with the Court and eventually the c01Tect  Order was issued.  This was
                                                          th
                       served  directly on your client on  11 October 2019.  To be  clear,  this
                       was an error of the Court and not a deliberate act by this firm or our
                       client. It is one thing to act on your client's instructions but to raise very
                       serious, unfounded allegations as you have done is quite another.  The
                       conclusion that our client was seeking to obtain disclosure to which he
                       was not entitled and has since delayed his detailed list of documents in
                       an attempt to gain an unfair advantage is not only plainly wrong but also
                       an attempt to subvert the truth of what actually occurred.


                   • Neither parties position statement was in the bundle which, as you are
                       fully aware, is common practice. The reason being that the bundle has to
                       be lodged 2 working days prior to the hearing and position  statements
                       often aren't ready at this stage. The bundle index agreed with your client
                       (Mr Comer on her behalf) clearly stated that position statements would
                                                                                 th
                       follow. These were exchanged via email with Mr Comer on 27 January
                       by which time the bundle had of course been lodged with the court and
                      the following email sent to Mr Comer:

                        "Dear Mr Comer

                        Further  to  your  email  below  I  confirm  that  ·we  can  exchange
                        electronically  by  email.  I suggest we  do  this  at  11 am  so  (f you  can
                       please email me your statement then and I will email you ours.

                        You  will  need  to  send  a copy  to  the  court by email also.  The  email
                       address  is  hearings. brighton. countycourt(a).iusl ice.gov. 11k.  Please
                       ensure you quote the case number and hearing date in the subject box
                       when you email the court.  This should then make irs way lo the Judge
                       for the hearing tomorrow but I suggest you also take a hard copy with
                       you tomorrow as well just in case it has not made its way to the correct
                       Judge."



                       Mr Comer raised this after the hearing and accused us of altering the
                       bundle index before it was sent to the Court which obviously, we did
                       not  do,  and we confirmed this.  Mr Comer also emailed our  client's
                       counsel Mr Anderson directly about this issue and he confirmed that
                       the Judge had read both position statements and handed them back to
                       the respective parties at the conclusion of the hearing.


                       DDJ Robinson was not misdirected in any way.  He had clearly read
                       your client's position statement and spent a significant amount of time
                       discussing the various issues with her. With respect, we consider that it
                       is not the fact that the Judge did not have sight of your client's position
                       statement  (which  clearly  he  did)  that  is  the  issue,  your  client  was
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