AAA and BBB (interested party) -v- CCC (anonymity order)

County CourtAnonymity Order

Claim Number: J03SK740

In the County Court at Manchester

22 June 2023

Before:
HHJ Bird

Between:
AAA
(A Minor, suing by his Mother and Litigation Friend,
BBB)
-v-
CCC

Anonymity Order

BEFORE HHJ Bird sitting at the Manchester Civil Justice Centre on 22nd June 2023

UPON HEARING Mr Lee Nowland of Counsel for the Claimant and Mr Jonathan Grace of Counsel for the Defendant

WHEREAS the Claimant (a Child proceeding by his Litigation Friend) has brought proceedings against the Defendant seeking damages for personal injuries and consequential losses arising out of a road traffic accident, which occurred on the 20th May 2016, and in respect of which these proceedings were commenced by the Claimant against the Defendant and in respect of which a compromise between the parties has been reached

AND WHEREAS the Claimant is a child and brings this claim by his Litigation Friend

AND UPON consideration of the Claimant’s Article 8 right to respect for private and family life and the Article 10 right to freedom of expression
AND UPON IT APPEARING that non-disclosure of the identity of the Claimant is necessary in order to protect the interests of the Claimant
AND UPON the Defendant indicating his neutrality to the making of the Order and there being no representations from the press or any other interested party
AND PURSUANT to rule 39.2(4) and 39.2(5) of the Civil Procedure Rules and section II of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 and rules 5.4C and 5.4D of the Civil Procedure Rules and no countervailing public interest in disclosure having been identified in relation to this part of the Order

IT IS ORDERED THAT:

  1. Pursuant to CPR Rule 39.2(4), there should be no publication of any material leading to the identification of the Claimant or his family and publication of any of the following is prohibited:
    a. The name and/or address of the Claimant;
    b. The name and/or address of the Claimant’s Litigation Friend;
    c. The name and/or address of the Defendant.
  1. That reporting restrictions apply as to the disclosing of any information that may lead to the subsequent identification of the Claimant. The publication of the name and address of the Claimant or Litigation Friend is prohibited.
  2. The Claimant and his Litigation Friend shall hereinafter be referred to in these proceedings as “AAA” and “BBB” respectively and the Defendant shall be referred to only as “CCC” and the heading of all documents and orders in the claim (save for the existing master documents held on the Court File) should be amended accordingly forthwith.
  3. That the address of the Claimant and of the Litigation Friend be stated in all statements of case and other documents to be filed or served in the proceedings as the address of the Claimant’s solicitors.
  4. That, in so far as necessary, any statement of case or other document disclosing the Claimant’s name or address of that of the Litigation Friend already filed in the proceedings be replaced by a document describing such name or address in anonymised form as above and any document that is produced from the Court file shall be anonymised as aforesaid.
  5. That a non-party may not inspect or obtain a copy of any document on or from the Court file (other than this order duly anonymised as directed) without the permission of a Master or District Judge. Any application for such permission must be made on notice to the Claimant and Litigation Friend, and the Court will effect service. The file is to be retained by the Court and marked “Anonymised”.
  6. Nothing in the two foregoing paragraphs shall prohibit the Defendant or the Defendant’s insurers from disclosing the Claimant’s name and address to their re-insurers, their legal and professional advisers or to HM Revenue and Customs or its successor or any other person required by law.
  7. That any non-party affected by this order may apply on notice to all parties to have this order set aside or varied and the Court will effect service.
  8. A copy of this order shall be published on the website of the Judiciary of England and Wales and in the published copy of the order the Claimant shall be described as “AAA” and the Litigation Friend as “BBB” and the Defendant as “CCC”.
  9. Provided that the parties and/or their advisors do not publish any documents containing references to those mentioned in paragraphs 3 above by name, the parties are at liberty to retain their files in this case without alteration or substitution and to retain and generate documentation which identifies those people for the purposes of their continuing professional rights and obligations under the main settlement order and paragraphs 3 and 5 shall not apply in those respects.
  10. The provisions of this Order shall not apply to:
    a. communications between the Claimant’s Solicitors/Court of Protection/Court Funds Office and the anonymised parties and the Defendant’s Solicitors in relation to payments or investments of monies for the benefit of the Claimant;
    b. communications between the Claimant’s Solicitors/Court of Protection/Court Funds Office and the anonymised parties and any financial institution concerned as to the receipt or investment of such monies;
    c. records kept by the Court of Protection/Court Funds Office or by the anonymised parties or by any financial institution as above in relation to such money;
    d. communications between the Defendant’s Solicitors and the Claimant’s Solicitors in relation to the payment of money for the benefit of the Claimant .

DATED this 22nd day of June 2023