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Scottish Court of Session Decisions


You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> Scottish Court of Session Decisions >> Adamson & Gulland v. Gardner [1878] ScotLR 15_664_2 (4 July 1878)
URL: http://www.bailii.org/scot/cases/ScotCS/1878/15SLR0664_2.html
Cite as: [1878] SLR 15_664_2, [1878] ScotLR 15_664_2

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SCOTTISH_SLR_Court_of_Session

Page: 664

Court of Session Inner House First Division.

Thursday, July 4. 1878.

[ Lord Young, Ordinary.

15 SLR 664_2

Adamson & Gulland

v.

Gardner.

Subject_1Expenses
Subject_2Between Agent and Client
Subject_3Reclaiming Note against an Auditor's Report in Action at Agent's Instance for Payment by Client.
Facts:

Objections to the Auditor's report upon an agent's account of expenses incurred by previous litigation under his charge, in a petitory action at his instance against his client for payment, will be dealt with by a very summary procedure.

Page: 665

Circumstances in which, in an action at an agent's instance against his client for judicial expenses incurred in a previous suit, a reclaiming note against a judgment decerning the latter to pay the amount of the account as taxed by the Auditor was refused, in respect that an order to lodge objections was not timeously obtempered.

Headnote:

This was a reclaiming note against a judgment of the Lord Ordinary ( Young) pronounced in these circumstances:—The pursuers, who had acted as agents for the defender in an action reported ante, vol. xiv, pp. 134, 570, and 590, raised an action for the amount of their account, viz., £716. The account was remitted to the Auditor for taxation, and when his report came before the Lord Ordinary the defender asked for time to lodge objections, as there had been a change of agency, and the defender's new agents were not yet in a position to lodge them. Five days were allowed, and on the case being again called, in respect that defender's counsel stated he had received no instructions to lodge objections, the Lord Ordinary approved of the account as taxed, and gave decree for the amount, viz., £701, 9s. 10d.

The defender, after allowing the full number of reclaiming days to elapse, reclaimed against this interlocutor. The pursuers' counsel, when the case appeared in the Single Bills, objected to its being sent to the roll on the ground that there was no matter that could be made the subject of a reclaiming note.

The Court called upon the counsel who appeared for the defender to explain the circumstances under which the interlocutor was pronounced. He stated he had not been counsel in the Outer House, and the Court thereupon directed the counsel who had appeared in the Outer House to be called. The latter then said that the facts were as narrated above. It was suggested that the defender should be allowed another day to lodge objections, and in the event of his failure to do so, that the reclaiming note should be refused.

At advising—

Judgment:

Lord President—I think this reclaiming note must be refused. The whole matter of objections to an Auditor's report is by Acts of Sederunt and the practice of this Court a very summary procedure; and in ordinary cases, as one of your Lordships has remarked, objections cannot be received more than forty-eight hours after the process has been returned from the Auditor. This party has had since 12th June to lodge objections and has not done so yet.

Lord Deas—I think it should be made to appear that we have heard from counsel all that took place in the Outer House.

Lord Mure—The interlocutor reclaimed against bears that counsel for the defender was present at the bar, and he has stated to us that he had previously got delay from the Lord Ordinary, but was not instructed to lodge any objections. The rule, as Lord Shand observes, is that a party is allowed forty-eight hours to lodge objections. In spite of that, if parties had come here with their objections ready, I should have been for hearing them, but there are none here.

Lord Shand—For my part, even if the party had appeared with his objections ready, I should have been for refusing to admit them. To do so would be to overturn the whole practice of the Court in matters of this kind.

The reclaiming note was therefore refused.

Counsel:

Counsel for Pursuers (Respondents)— Low. Agents— Davidson & Syme, W.S.

Counsel for Defender (Reclaimer)— Mair— Rhind. Agent— W. Officer, S.S.C.

1878


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URL: http://www.bailii.org/scot/cases/ScotCS/1878/15SLR0664_2.html