An Applicant found himself in the unfortunate position of having an award of costs on an indemnity basis made against him in the Supreme Court on 18th August 2014.
The Plaintiff described himself as His Royal Highness, King of the Whiting Kingdom, Baron of the Whiting region, King Steven 1 ATF Steven James Whiting. As it turned out Mr Whiting represented himself, seeking to have Family Court orders which had been made in favour of his wife, reversed. In addition he sought relief, including the return of his children to him, damages to be paid in Tory ounces of gold, the return of a property to him, and the Queen to “remedy or abdicate as per coronation oath of her office”. The Plaintiff described himself as “a self-represented Applicant exhausting his last peaceful avenues, before declaration of war.”
The Court found, inter alia, that it did not have jurisdiction to make orders that were more properly in the Federal Court sphere, and provided a succinct history of the Legislative authority for the Family Court and Federal Circuit Court to have exclusive jurisdiction over matrimonial causes.
The Court found the claim and statement of claim manifestly groundless and determined that it should be struck out. The Court also considered that serious claims were made by the Plaintiff against his wife and the Solicitors for his wife, without apparent justification, and therefore indemnity costs were appropriate.
AUG