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England and Wales Court of Appeal (Civil Division) Decisions |
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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> England and Wales Court of Appeal (Civil Division) Decisions >> Canada Goose UK Retail Ltd & Anor v Unknown Persons [2020] EWCA Civ 303 (05 March 2020) URL: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2020/303.html Cite as: [2020] WLR(D) 137, [2020] 1 WLR 2802, [2020] EWCA Civ 303, [2020] WLR 2802, [2020] 4 All ER 575 |
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ON APPEAL FROM THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE
QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION
Nicklin J
Strand, London, WC2A 2LL |
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B e f o r e :
LORD JUSTICE DAVID RICHARDS
and
LORD JUSTICE COULSON
____________________
CANADA GOOSE UK RETAIL LIMITED (1) James HAYTON (for and on behalf of the Employees, Security Personnel and Protected Persons pursuant to CPR 19.6) (2) |
Appellants |
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- and - |
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PERSONS UNKNOWN WHO ARE PROTESTORS AGAINST THE MANUFACTURE AND SALE OF CLOTHING MADE OF OR CONTAINING ANIMAL PRODUCTS AND AGAINST THE SALE OF SUCH CLOTHING AT CANADA GOOSE, 244 REGENT STREET, LONDON W1B 3BR (1) PEOPLE FOR THE ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS (PETA) FOUNDATION (a charitable company limited by guarantee, in its own right and for and on behalf of its employees and members pursuant to CPR 19.6) (2) |
Respondents |
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The Respondents did not appear and were not represented
Sarah Wilkinson appeared as Advocate to the Court
Hearing dates : 4 & 5 February 2020
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Crown Copyright ©
Sir Terence Etherton MR, Lord Justice David Richards and Lord Justice Coulson :
Factual background
The proceedings
"Persons unknown who are protestors against the manufacture and sale of clothing made of or containing animal products and against the sale of such clothing at Canada Goose, 244 Regent Street, London W1B 3BR"
(1) Assaulting, molesting, or threatening the Protected Persons [defined in the particulars of claim as including Canada Goose's employees, security personnel working at the store and customers];
(2) Behaving in a threatening and/or intimidating and/or abusive and/or insulting manner towards Protected Persons.
(3) Doing acts which they know or ought to know cause harassment, fear, alarm, distress and/or intimidation to the Protected Persons;
(4) Intentionally photographing or filming the Protected Persons with the purpose of identifying them and/or targeting them;
(5) Making in any way whatsoever any abusive or threatening communication to the Protected Persons;
(6) Making or attempting to make repeated communications not in the ordinary course of the First Claimant's retail business to or with Employees by telephone, email or letter;
(7) Entering the Store;
(8) Blocking or otherwise obstructing the Entrances to the Store;
(9) Demonstrating at the Stores within the Inner Exclusion Zone;
(10) Demonstrating at the Stores within the Outer Exclusion Zone save that no more than 3 Protestors may at any one time demonstrate and hand out leaflets therein;
(11) Using at any time a Loudhailer within the Inner Exclusion Zone and Outer Exclusion Zone or otherwise within 50 metres of the Building Line of the Store.
"(1) Assaulting, molesting, or threatening the Protected Persons (defined as including Canada Goose's employees, security personnel working at the store, customer and any other person visiting or seeking to visit the store);
(2) Behaving in a threatening and/or intimidating and/or abusive and/or insulting manner directly at any individual or group of individuals within the definition of Protected Persons;
(3) Intentionally photographing or filming the Protected Persons with the purpose of identifying them and/or targeting them in connection with protests against the manufacture and/or sale or supply of Animal Products;
(4) Making in any way whatsoever any abusive or threatening electronic communication to the Protected Persons;
(5) Entering the Store;
(6) Blocking or otherwise obstructing the Entrance to the Store;
(7) Banging on the windows of the Store;
(8) Painting, spraying and/or affixing things to the outside of the Store;
(9) Projecting images on the outside of the Store;
(10) Demonstrating at the Store within the Inner Exclusion Zone;
(11) Demonstrating at the Store within the Outer Exclusion Zone A save that no more than 3 Protestors may at any one time demonstrate and hand out leaflets within the Outer Exclusion Zone A (but not within the Inner Exclusion Zone provided that no obstruction occurs other than that which is implicit in handing out leaflets;
(12) Demonstrating at the Store within the Outer Exclusion Zone B [as defined in the order] save that no more than 5 Protestors may at any one time demonstrate and hand out leaflets within Outer Exclusion Zone B (but not within the Inner Exclusion Zone) provided that no obstruction occurs other than that which is implicit in handing out leaflets;
(13) Using at any time a Loudhailer [as defined] within the Inner Exclusion Zone and Outer Exclusion Zones or otherwise within 10 metres of the Building Line of the Store;
(14) Using a Loudhailer anywhere within the vicinity of the Store otherwise than for amplification of voice."
" using at any time a Loudhailer within the Inner Exclusion Zone and Outer Exclusion Zone [and] using a Loudhailer anywhere else in the vicinity of the Store (including Regent Street and Little Argyll Street) save that between the hours of 2pm and 8pm a single Loudhailer may be used for the amplification of the human voice only for up to 15 minutes at a time with intervals of 15 minutes between each such use."
The summary judgment application
"Persons who are present at and in the vicinity of 244 Regent Street, London W1B 3BR and are protesting against the manufacture and/or supply and/or sale of clothing made of or containing animal products by Canada Goose UK Retail Limited and are involved in any of the acts prohibited by the terms of this order"
"For the reasons I have addressed above, it is not impossible to name the persons against whom relief is sought and, more importantly, the terms of the injunction would impose restrictions on otherwise lawful conduct. Further, the interim injunction (and in particular the size and location of the Exclusion Zones) practically limits the number of people who can demonstrate outside the Store to 12. This figure is arbitrary; not justified by any evidence; disproportionate (in the sense there is no evidence that permitting a larger group would not achieve the same object); assumes that all demonstrators share the same objectives and so could be 'represented' by 12 people; and wrong in principle ... Who is to decide who should be one of the permitted 12 demonstrators? Is it 'first-come-first-served'? What if other protestors do not agree with the message being advanced by the 12 'authorised' protestors?"
"164. The Second Defendant (in its non-representative capacity) does have a real prospect of defending the claim. As I have set out above, the present evidence does not show that the Second Defendant has committed any civil wrong. As such, I am satisfied that it has a real prospect of defending the claim.
165. In relation to the First Defendants, and those for whom the Second Defendant acts in a representative capacity, it is impossible to answer the question whether they have a real prospect of defending the claim because it is impossible to identify who they are, what they are alleged to have done (or threaten to do) and what defence they might advance. Whether any individual Defendant in these classes was guilty of (or threatening) any civil wrong would require an analysis of the evidence of what s/he had done (or threatened) and whether s/he had any defence to resist any civil liability. On the evidence, therefore, I am not satisfied that the Claimants have demonstrated that the Defendants in each of these classes has no real prospect of defending the claim. On the contrary, on the evidence as it stands, it is clear that there are a large number of people caught by the definition of "persons unknown" who have not even arguably committed (or threatened) any civil wrong. As there is no way of discriminating between the various Defendants in these categories, it is impossible to identify those against whom summary judgment could be granted (even assuming that the evidence justified such a course) and those against whom summary judgment should be refused."
"I am also satisfied that, applying the principles from Cameron and Ineos, the interim injunction that is currently in place cannot continue in its current form, if at all. There are fundamental issues that the Claimants need to address regarding the validity of the Claim Form and its service on any defendant. Presently, no defendant has been validly served. Subject to further submissions, my present view is that if the proceedings are to continue, whether or not a claim can be properly maintained against "persons unknown" for particular civil wrongs (e.g. trespass), other civil claims will require individual defendants to be joined to the proceedings whether by name or description and the nature of the claims made against them identified. Any interim relief must be tailored to and justified by the threatened or actual wrongdoing identified in the Particulars of Claim and any interim injunction granted against "persons unknown" must comply with the requirements suggested in Ineos."
The grounds of appeal
"Ground 1 (Service of the Claim Form): In relation to the service of the Claim Form, the Judge:
Erred in refusing to amend the Order of 29 November 2017, pursuant to CPR 40.12 or the court's inherent jurisdiction, to provide that service by email was permissible alternative service under CPR 6.15; alternatively
Erred in failing to consider, alternatively in refusing to order, that the steps taken by the Appellants in compliance with the undertaking given to Teare J on 29 November 2017 constituted alternative good service under CPR 6.15(2); alternatively
Adopted a procedurally unfair practice in refusing to consider an application to dispense with service of the Claim Form under CPR 6.16, alternatively erred in law in refusing to exercise that power of dispensation.
Ground 2 (Description of First Respondents): The Judge erred in law in holding that the Appellants' proposed re-formulation of the description of the First Respondents was an impermissible one.
Ground 3 (Approach to Summary Judgment): In determining whether summary judgment should be granted for a final prohibitory quia timet injunction against the First Respondents (as described in accordance with the proposed reformulation) the Judge erred in law in the approach he took. In particular, and without derogating from the generality of this, the Judge:
Erred in concluding that the proper approach was to focus (and focus alone) on the individual evidence of wrongdoing in relation to each identified individual protester (whether or not that individual was formally joined as a party); and/or
Erred in concluding that the Appellants were bound to differentiate, for the purposes of the description of the First Respondents, between those individuals for whom there was evidence of prior wrongdoing (whether of specific acts or more generally) and those for whom there was not; and/or
Erred in concluding that evidence of wrongdoing of some individuals within the potential class of the First Respondents could not form the basis for a case for injunctive relief against the class as a whole.
Ground 4 (Approach to and assessment of the evidence): The judge erred in his approach to alternatively his assessment of the evidence before him, reaching conclusions which he was not permitted to reach."
Discussion
Appeal Ground 1: Service
"It is a fundamental principle of justice that a person cannot be made subject to the jurisdiction of the court without having such notice of the proceedings as will enable him to be heard."
"subject to any statutory provision to the contrary, it is an essential requirement for any form of alternative service that the mode of service should be such as can reasonably be expected to bring the proceedings to the attention of the defendant".
Appeal Ground 2 and Appeal Ground 3: Interim and Final Injunctions
Interim relief against "persons unknown"
"(1) there must be a sufficiently real and imminent risk of a tort being committed to justify quia timet relief; (2) it is impossible to name the persons who are likely to commit the tort unless restrained; (3) it is possible to give effective notice of the injunction and for the method of such notice to be set out in the order; (4) the terms of the injunction must correspond to the threatened tort and not be so wide that they prohibit lawful conduct; (5) the terms of the injunction must be sufficiently clear and precise as to enable persons potentially affected to know what they must not do; and (6) the injunction should have clear geographical and temporal limits."
"Mr. Turner-Samuels, however, also advanced an alternative argument that, even if he was wrong in his submission that no interlocutory relief should have been granted, the terms of the injunction were too wide in that it would prevent the defendants from doing that which, as he claimed and as I am for the present purposes prepared to accept, it was not unlawful for them to do, namely, to assemble outside the plaintiffs' premises for the sole purpose of imparting or receiving information. I accept that the court must be careful not to impose an injunction in wider terms than are necessary to do justice in the particular case; but I reject the argument that the court is not entitled, when satisfied that justice requires it, to impose an injunction which may for a limited time prevent the defendant from doing that which he would otherwise be at liberty to do."
"It would not seem to me to be a valid objection to the making of an "exclusion zone" order that the conduct to be restrained is not in itself tortious or otherwise unlawful if such an order is reasonably regarded as necessary for protection of a plaintiff's legitimate interest Ordinarily, the victim will be adequately protected by an injunction which restrains the tort which has been or is likely to be committed, whether trespass to the person or to land, interference with goods, harassment, intimidation or as the case may be. But it may be clear on the facts that if the defendant approaches the vicinity of the plaintiff's home he will succumb to the temptation to enter it, or to abuse or harass the plaintiff; or that he may loiter outside the house, watching and besetting it, in a manner which might be highly stressful and disturbing to a plaintiff. In such a situation the court may properly judge that in the plaintiff's interest and also, but indirectly, the defendant's a wider measure of restraint is called for.
(1) The "persons unknown" defendants in the claim form are, by definition, people who have not been identified at the time of the commencement of the proceedings. If they are known and have been identified, they must be joined as individual defendants to the proceedings. The "persons unknown" defendants must be people who have not been identified but are capable of being identified and served with the proceedings, if necessary by alternative service such as can reasonably be expected to bring the proceedings to their attention. In principle, such persons include both anonymous defendants who are identifiable at the time the proceedings commence but whose names are unknown and also Newcomers, that is to say people who in the future will join the protest and fall within the description of the "persons unknown".
(2) The "persons unknown" must be defined in the originating process by reference to their conduct which is alleged to be unlawful.
(3) Interim injunctive relief may only be granted if there is a sufficiently real and imminent risk of a tort being committed to justify quia timet relief.
(4) As in the case of the originating process itself, the defendants subject to the interim injunction must be individually named if known and identified or, if not and described as "persons unknown", must be capable of being identified and served with the order, if necessary by alternative service, the method of which must be set out in the order.
(5) The prohibited acts must correspond to the threatened tort. They may include lawful conduct if, and only to the extent that, there is no other proportionate means of protecting the claimant's rights.
(6) The terms of the injunction must be sufficiently clear and precise as to enable persons potentially affected to know what they must not do. The prohibited acts must not, therefore, be described in terms of a legal cause of action, such as trespass or harassment or nuisance. They may be defined by reference to the defendant's intention if that is strictly necessary to correspond to the threatened tort and done in non-technical language which a defendant is capable of understanding and the intention is capable of proof without undue complexity. It is better practice, however, to formulate the injunction without reference to intention if the prohibited tortious act can be described in ordinary language without doing so.
(7) The interim injunction should have clear geographical and temporal limits. It must be time limited because it is an interim and not a final injunction. We shall elaborate this point when addressing Canada Goose's application for a final injunction on its summary judgment application.
"Persons unknown who are protesters against the manufacture and sale of clothing made of or containing animal products and against the sale of such clothing at Canada Goose, 244 Regent Street, London W1B 3BR".
Final order against "persons unknown"
Appeal Ground 4: Evidence
Conclusion