Late filing irks judge

 By SAMUEL RAITANO

LATE filing of affidavits and failure to produce copies to an opposing party in a court case lacked common courtesy from the practitioners, said Justice Graham Ellis.

He said the intention of taking an opponent by surprise in that way was deemed as lack of professionalism on the lawyers’ parts.

Ellis made this statement while hearing a land title case at Waigani National Court last  week.

The case, which was adjourned to today, had an instance in which an affidavit was filed a day before the hearing last Thursday in which one party had not received a copy to examine the contents.

The judge was unhappy and lashed out at the lawyers involved.