Day 159 - 20 Jul 95 - Page 04


     
     1   MR. MORRIS:  That would be the Brazilian stores would be using
     2        Brazilian beef, but the exports of beef from Brazil would
     3        be on top of local consumption.  That is where the UK
     4        imports come in.  This was one of the reasons for it being
     5        suggested that we had to plead the situation, because if we
     6        are going to argue that there had been other imports of
     7        Brazilian beef elsewhere into the McDonald's system, then
     8        it should be pleaded.  Then, obviously, the decision is
     9        yours as to what that means.  I do not think a pleading
    10        should be rejected because it might lead to a lot of
    11        discovery.
    12
    13        Obviously, the judge has discretion on how much discovery
    14        he orders, but the pleading is a sacrosanct right to plead
    15        as long as it is based upon reasonable belief.  So all I am
    16        saying is -----
    17
    18   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I am not going to not give you leave to plead
    19        because I think it would lead to onerous discovery.  The
    20        answer would be to give you leave to plead it and then
    21        decide what, if any, discovery was necessary for the fair
    22        disposal of the action if there were any relevant
    23        documents, or might be.  I think it is, nevertheless,
    24        helpful for me to see just what you envisage might be the
    25        extent of the discovery if you were successful on No. 1.
    26
    27   MR. MORRIS:  Right.
    28
    29   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Do you have any particular kinds of
    30        documentation which you would expect there would be?
    31
    32   MR. MORRIS:  If it was -- that is just something, one particular
    33        thing, because I wanted to come back on what Mr. Rampton
    34        said, but if the amendment is accepted, then if we could
    35        maybe over lunch, or something, if you decide before lunch,
    36        maybe over lunch we could -----
    37
    38   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No.  I will not decide this before lunch, if
    39        only because I think I will have to do a bit of rereading
    40        of various things.  I have not had time overnight
    41        unfortunately to reconsider the effect, if any, of the
    42        ruling I made back in November.  Do you remember the matter
    43        I raised with Mr. Rampton yesterday during his argument,
    44        and I wanted to have time to do that?
    45
    46   MR. MORRIS:  Yes, maybe if over lunch we have a chance to give
    47        an indication of the kind of documentation we would be
    48        seeking.
    49
    50   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It would be helpful just to get the feel of 
    51        the whole thing if you did that.  I am not inviting you to 
    52        go into it in great length, but just give me literally a 
    53        thumbnail sketch of what you think the compass of it would
    54        be.
    55
    56   MR. MORRIS:  So we have finished with that file now.  Of course,
    57        if you were so minded, then that particular provision in
    58        that document we have just shown could equally be applied
    59        to Costa Rica and Guatemala.
    60

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