I refer to the news item on page 8 entitled “Man awarded E13,594 damages for road accident” (TMIS, 28 June). The article stated: “The First Hall had condemned the contractor and the local council to pay Mr Grech E13,594 (Lm6,000), which judgment was confirmed by the Appeals Court, presided over by Chief Justice Vincent de Gaetano last week, but found Mr Grech to be responsible for one third of the accident.”

For the sake of accuracy, the judgment in first instance was not delivered by the First Hall of the Civil Court but by the Court of Magistrates (Gozo) in its Superior Jurisdiction. That court awarded not E13,594 (which translates into Lm5,835.90 and not Lm6,000) but Lm9,720 (that is E22,641.50) by way of damages. In allowing in part the separate appeals entered by the Victoria Local Council and by Gatt Asphalting Ltd, and in finding that Grech was also responsible for the accident for failing to keep a proper lookout, the Court of Appeal, composed of the Chief Justice and of Justices J. Filletti and G. Valenzia, reduced the amount to E15,094.34 (equivalent to Lm6,480). Judicial costs were also apportioned.

It is not at all clear from where your court reporter obtained all the wrong figures.

Aldo Testone

Registrar

Civil Courts and Tribunals