Maneesh Dev Mehta

The appellants, operators of a cabinet-making business, appealed a permanent injunction that prevented them from causing a noise nuisance to an adjoining law office in a mixed-use condominium complex.

The injunction was initially granted by the Superior Court after the appellants failed to mitigate the noise despite multiple opportunities.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, affirming the lower court's findings that an unreasonable nuisance existed, that the legal test for nuisance was properly applied, and rejecting the appellants' arguments that the respondents should have taken measures to reduce the noise or that statutory authority permitted the nuisance.

The appellants sought to appeal two judgments.

The Court of Appeal found it lacked jurisdiction to hear the appeal of the first judgment (October 2020 Judgment) because a prior appeal of that judgment had been dismissed for delay or abandoned, constituting an impermissible collateral attack.

The court declined to exercise its power to set aside the prior dismissal, emphasizing that proper procedural rules must be followed for such a request.

The appeal concerning the second judgment (February 2021 Judgment) was adjourned and will be rescheduled.

Costs thrown away were awarded to the respondents.