Hot from Malta Today: court cases differed, but didn't come to blows

Published: March 9, 2011 at 7:17pm

I don’t expect better from people like Matthew Vella and Saviour Balzan, whose mother tongue is not English and who never quite succeed in weeding out the malapropisms and literal translations in their writing. But you’d think that Raphael Vassallo would have a quiet word about this sort of thing.

I’m astonished that even though they have the correct verb right there in the court notice – adjourned – they write up a heading which tells us that the court cases ‘differed’. Really? Well, I certainly hope they didn’t come to blows.

———-

www.maltatoday.com.mt

NOTICES 29 January, 2011

Court Cases differed – Justice Raymond C. Pace (2 Feb)

Due to court order, cases 1 to 18 on the list scheduled for Wednesday 2nd February presided by Justice Raymond C. Pace in the Civil Court are being adjourned for Thursday 24th February, whereas cases 19 and 20 on the same list are being adjourned for Wednesday 9th March, at the same time and for the same purpose of the previously held sitting.

NOTICES 29 January, 2011

Court Cases differed – Justice Raymond Pace, Civil Court (2 Feb)

Due to court order, case 33/08 on the list scheduled for Wednesday 2nd February presided by Justice Raymond C. Pace in the Civil Court, Constitutional Jurisdiction is being adjourned for Thursday, 24th February, whereas case 49/10 on the same list is being adjourned for Thursday 17th February at the same time and for the same purpose of the previously held sitting.

NOTICES 29 January, 2011

Court Cases differed – Justice Raymond C. Pace (1 Feb)

Due to Court order, cases 1 to 9 and 21 to 29 on the list scheduled for Tuesday 1st February 2011 presided by Justice Raymond C. Pace in the Civil Court, First Hall are being adjourned for Thursday 10th March, whereas cases 10 to 20 on the same list are being adjourned for Wednesday 30th March at the same time and for the same purpose of the previously held sitting.




25 Comments Comment

  1. Antoine Vella says:

    Were these cases differed in vindication?

  2. Reporter says:

    Does Salvu Balzan have a university degree?

    • Bus Driver says:

      No, what Saviour has is a ‘360’ degree, ghalhekk jahseb li jaf u jifhem fuq kollox, miskin.

  3. dery says:

    This is hilarious! However the Maltese ‘diferita’ is not exactly the same as the English ‘adjourned’. Like you, I know English through using it and I usually use the word ‘adjourned’ at the end of a meeting that has actually happened and which will continue at a later date. I think the correct word to use for the Maltese ‘diferita’, would be ‘postponed’.

    [Daphne – Oh, I never say ‘adjourned’. I just say ‘put off’.]

    • dery says:

      Actually, now that I think about it, I don’t think I have ever used the word adjourned. Would seem very up my own ass if I did!
      Also ‘put off’ is not adjourned, it is ‘canceled’ or at best ‘postponed’.

      [Daphne – Put off for hearing on…..]

      • Interested Bystander says:

        If a case has started it is adjourned. If not it’s put off.

      • willywonka says:

        Put off and adjourned are not the same thing. This thing with ‘differed’ is actually quite the same as reading about a ‘compilation of evidence’ or ‘manslaughter’.

  4. goldie says:

    Ha ha ha …. not the first time ….
    And they think they know it all or God’s gift to ….

  5. C Falzon says:

    In a way he is correct. All court cases do differ in some way or another.

  6. dudu says:

    Some infotainment from Maltastar:

    ‘Many literary critics have asked; what would the story of Romeo and Juliet be like, if it were set in a religious context? Well now, this question has been answered after an affair between a Muslim and a Christian in the city of Cairo fuelled riots throughout the city.’

    http://www.maltastar.com/pages/r1/ms10dart.asp?a=14565

  7. ciccio2011 says:

    If the court cases differed, couldn’t they take the dispute to the court?

  8. Harry Purdie says:

    Phenomenal! Who couldn’t love this rock. ‘Laugh a Day Paradise’.

  9. Another John says:

    How about ‘deferred’?

  10. John Lane says:

    I suspect that they meant a case was “deferred” which could serve as a substitute for “adjourned”.

    • C Falzon says:

      As far as I know defer and adjourn have different meanings.

      When you defer a meeting you are postponing it.

      When you adjourn a meeting you are temporarily ending it, with the intention of continuing at a later time or date.

      In other words you only adjourn something that is already proceeding whereas you defer something which has yet to start.

      In court cases, or other meetings or whatever that are normally held over a number of sessions, at the end of each session (except the last) the case would be adjourned and a date specified for the next session.

      If a date has been set and on that date something crops up and session cannot be held then it would be deferred to another date.

      • willywonka says:

        No it wouldn’t. It would be put off to another date. It would be postponed if the sitting is called and cannot continue due to some obstacle but can continue later on in the same sitting. And it would be adjourned if the sitting is held and has to continue at a later date.

  11. Victor says:

    The correct verb to describe a court case that has been postponed to a later date is “deferred”.

  12. P Shaw says:

    More embarrassing news for Malta – this time in no other than The Financial Times. Malta was looked at with much high regard only a few weeks ago.

    http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/65453b48-4a87-11e0-82ab-00144feab49a.html#axzz1G96O0TH4

  13. Min Weber says:

    Art. 195 (4), art. 212 (2) Code of Organization and Civil Procedure: differiment = adjournment.

    Art. 613, art. 906 (2) COCP: tiddifferixxi = adjourn

    Art. 964 (1) COCP: differita = adjourned.

    This should, I believe, settle the matter.

    One hopes that the day will dawn when Malta Today will become Malta Yesterday.

  14. lino says:

    One can also defer an adjournment I suppose.

    • .Angus Black says:

      In that case, how long would the meeting last?

      Would it be the case of deferring the adjournment sine die?

  15. La Redoute says:

    Every crisis has its anoraks.

Leave a Comment