When exercising the discretion to strike out a claim (as distinct from a statement of claim), the court must consider whether the plaintiff would lose the ability to pursue the claim due to the expiration of a limitation period. A self-represented litigant is denied natural justice where the detailed grounds of a strike-out application are provided for the first time on the day of the hearing, even where the litigant is subject to the same rules as represented parties. The law concerning website host liability for defamatory material posted by third-party users remains in a state of development.
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