Jehovah’s Witnesses Awarded Temporary Injunction

In the court’s opening remark’s on page 8 of the verdict, it is clear that anyone who has a claim that is based on anything other than payment of money can apply for a temporary injunction.  The court made its decision without the parties having been summoned to an oral hearing because it found there was a risk to Jehovah’s Witnesses if it delayed. It is for this reason that the defendant, the State Administrator, was not given an opportunity to make a statement before the decision was made.

As this is a temporary injunction, the ruling here is not binding until the question of validity has been legally decided, but will remain in place until the courts decide otherwise. The State administrator has until January 27, 2023 to submit its statement to the court challenging the ruling.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses also requested that they are awarded legal costs. In other words, they asked that the State Administrator should compensate them for having to go to through the stress, time and expense of going to court. This was not awarded because the Jehovah’s Witnesses could not prove that the general conditions for the use of a temporary injunction have been met.  Referring to the Disputes Act, section 20-2, paragraph 3 (a), there have to be very strong reasons for exempting the defendant from responsibility for costs, especially in a case where the other party has not been heard and the exception rule is applied, “combined with the fact that the claim as such appears doubtful.”