$284,765 against them because they say it was filed without following proper procedures.

Mr. Vaucrosson said his chambers had filed a defence one day before the writ was filed on September 21.

But he said a mix-up and a broken machine at the Supreme Court registry meant that it was not seen. Consequently the Attorney General's chambers followed through with a judgment.

"I filed today (Friday) a summons to have the judgment set aside. This is clearly something that should not have taken place. But their machine was broken. They did not give us back the defence copies as they normally should have done.

"When we did get them, it was three days later, by that time the judgment was already given.

"I have never seen this done. It is common courtesy among attorneys to say if a defence is not filed then a judgment will be taken.'' Mr. Hall meanwhile, said someone in the Attorney General's chambers "was moving with unseemly haste'' but the matter would be cleared up.

He said the normal procedure requires the side seeking a default judgment to notify the other party of their intention so that a proper defence can be made.

"No-one notified me of that. I haven't received any official notification.'' Walter Pasco and Wamond Hill are the other persons named in the writ.

In 1984 an amendment to the Bermuda Bar Act prohibited undischarged bankrupts from practising law. Mr. Hall was declared bankrupt after an earlier law practice failed. He claimed the amendment was part of an establishment conspiracy against him.

A former PLP MP, Mr. Hall lost his seat in Hamilton West in 1993.