Bijkerk Investments Pty Ltd v Bikic [2020] NSWSC 1336

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Bijkerk Investments Pty Ltd v Bikic [2020] NSWSC 1336 Hearing dates: 21, 22, 23 September 2020 Decision date: 01 October 2020 Jurisdiction: Equity - Real Property List Before: Leeming JA Decision: 1. Direct the parties to supply short minutes of order as agreed, or orders sought by them and short submissions in support, by 12 October 2020. 2. List the proceedings for directions before me at 9.30am on 14 October 2020. Catchwords: CONTRIBUTION - contribution in equity - lender sued one of two borrowers for unpaid money - judgment obtained - bankruptcy notice served and creditor's petition filed - whether debtor entitled to declaratory relief that other debtor liable to contribution - whether necessary to establish that debtor was ready willing and able to pay REAL PROPERTY - co-ownership - application for sale pursuant to Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW) s 66G - whether property held on express or constructive trust for one co-owner TRUSTS - common intention constructive trust - whether co-owned property held on trust for one co-owner - whether express or implied common intention that property held on trust - consideration of relationship between common intention constructive trust and estoppel Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), s 100 Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW), s 66G Family Law Act 1975 (Cth), Pt VIIIAB Married Women's Property Act 1882 (UK), s 17 Cases Cited: Allen v Snyder [1977] 2 NSWLR 685 Austin v Keele (1987) 10 NSWLR 283 Baumgartner v Baumgartner (1987) 164 CLR 137; [1987] HCA 59 Cambouya Pty Ltd v Buchanan [2005] NSWSC 743 Caron and Seidlitz v Jahani and McInerney in their capacity as liquidators of Courtenay House Pty Ltd (in liq) & Courtenay House Capital Trading Group Pty Ltd (in liq) (No 2) [2020] NSWCA 117 Dunphy v Russell [2018] NSWSC 721 Ferella v Official Trustee in Bankruptcy [2015] NSWCA 411 Friend v Brooker (2009) 239 CLR 129; [2009] HCA 21 Gissing v Gissing [1971] AC 886 Grant v Edwards [1986] Ch 638 Green v Green (1989) 17 NSWLR 343 Harpley Nominees Pty Ltd v Jeans [2006] NSWCA 176 Lavin v Toppi (2015) 254 CLR 459; [2015] HCA 4 Mahoney v McManus (1981) 180 CLR 370; [1981] HCA 54 McKay v McKay (Costs) [2008] NSWSC 256 McLean v Discount and Finance Ltd (1939) 64 CLR 312; [1939] HCA 38 Michael Gregory Jones as Liquidator of SBH Australia Pty Ltd (in liq) v Cummins [2018] NSWSC 606 Muschinski v Dodds (1985) 160 CLR 583; [1985] HCA 78 Parsons v McBain (2001) 109 FCR 120; [2001] FCA 376 Pettitt v Pettitt [1970] AC 777 Rochefoucauld v Boustead [1897] 1 Ch 196 Sidhu v Van Dyke (2014) 251 CLR 505; [2014] HCA 19 Watson v Foxman (1995) 49 NSWLR 315 Wolmershausen v Gullick [1893] 2 Ch 514 Woolmington v Bronze Lamp Restaurant Pty Ltd [1984] 2 NSWLR 242 Texts Cited: G E Dal Pont, "Equity's Chameleon – Unmasking the Constructive Trust" (1997) 16 Australian Bar Review 47 D Hayton (ed), Underhill and Hayton Law Relating to Trusts and Trustees (LexisNexis, 19th ed, 2016) R Leow, "The Death of Stack in Singapore" (2019) 135 Law Quarterly Review 535 L Maniscalco, "Common Intentions and Constructive Trusts: Unorthodoxy in Trusts of Land" [2020](2) Conveyancer and Property Lawyer 124 J Randall, "Proprietary estoppel and the common intention constructive trust – Strange bedfellows or a match in the making?" (2010) 4 Journal of Equity 171 P Ridge, "Tracing and associated claims in Australian law" (2020) 14 Journal of Equity 32 S Thomas, "Proprietary Estoppel and Common Intention Constructive Trusts: Is it Time to Abandon the Distinction?" [2014] Singapore Journal of Legal Studies 168 D Waters, Waters' Law of Trusts in Canada (4th ed, 2012, Carswell) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Bijkerk Investments Pty Ltd (First plaintiff, first cross-defendant) Roy Anthony Bijkerk (Second plaintiff, second cross-defendant) Ned Bikic (Defendant, cross-claimant) Representation: Counsel: C Alexander (Plaintiffs, cross-defendants) B A Coles QC, M Dolenec (Defendant, cross-claimant)