Moore v Aubusson [2020] NSWSC 1466

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Moore v Aubusson [2020] NSWSC 1466 Hearing dates: 14-17, 20-24 April 2020 Date of orders: 23 October 2020 Decision date: 23 October 2020 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Ward CJ in Eq Decision: 1. Declare that the defendant holds the properties known as No 66 and No 68 Louisa Road, Birchgrove (the properties) on trust for the plaintiffs in equal shares as tenants in common. 2. Order that within 28 days the defendant transfer the properties to the plaintiffs in equal shares as tenants in common. 3. Direct that the parties file brief written submissions as to costs (and any issue as to the extent to which the defendant should be indemnified out of the estate of the deceased) within 7 days, with a view to dealing with the issue of costs on the papers. Catchwords: CONTRACTS — Formation — Intention — Certainty — Testamentary promise ESTOPPEL — Proprietary estoppel — Detrimental reliance — Proportionality of relief claimed Legislation Cited: Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), ss 69, 79, 136 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), r 6.29 Cases Cited: Ambridge Investments Pty Ltd (in liquidation) v Baker [2010] VSC 59 Ashton v Pratt (2015) 88 NSWLR 281; [2015] NSWCA 12 Australian Broadcasting Corporation v XIVth Commonwealth Games Ltd (1988) 18 NSWLR 540 Barnes v Alderton [2008] NSWSC 107 Blacket v Barnett [2017] NSWSC 1032 Bovaird v Frost [2009] NSWSC 337 Brambles Holdings Ltd v Bathurst City Council (2001) 53 NSWLR 153; [2001] NSWCA 61 Browne v Dunn (1893) 6 R 67 Capital Securities XV Pty Ltd (formerly known as Prime Capital Securities Pty Ltd) v Calleja [2018] NSWCA 26 Carter v Brine [2015] SASC 204 Cobbe v Yeoman's Row Management Limited [2008] UKHL 55; [2008] 4 All ER 713 Commonwealth of Australia v Verwayen (1990) 170 CLR 394; [1990] HCA 39 County Securities Pty Limited v Challenger Group Holdings Pty Limited [2008] NSWCA 193 Crown Melbourne Limited v Cosmopolitan Hotel (Vic) Pty Ltd (2016) 260 CLR 1; [2016] HCA 26 Delaforce v Simpson-Cook (2010) 78 NSWLR 483; [2010] NSWCA 84 DHJPM Pty Ltd v Blackthorn Resources Ltd (2011) 83 NSWLR 728; [2011] NSWCA 348 Dillwyn v Llewelyn (1862) 4 De GF & J 517 Donis v Donis (2007) 19 VR 577; [2007] VSCA 89 Doueihi v Construction Technologies Australia Pty Ltd (2016) 92 NSWLR 247; [2016] NSWCA 105 E Co [a pseudonym] v Q [a pseudonym] (No 4) [2019] NSWSC 429 E Co [a pseudonym] v Q [a pseudonym] (No 5) [2019] NSWSC 844 E Co [a pseudonym] v Q [a pseudonym] [2018] NSWSC 442 Ermogenous v Greek Orthodox Community of SA Inc (2002) 209 CLR 95; [2002] HCA 8 Evans v Evans [2011] NSWCA 92 Flinn v Flinn [1999] 3 VR 712; [1999] VSCA 134 Galaxidis v Galaxidis [2004] NSWCA 111 Gillett v Holt [2001] Ch 210 Giumelli v Giumelli (1999) 196 CLR 101; [1999] HCA 10 Grant v Roberts [2019] NSWSC 843 Grundt v The Great Boulder Proprietary Gold Mines Limited (1937) 59 CLR 641 at 674; [1937] HCA 58 Hawkins v Clayton (1988) 164 CLR 539; [1988] HCA 15 Horton v Jones (1935) 53 CLR 475; [1935] HCA 7 In re Basham, decd [1986] 1 WLR 1498 In the matter of Hillsea Pty Limited [2019] NSWSC 1152 Jennings v Rice [2002] EWCA Civ 159 John Holland Pty Limited v Kellogg Brown & Root Pty Ltd [2015] NSWSC 451 Johnson v Buttress (1936) 56 CLR 113; [1936] HCA 41 King v Adams [2016] NSWSC 1798 Legione v Hateley (1983) 152 CLR 406; [1983] HCA 11 Lithgow City Council v Jackson (2011) 244 CLR 352; [2011] HCA 36 Low v Bouverie [1891] 3 Ch 82 Makita (Australia) Pty Ltd v Sprowles (2001) 52 NSWLR 705; [2001] NSWCA 305 McBride v Sandland (1918) 25 CLR 69; [1918] HCA 32 Miller Heiman Pty Ltd v Sales Principles Pty Ltd (2017) 94 NSWLR 500; [2017] NSWCA 106 Milling v Hardie [2014] NSWCA 163 Mineralogy Pty Ltd v Sino Iron Pty Ltd (No 6) [2015] FCA 825 Nguyen v Cosmopolitan Homes [2008] NSWCA 246 O'Sullivan v National Trustees Executors & Agency Co of Aust Ltd [1913] VLR 173 Oneflare Pty Ltd v Chernih [2017] NSWCA 195 Pacific Carriers Ltd v BNP Paribas (2004) 218 CLR 451; [2004] HCA 35 Palmer v Bank of New South Wales (1975) 133 CLR 150; [1975] HCA 51 Palmer v Bank of New South Wales [1973] 2 NSWLR 244 Parker v Clark [1960] 1 WLR 286 Pascoe v Turner [1979] 2 All ER 945; 1 WLR 431 Plimmer v The Mayor, Councillors, and Citizens of the City of Wellington (1884) 9 App Cas 699 Plunkett v Bull (1915) 19 CLR 544; [1915] HCA 14 Priestley v Priestley [2016] NSWSC 1096 Priestley v Priestley [2017] NSWCA 155 Ramsden v Dyson (1866) LR 1 HL 129 Riches v Hogben [1986] 1 Qd R 315 Rodda v Ian Rodda Pty Ltd [2015] SASC 95 Ryeldar Pty Ltd v Euphoric Pty Ltd (2007) 69 NSWLR 603; [2007] NSWCA 65 Scheps v Cobb [2005] NSWSC 455 Sidhu v Van Dyke (2014) 251 CLR 505; [2014] HCA 19 Sidhu v Van Dyke in Mineralogy Pty Ltd v Sino Iron Pty Ltd (No 6) [2015] FCA 825 Snelling v John G Snelling Ltd [1973] QB 87; [1972] 1 All ER 79 Steria Limited v Hutchison [2006] EWCA Civ 1551 Stone v Stone [2014] NSWSC 1655 Sullivan v Sullivan [2006] NSWCA 312 Thorner v Major [2009] UKHL 18; [2009] 3 All ER 945 Todd v Nicol [1957] SASR 72 Toll (FGCT) Pty Limited v Alphapharm Pty Limited (2004) 219 CLR 165; [2004] HCA 52 Varma v Varma [2010] NSWSC 786 Waddell v Waddell [2012] NSWCA 214 Wakeling v Ripley (1951) 51 SR (NSW) 183 Walton v Walton (unreported, 14 April 1994, EWCA Civ) Waltons Stores (Interstate) Limited v Maher (1988) 164 CLR 387; [1988] HCA 7 Watson v Foxman (1995) 49 NSWLR 315 White v Philips Electronics Australia Ltd [2019] NSWCA 115 Wilson v Arwon Finance Pty Ltd [2020] WASCA 137 Zugic v Vesuvius Australia Pty Ltd [2020] NSWSC 106 Zupicic v La Camera Paino [2018] NSWSC 692 Texts Cited: K Handley, "Recent Cases: Estoppel" (2017) 91 Australian Law Journal 812 J D Heydon, Heydon On Contract (2019, Thomson Reuters) J D Heydon, M J Leeming, P G Turner, Meagher, Gummow & Lehane's Equity: Doctrines and Remedies (5th ed, LexisNexis, 2014) J Hudson, "Certainty in Equitable Estoppels: Questions of Taxonomy, Unification and Coherence" (2016) 10 Journal of Equity 137 Ying Khai Liew, "Proprietary Estoppel in Australia: Two Options for Exercising Remedial Discretion" (2020) 43 University of New South Wales Law Journal 281 Category: Principal judgment Parties: David Moore (First Plaintiff) Douwine Andreasen (Second Plaintiff) James Brendan Aubusson (in his capacity as executor of the estate of the late Barbara Murphy) (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: M Condon SC (Plaintiffs) B Coles QC and P Walsh (Defendant)