Jordan v Goldspring [2021] NSWSC 7

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Jordan v Goldspring [2021] NSWSC 7 Hearing dates: 10 – 11 November 2020 Date of orders: 15 January 2021 Decision date: 15 January 2021 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Hallen J Decision: The Court: (1) Orders that by 5 February 2021, the Defendants are to permit the Plaintiffs, by their legal representatives, to inspect a copy of: (a) The Trust Deed, dated 1 June 2006, establishing the Goldsprings Family Trust; (b) The Deed of Variation, dated 30 June 2008, relating to the Goldsprings Family Trust; (c) The Trust Deed, of date unknown, establishing the Fred Goldspring & Sons Family Trust; and (d) Any other Deed of Variation, dated between 1 June 2006 and the date of these orders, which had the effect of varying the terms of either the Goldsprings Family Trust or the Fred Goldspring & Sons Family Trust. (2) Stands over the balance of the proceedings to 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, 18 February 2021, for the purpose of determining whether any further orders are necessary and to consider how the question of costs should be determined. Catchwords: EQUITY – Trusts and trustees – Where the Plaintiffs do not know whether they are beneficiaries or discretionary objects, or whether they are within a class of beneficiaries or discretionary objects, or whether they have an interest in the property subject to trusts – Doubtful beneficiaries – Whether entitled to access to trust documents – Where the Defendants read no evidence on the application for access to documents – Whether inferences should be drawn from the failure to give evidence – Whether Plaintiffs' evidence sufficient to establish a prima facie case – Whether Plaintiffs entitled to access documents. Legislation Cited: Trustee Act 1925 (NSW), ss 12, 63 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 5.3, 54.3, Pt 5 Cases Cited: Armitage v Nurse [1998] Ch 241 Associated Dominions Assurance Society Pty Ltd v John Fairfax & Sons Pty Ltd (1955) 72 WN (NSW) 250 Azar v Kathirgamalingan (2012) 62 MVR 462; [2012] NSWCA 429 Birdseye v Roythorne & Co [2015] EWHC 1003 (Ch) Bull v Lee (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 362 Chong v CC Containers Pty Limited (2015) 49 VR 402; [2015] VSCA 137 Crociani v Crociani [2014] UKPC 40 Erceg v Erceg [2017] 1 NZLR 320; [2017] NZSC 28 Fast v Rockman [2015] VSCA 61 Fay v Moramba Services Pty Ltd [2009] NSWSC 1428 Hartigan Nominees Pty Ltd v Rydge (1992) 29 NSWLR 405 Kafataris v The Deputy Commissioner of Taxation (2008) 172 FCR 242; [2008] FCA 1454 Lehtimäki v Cooper [2020] UKSC 33 Macedonian Orthodox Community Church St Petka Incorporated v His Eminence Petar the Diocesan Bishop of the Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand (2008) 237 CLR 66; [2008] HCA 42 Manly Council v Byrne [2004] NSWCA 123 Miah v Miah [2020] EWHC 3374 (Ch) Morice v The Bishop of Durham (1804) 9 Ves Jun 399; 32 ER 656 Morris v Smoel [2013] VSCA 11 Newell; Muriniti v De Costi (2018) 97 NSWLR 398; [2018] NSWCA 49 Notaras v Waverley Council (2007) 161 LGERA 230; [2007] NSWCA 333 NT Power Generation Pty Ltd v Power and Water Authority (2004) 219 CLR 90; [2004] HCA 48 O'Rourke v Darbishire [1920] AC 581 Palmer v Ayres (2017) 259 CLR 478; [2017] HCA 5 Poricanin v Australian Consolidated Industries Ltd [1979] 2 NSWLR 419 Prepaid Services Pty Ltd v Atradius Credit Insurance NV [2014] NSWCA 440 Re Estate Late Chow Cho-Poon; Application for judicial advice (2013) 10 ASTLR 251; [2013] NSWSC 844 Re Fairbairn, deceased [1967] VR 633 Romeo v Papalia [2012] NSWCA 221 Russo v Aiello (2003) 215 CLR 643; [2003] HCA 53 Sarant v Sarant [2020] NSWSC 1686 Schmidt v Rosewood Trust Limited [2003] 2 AC 709; [2003] UKPC 26 Spellson v George (1987) 11 NSWLR 300 Strong v Woolworths Limited (t/as Big W) (2012) 246 CLR 182; [2012] HCA 5 Trkulja v Markovic [2015] VSCA 298 Viljoen v Hayes [2017] NSWSC 801 Woolworths Ltd v Ryder (2014) 87 NSWLR 593; [2014] NSWCA 223 Wright v Stevens [2018] NSWSC 548 Wynne v Humberston (1858) 27 Beav 421; 54 ER 165 Texts Cited: Lynton Tucker, Nicholas Le Poidevin QC, James Brightwell, Lewin on Trusts (20th ed, 2020, Thomson Reuters) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Katherine Mary Jordan (First Plaintiff) Rhonda Fay Thomas (Second Plaintiff) Lynette June Goldspring (Third Plaintiff) Peter Michael Goldspring (First Defendant) Mark Andrew Goldspring (Second Defendant) Marianne Evelyn Goodchild (Third Defendant) Goldspring Investments PM Pty Ltd (Fourth Defendant) Goldspring's Australia PM Pty Ltd (Fifth Defendant) Goldspring's Pipelines PM Pty Ltd (Sixth Defendant) Goldspring's Equipment Hire Pty Ltd (Seventh Defendant) Goldspring's Earthmoving & Heavy Haulage Pty Ltd (Eighth Defendant) Representation: Counsel: J S Drummond (Plaintiffs) D A Allen (Defendants)