Bassett v Cameron [2021] NSWSC 207

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Bassett v Cameron [2021] NSWSC 207 Hearing dates: 17-20, 24-25, 27 August 2020 Date of orders: 12 March 2021 Decision date: 12 March 2021 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Ward CJ in Eq Decision: 1. Dismiss the first cross-claim. 2. Dismiss the second cross-claim with no order for costs. 3. In addition to the bequest in the plaintiff's favour under the deceased's Will, order that there be further provision out of the estate of the late William Bassett in favour of the plaintiff, in the form of a one-half share of the deceased's 50% share of the land known as The Springs, and that the burden of that bequest should be charged equally over the interests left to the plaintiff's siblings in respect of the land; to the effect that the siblings' interest in The Springs, as part of the residue of the deceased's estate, is reduced to a 25% share of the land, to be held as between them in equal shares. 4. Otherwise dismiss the amended statement of claim. 5. Reserve the question of the costs of the amended statement of claim and first cross-claim. 6. Direct that the parties file brief written submissions on the question of costs within 14 days, with a view to dealing with the matter on the papers if possible. Catchwords: ESTOPPEL – Proprietary estoppel – Encouragement – Detrimental reliance SUCCESSION – Executors and administrators – Proceedings against executors and administrators SUCCESSION – Family provision – Claim by adult child for provision from the deceased's estate under Succession Act 2006 (NSW), Ch 3 Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Conveyancing Act, s 26(2) Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (Cth), s 70.100 Law Reform (Miscellaneous) Provisions Act 1946 (NSW), s 5 Limitation Act 1969 (NSW), ss 47(1)(c), 55 Partnership Act 1892 (NSW), ss 20, 21, 42, 43, 44 Succession Act 2006 (NSW), ss 59, 60 Trustee Act 1925 (NSW), ss 85, 93 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), r 42.25(2) Cases Cited: Ashton v Pratt (2015) 88 NSWLR 281; [2015] NSWCA 12 Attenborough v Solomon [1913] AC 76 Atwell v Roberts (2013) 43 WAR 507; [2013] WASCA 37 Babu Lachmi Parshad v Maharajah Narendro Kishore Singh Bahadur [1891] UKPC 42 Barnes v Addy (1874) LR 9 Ch App 244 Barnes v Alderton (2008) 13 BPR 25,281; [2008] NSWSC 107 Baumgartner v Baumgartner (1987) 164 CLR 137; [1987] HCA 59 Baychek v Baychek [2010] NSWSC 987 Blendell v Blendell [2020] NSWCA 154 Burke v Burke (2015) 13 ASTLR 313; [2015] NSWCA 195 Cadbury Schweppes Pty Ltd v Darrell Lea Chocolate Shops Pty Ltd (No 4) (2006) 229 ALR 136; [2006] FCA 446 Caltex Refineries (QLD) Pty Ltd v Stavar [2009] NSWCA 258 Calverley v Green (1984) 155 CLR 242; [1984] HCA 81 Camernik v Reholc [2012] NSWSC 1537 Carly v Farrelly (1975) 1 NZLR 356 Clark v State of New South Wales (2006) NSWLR 648; [2006] NSWSC 673 Cobbe v Yeoman's Row Management Ltd [2008] 1 WLR 1752 Commercial Bank of Australia v Amadio (1983) 151 CLR 447 Commissioner of State Taxation v Cyril Henschke Pty Ltd (2010) 242 CLR 508; [2010] HCA 43 Commonwealth of Australia v Verwayen (1990) 170 CLR 394; [1990] HCA 39 Cooper v Atkin [2020] NSWSC 828 Crossman v Sheahan [2016] NSWCA 200 Crown Melbourne Ltd v Cosmopolitan Hotel (Vic) Pty Ltd (2016) 333 ALR 384; [2015] HCA 26 Day v Perisher Blue Pty Ltd (2005) 62 NSWLR 731; [2005] NSWCA 110 Delaforce v Simpson-Cook (2010) 78 NSWLR 483; [2010] NSWCA 84 Delehunt v Carmody (1986) 161 CLR 464 DHJPM Pty Ltd v Blackthorn Resources Ltd (2011) 83 NSWLR 728; [2011] NSWCA 348 Dialog Pty Ltd v Addease Pty Ltd [2003] FCA 1359 Don King Productions Inc v Warren [2000] Ch 291 Donis v Donis (2007) 19 VR 577; [2007] VSCA 89 Doueihi v Construction Technologies Australia Pty Ltd (2016) 92 NSWLR 247; [2016] NSWCA 105 Duic v Duic [2013] NSWCA 42 Duke Group Ltd (in liq) v Alamain Investments Ltd [2003] SASC 415 E Co v Q [2018] NSWSC 442 Ellem v Webber [2020] NSWSC 910 Evans v Braddock [2015] NSWSC 249 Evans v Evans [2011] NSWCA 92 Fistar v Riverwood Legion and Community Club Ltd [2016] NSWCA 81 Flinn v Flinn [1999] 3 VR 712; VSCA 109 Galaxidis v Galaxidis [2004] NSWCA 111 Gerovich v Gerovich (as executor of the estate of Gerovich) [2018] WASC 153 Gillett v Holt [2001] Ch 210; [2000] EWCA Civ J0308-3 Giumelli v Giumelli (1999) 196 CLR 101; [1999] HCA 10 Graham Barclay Oysters Pty Ltd v Ryan (2002) 211 CLR 540 Grant v Edwards [1986] Ch 638 Green v Green (1989) 17 NSWLR 343 Grimaldi v Chameleon Mining NL (No 2) (2012) 200 FCR 296; [2012] FCAFC 6 Grundt v Great Boulder Pty Gold Mines Ltd (1937) 59 CLR 641; [1937] HCA 58 Hadlee v Commissioner of Inland Revenue [1989] 2 NZLR 447 Hampson v Hampson [2010] NSWSC 217 Harvey v Harvey (1970) 120 CLR 529; [1970] HCA 11 Hedley Byrne & Co Ltd v Heller & Partners Ltd [1963] 2 All ER 575 In Re Cockburn's Will Trusts [1957] Ch 438 In Re Earl of Stamford [1896] 1 Ch 288 John Holland v Kellogg Brown Root Pty Ltd [2015] NSWSC 451 Joliffe v Fera [1973] 2 NSWLR 702 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298; [1959] HCA 8 Kelly v Kelly (1990) 92 ALR 74 Lindsay Petroleum Co v Hurd (1873-4) LR 5 PC 221 Low v Bouverie [1891] 3 Ch 82 Lukin v Lovrinov [1998] SASC 6614 Macquarie Developments Pty Ltd v Forrester and Anor [2005] NSWSC 674 Malayan Credit Ltd v Jack Chia-MPH Ltd [1986] AC 549 McGrath v Troy as Administratrix of Estate of Wade [2010] NSWSC 1470 McNab v Graham (2017) 53 VR 311; [2017] VSCA 352 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) 329 ALR 1; [2015] FCA 825 Moody Kiddell & Partners Pty Ltd v Arkell [2013] FCA 1066 Moore v Aubusson [2020] NSWSC 1466 Muschinski v Dodds (1985) 160 CLR 583; [1985] HCA 8 Mutual Life & Citizens' Assurance Co Ltd v Evatt (1968) 122 CLR 556 Nicholas v Tubb [2016] TASSC 53 Nolan v Nolan [2015] QCA 199 O'Brien v Komesaroff (1982) 150 CLR 310 Orr v Ford (1988) 167 CLR 316 Page v Hull-Moody [2020] NSWSC 411 Payne v Parker [1976] 1 NSWLR 191 Pilotto v Cosoleto [2019] NSWSC 1454 Plunkett v Bull (1915) CLR 544; [1915] HCA 14 Poche v Poche (2020) NSWSC 835 Priestley v Priestley [2017] NSWCA 155 Q v E Co (2020) 383 ALR 469; [2020] NSWCA 220 Re Second East Dulwich Building Society (1899) 68 LJ Ch 196 Re Vandervell's Trusts (No 2) [1974] 3 WLR 256; [1974] Ch 269 Reid v Hubbard [2003] VSC 387 RHG Mortgage Ltd v Ianni [2015] NSWCA 56 Rosebanner Pty Ltd v Energy Australia (2009) 223 FLR 406; [2009] NSWSC 43 Seamez v Mclaughlin [1999] NSWSC 9 Sgro v Thompson [2017] NSWCA 326 Shepherd v Doolan [2005] NSWSC 42 Sidhu v Van Dyke (2014) 251 CLR 505; [2014] HCA 19 Singer v Berghouse (1994) 181 CLR 201; [1994] HCA 40 Sivritas v Sivritas (2008) 23 VR 349; [2008] VSC 374 Stone v Stone [2019] NSWSC 233 Stone v Stone (2014) 17 BPR 33,443; [2014] NSWSC 1655 Sullivan v Sullivan (2006) 13 BPR 24,755; [2006] NSWCA 312 SZSJA v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (2013) 308 ALR 266; [2013] FCAFC 158 Thorner v Major [2009] 3 All ER 945; UKHL 18 Toscano v Toscano [2017] NSWSC 419 Towson v Francis [2017] NSWSC 1034 Underwood v Gaudron [2014] NSWSC 1055 Van Dyke v Sidhu (2013) 301 ALR 769; [2013] NSWCA 198 Wantagong Farms Pty Ltd as Trustee for the Bulle Family Trust v Bulle [2015] NSWSC 1603 Watson v Foxman (1995) 49 NSWLR 315 Watton v MacTaggart [2020] NSWSC 1233 Webb v Ryan [2012] VSC 377 West v Mead (2003) 13 BPR 24,431; [2003] NSWSC 161 White v Philips Electronics Australia [2019] NSWCA 115 Williams v Nicoski [2003] WASC 131 Woolcock Street Investments Pty Ltd v CDG Pty Ltd (2004) 216 CLR 515; [2004] HCA 16 Wyong Shire Council v Shirt (1980) 146 CLR 40 Yazbek v Commissioner of Taxation (2014) 98 ATR 943; [2014] AATA 423 Texts Cited: Ben Macfarlane, The Law of Proprietary Estoppel (2014, Oxford University Press) Feltham et al, Spencer Bower: Reliance-Based Estoppel (5th ed, 2017, Bloomsbury) GE Dal Pont and KF Mackie, The Law of Succession (2nd ed, 2017, LexisNexis Butterworths) Halsbury's Laws of Australia Heydon and Leeming, Jacobs' Law of Trusts in Australia (8th ed, 2016, LexisNexis Butterworths) Heydon, Cross on Evidence (7th Australian ed, 2004, LexisNexis Butterworths) ICF Spry, Equitable Remedies (9th ed, 2014, Lawbook Co) JD Heydon, MJ Leeming, PG Turner, Meagher, Gummow & Lehane's Equity: Doctrine and Remedies (5th ed, LexisNexis, 2014) K Handley, "Recent Cases" (2017) 91 Australian Law Journal 812 K Handley, Estoppel by Conduct and Election (2nd ed, 2016, Sweet & Maxwell) Practice Note SC Eq 7 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Geoffrey William Bassett (Plaintiff) Sue Narelle Cameron (First Defendant) Bruce Edward Bassett (Second Defendant) Merilyn Jill Ryan (Third Defendant) Representation: Counsel: M Hodge QC with JR Willis (Plaintiff) J Needham SC (Defendants)