Bassett v Cameron (No 2) [2021] NSWSC 419

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Bassett v Cameron (No 2) [2021] NSWSC 419 Hearing dates: On the papers Date of orders: 27 April 2021 Decision date: 27 April 2021 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Ward CJ in Eq Decision: (1) As to the costs of Geoff's proprietary estoppel claim, order that: (i) Geoff pay Sue's costs of defending the proprietary estoppel claim on behalf of Bill's estate up to 27 May 2019, on the ordinary basis and that Sue otherwise be indemnified out of the estate for those costs; (ii) Geoff pay the costs of Bruce and Merilyn of defending the proprietary estoppel claim on behalf of Bill's estate from 28 May 2019 to 31 May 2019 on the ordinary basis and that Bruce and Merilyn otherwise be indemnified out of the estate for those costs; (iii) Bruce and Merilyn pay Geoff's costs of the proprietary estoppel claim from 1 July 2019 (other than costs assessed as being unnecessarily or unreasonably incurred or duplicated costs) on the indemnity basis; (iv) Bruce and Merilyn be indemnified out of Bill's estate for their costs of defending the proprietary estoppel claim after 1 June 2019 (and for the adverse costs ordered in (iii) above) but only as assessed on the ordinary basis (with the intent that they bear personally the difference between the indemnity costs ordered and costs on the ordinary basis). (2) As to the costs of the family provision claim, order that: (i) Geoff's costs be paid out of Bill's estate (other than costs assessed as being unnecessarily or unreasonably incurred or duplicated costs) on the ordinary basis up to 31 May 2019 and on the indemnity basis thereafter; (ii) Sue be indemnified out of Bill's estate for the costs of defending the family provision claim up to 27 May 2019 on the indemnity basis; (iii) Bruce and Merilyn be indemnified out of Bill's estate for their costs of defending the family provision claim after 1 June 2019, assessed on the ordinary (not indemnity) basis and that they indemnify Bill's estate for the difference between the indemnity costs ordered in favour of Geoff in respect of his family provision claim and those costs on the ordinary basis. (3) As to the first cross-claim, order that: (i) Bruce and Merilyn pay Geoff's costs of the first cross-claim up to 31 May 2019 on the ordinary basis and from and including 1 June 2019 on the indemnity basis; (ii) Sue be indemnified out of the estate for the costs of the first cross-claim on an indemnity basis up to 27 May 2019 and there be no order as to her costs of the first cross-claim thereafter; (iii) for the avoidance of doubt, there be no indemnity out of Bill's estate for Bruce and Merilyn's costs of the first cross-claim. (4) As to the reserved costs, order that: (i) costs of the notice of motion determined by Stevenson J on 3 February 2017 follow the outcome of the first cross-claim, such that order 3 above apply to those costs; (ii) costs of the notice of motion before me on 26 November 2019 follow the event, such that orders 1 – 3 above, as applicable, govern those costs. (5) Order that Sue be authorised to retain, from the respective entitlements of Geoff and Merilyn and Bruce in Bill's Estate, for her costs as ordered above, (after having recovered as much as possible of the costs from the persons liable to pay them) the difference between the costs paid or payable on the ordinary basis by these orders and costs on the indemnity basis where so ordered above. (6) Order that Sue not be indemnified out of Bill's estate for her costs (including the adverse costs order) of Bruce and Merilyn's notice of motion filed 14 March 2019 by Pembroke J on 27 May 2019. Catchwords: COSTS — Party/Party — General rule that costs follow the event — Bases of quantification — Indemnity basis — Offer of compromise — Trustee basis — Payable out of a fund — Deceased estate Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), ss 56, 60, 98, 99 Succession Act 2006 (NSW), ss60(2), 99 Trustee Act 1925 (NSW), s 93 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), rr 20.26, 42.1, 42.7, 42.14, 42.25 Cases Cited: Adsett v Berlouis (1992) 37 FCR 201; 109 ALR 100 Anderson Group Pty Ltd v Tynan Motors Pty Ltd (No 2) (2006) 67 NSWLR 706; [2006] NSWCA 120 Application of Scali [2010] NSWSC 1254 Bassett v Cameron [2021] NSWSC 207 Baychek v Baychek [2010] NSWSC 897 Becker v Queensland Investment Corp (No 2) [2009] ACTSC 147 Bird v Bird (2013) 11 ASTLR 225; [2013] NSWCA 262 Bostik Australia Pty Ltd v Liddiard (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 304 Bovaird v Frost [2009] NSWSC 917 Calderbank v Calderbank [1975] 3 All ER 333 Carey v Robson (No 2) [2009] NSWSC 1199 Chick v Grosfeld (2012) 10 ASTLR 66; [2012] NSWSC 1166 Chief Commissioner of State Revenue v Platinum Investments Management Ltd (No 2) [2011] NSWCA 197 Commissioner of State Revenue v Challenger Listed Investments Ltd (No 2) [2011] VSCA 398 Commonwealth of Australia v Gretton [2008] NSWCA 117 Craigcare Group Pty Ltd v Superkite Pty Ltd [2014] NSWSC 326 Dean v Stockland Property Management Pty Ltd (No 2) [2010] NSWCA 141 Degmam Pty Ltd (in liq) v Wright (No 2) (1983) 2 NSWLR 354 Detheridge v Detheridge [2019] NSWSC 183 Drummond v Drummond [1999] NSWSC 923 EDPI Pty Ltd v Rapdocs Pty Ltd [2007] NSWSC 195 Ellem v Webber [2020] NSWSC 910 Evans Shire Council v Richardson (No 2) [2006] NSWCA 61 Favotto Family Restaurants Pty Ltd v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue (No 2) [2020] NSWSC 519 Fiduciary Ltd v Morningstar Research Pty Ltd (2002) 55 NSWLR 1; [2002] NSWSC 432 Forsyth v Sinclair (No 2) (2010) 28 VR 635; [2010] VSCA 195 Free Serbian Orthodox Church Diocese for Australia and New Zealand Property Trust v Dobrijevic (No 3) [2017] NSWCA 109 Gould v Vaggelas (1985) 157 CLR 215; [1985] HCA 85 GR Vaughan (Holdings) Pty Ltd v Vogt [2006] NSWCA 263 Grant v Roberts; Smith v Smith; Roberts v Smith; Curtis v Smith [2019] NSWSC 843 Guardian Trust and Executive Company of New Zealand Ltd v The Public Trustee of the Dominion of New Zealand [1942] UKPC 1 Haertsch v Whiteway (No 2) [2020] NSWCA 287 Hamod v New South Wales [2011] NSWCA 375 Hancock v Arnold (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 19 Harkness v Harkness (No 2) [2012] NSWSC 35 Harrison v Schipp (2002) 54 NSWLR 738; [2002] NSWCA 213 Hazeldene's Chicken Farm Pty Ltd v Victorian WorkCover Authority (No 2) (2005) 13 VR 435; [2005] VSCA 298 Herning v GWS Machinery Pty Ltd (No 2) [2005] NSWCA 375 Hughes v Sharp [2017] NSWSC 962 Jamal v Department of Health (1988) 14 NSWLR 252 Jojeni Investments Pty Ltd v Mosman Municipal Council (No 2) [2015] NSWCA 208 Jones v Bradley (No 2) [2003] NSWCA 258 Jones v Sutton (No 2) [2005] NSWCA 203 Juul v Northey [2010] NSWCA 211 Leichhardt Municipal Council v Green [2004] NSWCA 341 Maitland Hospital v Fisher (No 2) (1992) 27 NSWLR 721 Maule v Liporoni (No 2) (2002) 122 LGERA 216; [2002] NSWLEC 140 McCusker v Rutter (2010) 7 ASTLR 137; [2010] NSWCA 318 Mead v Watson (2005) 23 ACLC 718; [2005] NSWCA 133 Milillo v Konnecke (2009) 2 ASTLR 235; [2009] NSWCA 109 Miller v Cameron (1936) 54 CLR 572; [1936] HCA 13 Miwa Pty Ltd v Siantan Properties Pte Ltd (No 2) [2011] NSWCA 344 Nominal Defendant v Hawkins (2011) 58 MVR 362; [2011] NSWCA 93 Oshlack v Richmond River Council (1998) 193 CLR 72; [1998] HCA 11 Plimsoll v Drake (No 2) (Supreme Court (Tas), Zeeman J, 8 August 1995, unrep)). Ploder v Garcea (as executrix of the estate of the late Garcea) [2013] NSWSC 1360 Plunkett v Bull (1915) 19 CLR 544; [1915] HCA 14 Poche v Poche [2020] NSWSC 835 Purnell v Tindale (No. 2) [2020] NSWSC 1047 Rattigan v Hanly [2020] NSWSC 1722 Re Beddoe: Downes v Cottam [1893] 1 Ch 547 Re Estate Gowing; Application for Executor's Commission (2014) 17 BPR 32,763; [2014] NSWSC 247 Re Jones; Christmas v Jones [1897] 2 Ch 190 Re Lanfear (1940) 57 WN (NSW) 181 Rinehart v Rinehart [2020] NSWSC 235 Ritter v Godfrey [1920] 2 KB 47 Rolls Royce Industrial Power (Pacific) Ltd v James Hardie & Co Pty Ltd (2001) 53 NSWLR 626; [2001] NSWCA 461 Ryde Developments v Property Investors Alliance (No 2) [2018] NSWCA 40 Salvo v New Tel (No 2) [2004] NSWSC 852 Sarant v Sarant [2020] NSWSC 1686 Sergi (by next friend Solowiej) v Sergi [2012] WASC 18 SMEC Testing Services Pty Ltd v Campbelltown City Council [2000] NSWCA 323 Statham v Shephard (No 2) (1974) 23 FLR 244 Stojanovski v Stojanovski (No 3) [2020] NSWSC 1540 Sze Tu v Lowe (No 2) [2015] NSWCA 91 Van Eeden v Henry (2005) 62 NSWLR 301; [2005] NSWCA 14 Warren v McKnight (1996) 40 NSWLR 390; [1996] NSWSC 419 Warton v Yeo (2015) 15 ASTLR 462; [2015] NSWCA 115 Waters v PC Henderson (Australia) Pty Ltd (1994) 254 ALR 328; [1994] NSWCA 338 White Constructions ACT Pty Ltd (in liq) v White [2004] NSWSC 303 Whitney v Dream Developments Pty Ltd (2013) NSWLR 311; [2013] NSWCA 188 Yazgi v Permanent Custodians Ltd (No. 2) [2007] NSWCA 306 Zupicic v La Camera Paino as Trustee for the Estate of the Late Mario Novick [2018] NSWSC 1117 Category: Costs 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)