Starr v Miller; Starr v Miller [2021] NSWSC 426

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Starr v Miller; Starr v Miller [2021] NSWSC 426 Hearing dates: 23 – 25 February 2021 2 – 4 March 2021 Date of orders: 6 May 2021 Decision date: 06 May 2021 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Hallen J Decision: Directs the parties, within 10 days, to provide in hard and soft copy, Short Minutes of Order that reflect these reasons Catchwords: SUCCESSION – Contested probate – Lack of testamentary capacity and lack of knowledge and approval asserted – Suspicious circumstances - Application of the test in Banks v Goodfellow – Where deceased suffered a stroke before making Will – Consideration of contemporaneous evidence of solicitor to whom instructions given SUCCESSION — Alternative claims for family provision order under the Succession Act 2006 (NSW), Ch 3 — Claim by adult daughters of the deceased — Whether adequate and proper provision not made in the Will of the deceased for each applicant and, if so, the nature and quantum of the provision to be made for her Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Evidence (Audio and Audio-Visual Links) Act 1998 (NSW) Powers of Attorney Act 2003 (NSW) Succession Act 2006 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) Cases Cited: Anasson v Phillips (Supreme Court (NSW), Young J, 4 March 1988, unrep) Ashkettle v Gwinnett [2013] EWHC 2125 (Ch) Bailey v Bailey (1924) 34 CLR 558; [1924] HCA 21 Banks v Goodfellow (1870) LR 5 QB 549 Blendell v Byrne & Ors; the Estate of Noeline Joan Blendell [2019] NSWSC 583 Bondelmonte v Blanckensee [1989] WAR 305 Bool v Bool [1941] St R Qd 26, 39 Borebor v Keane (2013) 11 ASTLR 96; [2013] VSC 35 Boughton v Knight (1873) LR 3 P&D 64 Bowditch v NSW Trustee and Guardian [2012] NSWSC 275 Bowyer v Wood (2007) 99 SASR 190; [2007] SASC 327 Boyse v Rossborough (1857) 6 HL Cas 1; (1857) 10 ER 1192 Bramston v Morris; Estate of Sini Sophia Murray (aka Sini Sophia Vecht) (Supreme Court (NSW), 20 August 1993, unrep,) Brown v Wade [2010] WASC 367 Bryant v Bryant (Supreme Court (NSW), Needham J, 24 July 1986, unrep) Bull v Fulton (1942) 66 CLR 295; [1942] HCA 13 Burke v Burke (No 2) [2015] NSWCA 195 Camden v McKenzie [2007] QCA 136 Carey v Robson (No 2) [2009] NSWSC 1199 Carr v Homersham (2018) 97 NSWLR 328; [2018] NSWCA 65 Chan v Chan (2016) 15 ASTLR 317; [2016] NSWCA 222 Chapple v Wilcox [2014] NSWCA 392 Chiu Man Fu v Chiu Chung Kwan Ying [2012] HKCFI 82 Christie v Manera [2006] WASC 287 Croft v Sanders [2019] NSWCA 303 Crossman v Riedel [2004] ACTSC 127 D'Apice v Gutkovich; Estate of Abraham (No 2) [2010] NSWSC 1333 Davey v Fairhead (1996) ACL Rep 395 WA 7 Den v Vancleve (1819) 2 Southard Devereaux-Warnes v Hall (No 3) (2007) 35 WAR 127; [2007] WASCA 235 Dickman v Holley; Estate of Simpson [2013] NSWSC 18 Drivas v Jakopovic (2019) 100 NSWLR 505; [2019] NSWCA 218 Estate Cockell; Cole v Paisley [2016] NSWSC 349 Estate Kouvakas; Lucas v Konakas [2014] NSWSC 786 Estate Rofe [2021] NSWSC 257 Evans v Braddock [2015] NSWSC 249 Foley v Ellis [2008] NSWCA 288 Forsyth v Sinclair (No 2) (2010) 28 VR 635; [2010] VSCA 195 Fradgley v Pocklington (No 2) [2011] QSC 355 Friesen and Holmberg v Friesen Estate (1985) 33 Man R (2d) 98 Frizzo v Frizzo [2011] QCA 308 Fuller v Strum [2002] 1 WLR 1097; [2001] EWCA Civ 1879 Gill v Woodall [2011] Ch 380; [2010] EWCA Civ 1430 Goodsell v Wellington [2011] NSWSC 1232 Gooley v Gooley [2021] NSWSC 56 Gorton v Parks (1989) 17 NSWLR 1 Gould v Gould [2005] NSWSC 914 Grey v Harrison [1997] 2 VR 359 Harkness v Harkness (No 2) [2012] NSWSC 35 Harrison v Rowan (1820) 3 Washington Harwood v Baker (1840) 3 Moo PC 282; 13 ER 117 Hawes v Burgess [2013] EWCA Civ 74 Hawkins v Prestage (1989) 1 WAR 37 Heyward v Fisher (Court of Appeal (NSW), Kirby P, 26 April 1985, unrep) Hoff v Atherton [2005] WTLR 99; [2004] EWCA Civ 1554 Hughes v National Trustees, Executors and Agency Co of Australasia Ltd (1979) 143 CLR 134; [1979] HCA 2 Hughes v St Barbara Mines Ltd [No 4] [2010] WASC 160 Hunter v Hunter (1987) 8 NSWLR 573 Ilott v The Blue Cross [2017] 2 WLR 979; [2017] UKSC 17 In re Munn [1943] SASR 304 In re R (dec'd) [1950] 2 All ER 117 In the Estate of Puckridge, Deceased (1978) 20 SASR 72 In the Will of England (1900) 22 ALT 86 In The Will of Wilson (1897) 23 VLR 197; [1898] VicLawRp 39 Jolley v Jarvis [1964] P 262; [1964] 1 All ER 596 Kerr v Badran; Estate of Badran [2004] NSWSC 735 Key v Key [2010] 1 WLR 2020; [2010] EWHC 408 King v Hudson [2009] NSWSC 1013 Kleinig v Neal (No 2) [1981] 2 NSWLR 532 Kogan v Martin [2019] EWCA Civ 1645 Kohari v Snow [2013] NSWSC 452 Kuhl v Liebcheschel [1933] SA St Rp 41; [1933] SASR 394 Leona Johnson (Deceased) [2015] SASC 51 Loosley v Powell [2018] 2 NZLR 618; [2018] NZCA 3 Lumb v McMillan [2007] NSWSC 386 Lynch v Cadwallader & Anor [2021] EWHC 328 (Ch) MacGregor v MacGregor [2003] WASC 169 Manning v Hughes; Estate of Ludewig [2010] NSWSC 226 Marks v Marks [2003] WASCA 297 McCann v Ward & Burgess [2012] VSC 63 McCosker v McCosker (1957) 97 CLR 566; 31 ALJ 779 McGrath v Eves [2005] NSWSC 1006 McKenzie v Topp [2004] VSC 90 McNamara v Nagel [2017] NSWSC 91 Mekhail v Hana; Mekail v Hana [2019] NSWCA 197 Neilson v Public Trustee - The Estate of Ellen Letitia Neilson (Supreme Court (NSW), 8 May 1992, unrep) Nicholson v Knaggs [2009] VSC 64 Nock v Austin (1918) 25 CLR 519; [1918] HCA 73 Oakes v Uzzell [1932] P 19 Paraskov v Paraskos [2002] WASC 109 Parker v Felgate (1883) 8 PD 171; [1883] UKLawRpPro 41 Pates v Craig & Anor; The Estate of Cole (Supreme Court (NSW), Santow J, 28 August 1995, unrep) Pates v Craig [1995] NSWSC 87 Permanent Trustee Co Ltd v McDermid (Supreme Court (NSW), 25 September 1991, unrep) Perrins v Holland [2009] EWHC 1945 Petrovski v Nasev; The Estate of Janakievska [2011] NSWSC 1275 Re Crooks Estate (Supreme Court (NSW), 14 December 1994, unrep) Re Estate of Lau Heung [2019] HKCA 769 Re Griffith; Easter v Griffith (1995) 217 ALR 284 Re Hodges; Shorter v Hodges (1988) 14 NSWLR 698 Re Levy [1953] VLR 652 Read v Carmody [1998] NSWCA 182 Richardson v Rearden [2006] NSWSC 1252 Romascu v Manolache [2011] NSWSC 1362 Salmon v Osmond [2015] NSWCA 42 Sangha v Baxter [2009] NSWCA 78 Sarat Kumari Bibi v Sakhi Chand (1928) LR 8 Ind App 62 Saravinovska v Saravinovski (No 6) [2016] NSWSC 964 Seeley v Back - Estate of John Michael Pegus Seeley [2005] NSWSC 68 Sgro v Thompson [2017] NSWCA 326 Sharp v Adam [2006] WTLR 1059; [2006] EWCA Civ 449 Simon v Byford [2014] WTLR 1097; [2014] EWCA Civ 280 Singer v Berghouse (No 2) (1994) 181 CLR 201 Slack v Rogan; Palffy v Rogan (2013) 85 NSWLR 253; [2013] NSWSC 522 Smith v Johnson [2015] NSWCA 297 Smith v Tebbitt (1867) LR 1 P&D 398 Stanley v Stanley [2000] NSWSC 1133 State of New South Wales v Hunt [2014] NSWCA 47 Steinmetz v Shannon (2019) 99 NSWLR 687; [2019] NSWCA 114 Stern v Sekers; Sekers v Sekers [2010] NSWSC 59 Stevens v Vancleve (1822) 4 Washington Stott v Cook (1960) 33 ALJR 447 Sung v Malaxos [2015] NSWSC 186 Taylor v Farrugia [2009] NSWSC 801 The Estate of Milan Zlatevski; Geroska v Zlatevski [2020] NSWSC 250 Timbury v Coffee (1941) 66 CLR 277; [1941] HCA 22 Tobin v Ezekiel (2012) 83 NSWLR 757; [2012] NSWCA 285 Transport Industries Insurance Co Ltd v Longmuir [1997] 1 VR 125 Tsagouris v Bellairs [2010] SASC 147 Tu v Tu; Estate of Tu [2008] NSWSC 458 Tyrrell v Painton [1894] P 151 Veall v Veall (2015) 46 VR 123; [2015] VSCA 60 Verzar v Verzar [2012] NSWSC 1380 Walker v Walker (Supreme Court (NSW), Young J, 17 May 1996, unrep) Warner v Hung, in the matter of Bellpac Pty Ltd (Receivers and Managers Appointed) (In Liquidation) (No 2) (2011) 297 ALR 56; [2011] FCA 1123 Waters v Waters (1848) 2 De G & Sm 591; 64 ER 263 Webb v Ryan [2012] VSC 377 White v Barron (1980) 144 CLR 431 White v Chambers (Supreme Court (WA), Franklin J, 27 February 1985, unrep) Woolf v Snipe (1933) 48 CLR 677; [1933] HCA 5 Worth v Clasohm (1952) 86 CLR 439; [1952] HCA 67 Yee v Yee [2017] NSWCA 305 Zorbas v Sidiropoulous (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 197 Texts Cited: I. J. Hardingham, M. A. Neave and H. A. J. Ford, Wills and Intestacy, (2nd ed 1989, Law Book Co) John Ross Martyn and Nicholas Caddick QC (eds), Williams, Mortimer and Sunnucks — Executors, Administrators and Probate (Sweet & Maxwell, 20th ed, 2013) Kenneth I. Shulman, Carole A. Cohen, Felice C. Kirsh, Ian M. Hull and Pamela R. Champine, "Assessment of Testamentary Capacity and Vulnerability to Undue Influence" (2007) 164 The American Journal of Psychiatry 722 Category: Principal judgment Parties: 2019/162571 – Susan Maree Starr v Margo Anne Miller Susan Maree Starr (Plaintiff) Margo Anne Miller (First Defendant) David Patrick Brough (Second Defendant) Bradford Frederick McInnes Stuart (Third Defendant)