Schneider v Kemeny; Kemeny v Schneider (No 2) [2021] NSWSC 664

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Schneider v Kemeny; Kemeny v Schneider (No 2) [2021] NSWSC 664 Hearing dates: 8 June 2021 Date of orders: 8 June 2021 Decision date: 10 June 2021 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Rees J Decision: No order as to the plaintiff's costs in family provision and possession proceedings. Judgment corrected under the slip rule. Catchwords: COSTS – offer of compromise – offer served 1.39pm Christmas Eve – offer open till noon 21 January 2020 – whether closing date "no less than 28 days after the date on which the offer is made" – r 20.26(5)(a) UCPR – principles for reckoning of time at [21]-[25] – offer not compliant. COSTS – family provision – executor offered $1M – plaintiff's claim dismissed – whether plaintiff should pay indemnity costs or bear his own costs – where adverse costs order would alter the basis on which provision was refused – plaintiff to bear own costs. Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) s 98 Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW) s 36 Succession Act 2006 (NSW) s 99 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) rr 1.11, 20.26, 36.17, 42.1, 42.13A, 42.15A Cases Cited: Autumn Solar Installations Pty Ltd v Solar Magic Australia Pty Ltd [2010] NSWSC 463 Chapple v Wilcox (2014) 87 NSWLR 646; [2014] NSWCA 392 Flanagan v Fisher [2021] NSWSC 598 Haertsch v Whiteway (No 2) [2020] NSWCA 287 Penfold v Predny [2016] NSWSC 472 Purnell v Tindale [2020] NSWSC 746 Sarant v Sarant (No 2) [2020] NSWSC 1897 Schneider v Kemeny [2021] NSWSC 524 Singer v Berghouse [1993] HCA 35; (1993) 67 ALJR 708 Smith v Moore (No 2) [2020] NSWSC 1640 Vanvalen v Neaves (2005) 65 NSWLR 268; [2005] NSWSC 1003 Texts Cited: John K de Groot and Bruce W Nickel, Family Provision in Australia (5th ed, 2016, LexisNexis) Ritchie's Uniform Civil Procedure Rules NSW Category: Costs Parties: Proceedings 2019/286823 (Family Provision) Michael Schneider (Plaintiff) Gabor Kemeny (Defendant)