Starr v Miller; Starr v Miller (No 2) [2021] NSWSC 685

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Starr v Miller; Starr v Miller (No 2) [2021] NSWSC 685 Hearing dates: 31 May 2021 Date of orders: 16 June 2021 Decision date: 16 June 2021 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Hallen J Decision: The Court: 1. Makes no order as to the Plaintiff's costs to the intent that she is to bear her own costs of the proceedings. 2. Orders that the Defendant's costs, calculated on the indemnity basis, be paid, or retained, as the case may be, out of the estate of the deceased. 3. Orders that the Plaintiff pay the Defendants' costs of the application for costs. Catchwords: COSTS — Two proceedings heard together – Probate and family provision proceedings – Agreement reached following determination of the family provision proceedings that the Plaintiff's costs and disbursements of those proceedings, being a specified gross sum instead of assessed costs, of $97,500 (including GST), be paid out of the estate of the deceased – Also agreed that the Defendants' costs, calculated on the indemnity basis of the family provision proceedings and the Probate proceedings be paid out of the deceased's estate – Only outstanding issue for determination is whether the Plaintiff's costs of the Probate proceedings, in which her claim was unsuccessful, should be paid out of the estate of the deceased - Application by Plaintiff that her costs be paid, calculated on the indemnity, rather than on the ordinary basis, or in the alternative, calculated on the ordinary basis, be paid out of the deceased's estate – Defendants' seek order that Plaintiff should bear her own costs of the Probate proceedings – Form of orders in both proceedings otherwise agreed and orders made Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) Cases Cited: Bassett v Cameron (No 2) [2021] NSWSC 419 Bolger v McDermott (No 2) [2013] NSWSC 1330 Boughton v Knight (1873) LR 3 P & D 64 Bullabidgee Pty Ltd v McCleary (No 2) [2011] NSWCA 343 Chaina v Alvaro Homes Pty Ltd [2008] NSWCA 353 Commonwealth of Australia v Gretton [2008] NSWCA 117 Davies v Gregory (1873) LR 3 P& D 28 Di Carlo v Dubois [2002] QCA 225 Evans Shire Council v Richardson (No 2) [2006] NSWCA 61 Fielder v Burgess [2014] SASC 98 Gray v Hart; Estate of Harris (No 2) [2012] NSWSC 1562 Gray v Richards (No 2) (2014) 315 ALR 1; [2014] HCA 47 Howards Storage World Pty Ltd v Haviv Holdings Pty Ltd [2010] FCAFC 5; (2010) 182 FCR 84 King v Hudson (No 2) [2009] NSWSC 1500 Liverpool City Council v Estephan Estephan (Executor and Administrator of the Estate of the late Jocelyn Estephan) [2009] NSWCA 161 Luxmore Pty Ltd v Hydedale Pty Ltd (2008) 20 VR 481; [2008] VSCA 212 Middlebrook v Middlebrook (1962) 36 ALJR 216 Norbis v Norbis (1986) 161 CLR 513; [1986] HCA 17 Oasis Hotel Ltd v Zurich Insurance Company (1981) 28 BCLR 230 Oshlack v Richmond River Council (1998) 193 CLR 72; [1998] HCA 11 Pates v Craig; Estate of the late Joyce Jean Cole (NSWSC, 5 September 1995, Santow J, unrep) Perpetual Trustee v Baker [1999] NSWCA 244 Petrovski v Nasev; The Estate of Janakievska (No 2) [2011] NSWSC 1474 Photios v Photios [2019] NSWCA 158 Public Service Board of New South Wales v Osmond (1986) 159 CLR 656; [1986] HCA 7 QBE Insurance (Australia) Limited v Hotchin [2013] NSWSC 315 Re: Plant dec'd [1926] P. 139 Re Tsaousis [2019] VSC 511 Re Wilcox; Ex parte Venture Industries (No 2) [1996] FCA 1942 Shorten v Shorten (No 2) [2003] NSWCA 60 Spiers v English [1907] P 122 Starr v Miller; Starr v Miller [2021] NSWSC 426 Sydney Markets Credit Services Co-operative Ltd v Taylor (No. 3) [2015] NSWSC 1236 Tu v Tu Estate of Tu [2008] NSWSC 458 Wainohu v New South Wales (2011) 243 CLR 181; [2011] HCA 24 Wright v Apthorpe [2020] NSWCA 300 Ying v Song [2011] NSWSC 618 Texts Cited: G E Dal Pont, Law of Costs (4th ed, 2018, LexisNexis Butterworths) Miller, Probate Practice (Maxwell: 1900 Ed.) Category: Costs Parties: Susan Maree Starr (Plaintiff) Margo Anne Miller (First Defendant & Cross-Claimant) David Patrick Brough (Second Defendant) Bradford Frederick McInnes Stuart (Third Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Ms B Regener (Plaintiff) Mr C Harris SC (Defendants)