Chant v Curcuruto; Chant v Curcuruto [2021] NSWSC 751

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Chant v Curcuruto; Chant v Curcuruto [2021] NSWSC 751 Hearing dates: 2 – 4, 8 – 11, 16 – 18 February 2021, 18 March 2021 Date of orders: 25 June 2021 Decision date: 25 June 2021 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Hallen J Decision: See paragraphs [763]-[764] Catchwords: SUCCESSION – Contested probate claims relating to the last Will of two different will-makers who were husband and wife – Lack of testamentary capacity of each alleged – Lack of knowledge and approval of contents of the Will of each will-maker also alleged by Defendants SUCCESSION – Righteousness of each Will and suspicious circumstances doctrine - Issue regarding from whom final instructions for each Will obtained by solicitor - Whether beneficiaries, or one of them, named in each of the Wills, was involved in giving instructions for each Will – Solicitor not present at execution of wills – Only beneficiaries and attesting witnesses present Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) ss 56-60, 99 Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) s 140 Succession Act 2006 (NSW) ss 6, 22, 18 Supreme Court Rules 1970 (NSW) Pt 78 r 57 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) r 2.1, r 28.5, r 35.2 Cases Cited: Armagas Ltd v Mundogas S.A. (The "Ocean Frost") [1985] 3 WLR 640; [1985] 1 Lloyd's Rep 1 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 Bathurst Regional Council v Local Government Financial Services Pty Ltd (No 5) [2012] FCA 1200 Blendell v Byrne; the Estate of Noeline Joan Blendell [2019] NSWSC 583 Bool v Bool [1941] St R Qd 26 Boughton v Knight (1873) LR 3 P&D 64 Brown v Fisher (1890) 63 LT 465 Brown v McEnroe (1890) 11 NSWR Eq 134 Brown v Wade [2010] WASC 367 Bull v Fulton (1942) 66 CLR 295; [1942] HCA 13 Bulstrode v Trimble [1970] VR 840 Carr v Homersham (2018) 97 NSWLR 328; [2018] NSWCA 65 Chiu Man Fu v Chiu Chung Kwan Ying [2012] HKCFI 82 Citibank Ltd v Liu; ABN Amro Bank Ltd v Liu [2002] NSWSC 886 Clitheroe, Re Probate [2021] EWHC 1102 (Ch) Coshott v Prentice (2014) 221 FCR 450; [2014] FCAFC 88 Croft v Sanders [2019] NSWCA 303 D'Apice v Gutkovich; Estate of Abraham (No 2) [2010] NSWSC 1333 Day v Couch [2000] NSWSC 230 Dickman v Holley; Estate of Simpson [2013] NSWSC 18 Drivas v Jakopovic (2019) 100 NSWLR 505; [2019] NSWCA 218 Du Maurier v Wechsler [2001] NSWSC 4 Easter v Griffith (1995) 217 ALR 284 Effem Foods Pty Ltd v Lake Cumbeline Pty Ltd [1999] HCA 15; (1999) 161 ALR 599, Estate Kouvakas; Lucas v Konakas [2014] NSWSC 786 Estate of Budniak; NSW Trustee & Guardian v Budniak [2015] NSWSC 934 Eyota Pty Ltd v Hanave Pty Ltd (1994) 12 ACSR 785 Frizzo v Frizzo [2011] QCA 308 Fuller v Strum [2002] 1 WLR 1097; [2001] EWCA Civ 1879 Fulton v Fulton [2014] NSWSC 619 Gill v Woodall [2011] Ch 380; [2010] EWCA Civ 1430 Harbour Port Consulting v NSW Maritime [2011] NSWSC 813 Harwood v Baker (1840) 3 Moo PC 282; 13 ER 117 Ho v Powell (2001) 51 NSWLR 572; [2001] NSWCA 168 Hoff v Atherton [2005] WTLR 99; [2004] EWCA Civ 1554 Hughes v St Barbara Mines Ltd [No 4] [2010] WASC 160 In re Nickson, deceased [1916] VLR 274 In re R (dec'd) [1950] 2 All ER 117 In the Estate of Fuld, deceased (No 3) [1968] P 675 In the Estate of Leona Johnson (Deceased) (2015) 122 SASR 190; [2015] SASC 51 In the Estate of Muirhead, Deceased [1971] P 263 In the matter of Kit Digital Australia Pty Ltd (in liq) [2014] NSWSC 1547 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 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298 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 Kuhl v Liebcheschel [1933] SA St Rp 41; [1933] SASR 394 Loosley v Powell [2018] 2 NZLR 618; [2018] NZCA 3 Manning v Hughes; Estate of Ludewig [2010] NSWSC 226 Marley v Rawlings [2015] AC 129; [2014] UKSC 2 Masters Home Improvement Pty Ltd (formerly Shellbelt Pty Ltd) v North East Solution Pty Ltd (2017) 372 ALR 440; [2017] VSCA 88 McNamara v Nagel [2017] NSWSC 91 Mekhail v Hana; Mekail v Hana [2019] NSWCA 197 Musa v Alzreaiawi [2021] NSWCA 12 Nicholson v Knaggs [2009] VSC 64 Nina Kung v Wong Din Shin (2005) 8 HKCFAR 387; [2005] HKCU 1254 Nock v Austin (1918) 25 CLR 519; [1918] HCA 73 Norris v Tuppen [1999] VSC 228 Onassis and Calogeropolous v Vergottis [1968] 2 Lloyd's Rep 403 Pacific Springs Pty Limited [2020] NSWSC 1240 Pates v Craig & Anor; The Estate of Cole (NSWSC, 28 August 1995, unreported, Santow J) Payne v Parker [1976] 1 NSWLR 191 Perrins v Holland [2009] EWHC 1945 Perrins v Holland [2011] Ch 270 Petrovski v Nasev; The Estate of Janakievska [2011] NSWSC 1275 Plunkett v Bull [1915] HCA 14; 19 CLR 544 Re Crooks Estate (Supreme Court (NSW), Young J, 14 December 1994, unrep) Re Griffith; Easter v Griffith (1995) 217 ALR 284 Re Hodges; Shorter v Hodges (1988) 14 NSWLR 698 Re Hodgson (1885) 31 Ch D 177 Re Key [2010] 1 WLR 2020 Re Levy [1953] VLR 652 Re O'Neil, Deceased [1972] VR 327 Read v Carmody [1998] NSWCA 182 Rowe v Sudholz [2019] QSC 306 Ruskey-Fleming v Cook [2013] QSC 142 Sarat Kumari Bibi v Sakhi Chand (1928) LR 8 Ind App 62 Schultz v Bailey [2007] NSWCA 110 Sharp v Adam [2006] WTLR 1059; [2006] EWCA Civ 449 Shellbelt Pty Ltd) v North East Solution Pty Ltd (2017) 372 ALR 440; [2017] VSCA 88 Simon v Byford [2014] WTLR 1097; [2014] EWCA Civ 280 Smith v Tebbitt (1867) LR 1 P&D 398 Tamberlin J in Lake Cumbeline Pty Ltd v Effem Foods Pty Ltd (trading as Uncle Ben's of Australia) (Federal Court of Australia, Tamberlin J, 29 June 1995, unrep) Taupau v HVAC Constructions (Queensland) Pty Ltd [2012] NSWCA 293 The Estate of Milan Zlatevski; Geroska v Zlatevski [2020] NSWSC 250 Tillett v Varnell Holdings Pty Ltd [2009] NSWSC 1040 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 Vernon v Watson; Estate Clarice Isabel Quigley Dec'd [2002] NSWSC 600 Warner v Hung, in the matter of Bellpac Pty Ltd (Receivers and Managers Appointed) (In Liquidation) (No 2) [2011] FCA 1123; (2011) 297 ALR 56 Waters v Waters (1848) 2 De G & Sm 591; 64 ER 263 Watson v Foxman (1995) 49 NSWLR 315 Webb v Ryan [2012] VSC 377 Weeks v Hrubala [2008] NSWSC 162 Wharton v Bancroft [2011] EWHC 3250 (Ch) Wintle v Nye [1959] 1 WLR 284 Worth v Clasohm (1952) 86 CLR 439; [1952] HCA 67 Zorbas v Sidiropoulos (No. 2) [2009] NSWCA 197 Texts Cited: American Psychiatric Association, American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed, 2013, American Psychiatric Association) 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 (20th ed, 2013, Sweet & Maxwell) Judicial Commission of New South Wales, Equality Before the Law Bench Book (2006). K Shulman, C Cohen, F Kirsh and P Champine, Assessment of Testamentary Capacity and Vulnerability to Undue Influence (2007) 164 The American Journal of Psychiatry Karl Jaspers, General Psychopathology (1963, University of Chicago Press) P McClellan entitled "Who Is Telling the Truth? Psychology, Common Sense and the Law" (2006) 80 ALJ 655 The Phenomenology of Disordered Mental Function Postgraduate Psychiatric Ed. (1979, Hill, Murray & Thorley Academic Press) The Psychiatry Interview and the Valuation of the Mental State Foundations of Clinical Psychiatry Ed. (1994, Sydney Block & Bruce Singh. Melbourne Press) Theobald on Wills (16th ed, 2001) Thomas Jarman, Jarman on Wills (8th ed, 1951, London, Sweet and Maxwell) Category: Principal judgment Parties: 2018/117875 – The Estate of Kenneth Charles Shepherd Brian Foster (aka Karen) Chant (first Plaintiff) Jeffrey Lee (second Plaintiff) Stephen Paul Curcuruto (first Defendant) Catherine Clare Curcuruto (second Defendant)