Rodney Naumburger in his capacity as Executor of the Estate of the late Harry Norman Freedman v Victor Berger [2021] NSWSC 903

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Rodney Naumburger in his capacity as Executor of the Estate of the late Harry Norman Freedman v Victor Berger [2021] NSWSC 903 Hearing dates: 8 - 11 February 2021 Date of orders: 28 July 2021 Decision date: 28 July 2021 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Rees J Decision: Judgment for plaintiffs. Catchwords: PARTNERSHIPS – law firm – partner collects monies from client despite agreement with partners to write off fees charged in breach of Legal Profession Act – partnership dissolved by agreement – action against partner for misappropriated funds – partner keeps fees from clients – partner uses partnership monies without consent to pay for personal expenses and his wife's salary – partner keeps monies from sale of premises – breach of fiduciary duties and failure to account. Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) ss 56-58, 100 Legal Profession Act 1987 (NSW) ss 208J, 208KA-208NC Legal Profession Act 2004 (NSW) ss 316, 548 Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014 (NSW) ss 70, 71 Partnership Act 1892 (NSW) ss 19, 24, 28, 29 Probate and Administration Act 1898 (NSW) s 61 Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) r 36.15 Cases Cited: A Solicitor v Council of the Law Society of New South Wales [2013] NSWSC 921 Aberdeen Railway Co v Blaikie Brothers (1854) 1 Macq 461 Apand Pty Limited v The Kettle Chip Co Pty Ltd (1994) 52 FCR 474 Berger v Council of the Law Society of NSW (No 2) [2013] NSWSC 1131 Berger v Council of the Law Society of NSW [2013] NSWCA 278 Berger v Council of the Law Society of NSW [2013] NSWCA 336 Berger v Council of the Law Society of NSW [2013] NSWSC 1080 Berger v Council of the Law Society of NSW [2019] NSWCA 119 Birtchnell v Equity Trustees, Executors & Agency Co Ltd (1929) 42 CLR 384 Black v S Freedman & Co (1910) 12 CLR 105; [1910] HCA 58 Burke v LFOT Pty Ltd (2002) 209 CLR 282; [2002] HCA 17 Calandra v Murden [2015] NSWCA 231 Challenger Property Asset Management Pty Ltd v Stonnington City Council (2011) 34 VR 445; [2011] VSC 184 Chan v Zacharia (1984) 154 CLR 178 Counsel of the Law Society of NSW v Berger (No 2) [2018] NSWCATOD 4 Creak v James Moore & Sons Pty Ltd (1912) 15 CLR 426; [1912] HCA 67 Cubillo v Commonwealth of Australia (No 2) (2000) 103 FCR 1; [2000] FCA 1084 Doyle v Hall Chadwick [2007] NSWCA 159 Fabre v Arenales (1992) 27 NSWLR 437 Frumar v The Owners – Strata Plan No. 36957 [2010] NSWCA 172 Ghazal v Government Insurance Office of New South Wales (1992) 29 NSWLR 336 Huntington Copper Co v Henderson (1877) 4 R 294 Idoport Pty Ltd v National Australia Bank Ltd [2007] NSWSC 23 In the matter of Courtenay House Capital Trading Group Pty Ltd (in liq) and Courtenay House Pty Ltd (in liq) [2018] NSWSC 404; (2018) 125 ACSR 149 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298; [1959] HCA 8 Law Society of NSW v Berger (No 1) [2017] NSWCATOD 137 Levy v Watt [2014] VSCA 60; (2014) 308 ALR 748 Marsden v Amalgamated Television Services Pty Ltd [2001] NSWSC 510 McKensey v Hewitt (Supreme Court of New South Wales, 15 October 1997, unrep) Patdith Services Pty Ltd v Mitronics Corporation Pty Ltd [2016] FCCA 1611; (2016) 310 FLR 86 Patdith Services Pty Ltd v Mitronics Corporation Pty Ltd [2016] FCA 1315 Payne v Parker [1976] 1 NSWLR 191 Regal (Hastings) Ltd v Gulliver [1967] 2 AC 134 Ronchi v Portland Smelter Services Ltd [2005] VSCA 83 Sino-Resource Imp & Exp Co Ltd v Oakland Investment Group Ltd [2018] QSC 98 Ta Lee Investment Pty Ltd v Antonios [2019] NSWCA 24; (2019) 19 BPR 39,153 Wright v Lemon (No 2) [2021] WASC 159 Texts Cited: Wigmore on Evidence (3rd ed, 1940), vol. 2 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Rodney Naumburger in his capacity as Executor of the Estate of the late Harry Norman Freedman (First Plaintiff) Adrian Rudy Freedman in his capacity as co-trustee of the MAHD MBBF Trust (Second Plaintiff) Ty Matthew Freedman in his capacity as co-trustee of the MAHD MBBF Trust (Third Plaintiff) Victor Berger (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr D Meyerowitz-Katz (Plaintiffs) Mr V Berger (In Person) (Defendants) File Number(s): 2013/327799