Estate of the late Genevieve Bryan [2022] NSWSC 965

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Estate of the late Genevieve Bryan [2022] NSWSC 965 Hearing dates: 7 – 10 February 2022 Date of orders: 21 July 2022 Decision date: 21 July 2022 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Ward CJ in Eq Decision: 1. Dismiss the plaintiff's claim with costs. 2. Order that probate in solemn form of the Will dated 23 December 2014 of the late Genevieve Bryan be granted to George Daniel. 3. Order that the costs of the cross-claim be paid out of the estate of the late Genevieve Bryan on an indemnity basis. 4. Order that, subject to compliance with the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules, the matter be remitted to the Registrar for the completion of the grant. 5. Remit file to the Probate Registrar for completion of the grant of probate. Catchwords: SUCCESSION — Contested probate — Testamentary capacity — Application of test in Banks v Goodfellow — Where deceased suffered from mild cognitive impairment and various physical ailments SUCCESSION — Family provision — Claim by alleged member of household and dependant of the deceased for provision from the deceased's estate under Succession Act 2006 (NSW), Ch 3 Legislation Cited: Probate and Administration Act 1898 (NSW), Sch 3, Pt 2 Succession Act 2006 (NSW), ss 57, 59, 60 Cases Cited: Astridge v Pepper [1970] 1 NSWR 542 Bailey v Bailey (1924) 34 CLR 558; [1924] HCA 21 Banks v Goodfellow (1870) LR 5 QB 549 Barry v Butlin (1838) 2 Moo PC 480; 12 ER 1089 Battenberg v Phillips [2020] NSWCA 249 Bosch v Perpetual Trustee Company [1938] AC 463 Boyce v Bunce [2015] NSWSC 1924 Boyse v Rossborough (1857) 6 HLC 2 Bull v Fulton (1942) 66 CLR 295; [1942] HCA 13 Carr v Homersham (2018) 97 NSWLR 328; [2018] NSWCA 65 Chant v Curcuruto [2021] NSWSC 751 Clocchiatti v Pierobon [2014] NSWSC 488 Cong v Shen (No 3) [2021] NSWSC 947 Craig-Bridges v NSW Trustee and Guardian [2017] NSWCA 197 Croft v Sanders [2019] NSWCA 303 Devereaux-Warnes v Hall (No 3) (2007) 35 WAR 127; [2007] WASCA 235 Drivas v Jakopovic (2019) 100 NSWLR 505; [2019] NSWCA 218 Estate of Park [1954] P 112; [1953] 3 WLR 1012 Estate of Rofe [2021] NSWSC 257 Fincham v Edwards (1842) 163 ER 656 Fulton v Andrew (1875) LR 7 HL 448 Gibbons v Wright (1954) 91 CLR 423; [1954] HCA 17 Gill v Woodall [2011] Ch 380; [2010] EWCA Civ 1430 Hall v Hall (1868) LR 1 P & D 481 Hawes v Burgess [2013] EWCA Civ 74 Hobhouse v Macarthur-Onslow [2016] NSWSC 1831 Hoff v Atherton [2004] EWCA Civ 1554 Hunter v Hunter (1987) 8 NSWLR 573 In Re Horrocks (deceased) [1939] P 198 In the Matter of the Estate of Eva Burns (deceased); Burns v Burns [2016] EWCA Civ 37 In the Will of Steward (deceased) [1964] VR 179 Kerr v Badran [2004] NSWSC 735 Lewis v Lewis (2021) 105 NSWLR 487; [2021] NSWCA 168 McKenzie v Topp [2004] VSC 90 Mekhail v Hana [2019] NSWCA 197 Nock v Austin (1918) 25 CLR 519; [1918] HCA 73 Paraskov v Paraskos [2002] WASC 109 Pates v Craig (Supreme Court (NSW), Santow J, as his Honour then was, 28 August 1995, unrep) Petrovski v Nasev; The Estate of Janakievska [2011] NSWSC 1275 Phillips v Phillips [2017] NSWSC 280 Re Estate of Griffith (dec'd); Easter v Griffith (1995) 217 ALR 284 Re Estates Brooker-Pain and Soulos [2019] NSWSC 671 Re Fulop (Deceased) (1987) 8 NSWLR 679 Re Nickson, Deceased [1916] VLR 274 Re Proud (1922) 18 Tas LR 10 Revie v Druitt [2005] NSWSC 902 Scott v Scott [2012] NSWSC 1541; 7 ASTLR 299 Sgro v Thompson [2017] NSWCA 326 Simon v Byford [2014] EWCA Civ 280 Stone v Stone [2016] NSWSC 605 The Estate of Genevieve Bryan [2021] NSWSC 567 Thompson v Bella-Lewis [1997] 1 Qd R 429 Tobin v Ezekiel (2012) 83 NSWLR 757; [2012] NSWCA 285 Trustee for the Salvation Army (NSW) Property Trust v Becker (2007) 14 BPR 26,867; [2007] NSWCA 136 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 Vigolo v Bostin (2005) 221 CLR 191; [2005] HCA 11 Weiss v Weiss [2020] NSWSC 1064 Williams v Goude (1821) 1 Hag Ecc 577 Wingrove v Wingrove (1885) 11 PD 81 Winter v Crichton; Estate of Galieh (1991) 23 NSWLR 116 Woodley-Page v Simmons (1987) 217 ALR 25 Worth v Clasohm (1952) 86 CLR 439; [1952] HCA 67 Zorbas v Sidiropoulous (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 197 Texts Cited: GE Dal Pont, The Law of Succession (3rd ed, 2021, LexisNexis Butterworths) Justice Lindsay, "The Why and What of Suspicious Circumstances in Probate Litigation", (paper delivered to Law Society of South Australia Succession Law Conference, Adelaide, 16 November 2018) Justice Myers, "Testamentary Capacity" (1967) 2(2) Aust Bar Gaz 3 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Elias Chakty (Plaintiff) George Daniel (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: A Cheema (Plaintiff) LJ Ellison SC with AE Maroya (Defendant)