Brown v Brown [2022] NSWSC 1393

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Brown v Brown [2022] NSWSC 1393 Hearing dates: 31 January, 1, 2, 3, 8 and 11 February 2022. Closing submissions to 6 April 2022. Date of orders: 14 October 2022 Decision date: 14 October 2022 Jurisdiction: Equity - Family Provision List Before: Henry J Decision: Summons dismissed with costs Catchwords: SUCCESSION – family provision – claim by adult plaintiff who was stepson of deceased – where plaintiff lived with deceased during teenage years – where deceased and plaintiff's mother divorced 31 years ago – where no contact between plaintiff and deceased after 2004 – where deceased's will provided for whole of estate to be left to his only biological child – not a large estate – where strong competing claim of biological son – whether plaintiff eligible as "child" of deceased – whether factors warranting order – no provision ordered Legislation Cited: Administration and Probate Act 1958 (Vic) Family Law Act 1975 (NSW) Family Provision Act 1969 (ACT) Family Provision Act 1970 (NT) Family Provision Act 1972 (WA) Family Provision Act 1982 (NSW) Inheritance (Family Provision) Act 1972 (SA) Succession Act 1981 (Qld) Succession Act 2006 (NSW) Succession Amendment (Family Provision) Act 2008 (NSW) Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (Cth) Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Regulations 1994 (Cth) Cases Cited: A v N [2012] NSWSC 354 Application by BT Funds Management Ltd [2017] NSWSC 45 Armitage v Fraser [2020] NSWSC 979 Bates v Cooke [2015] NSWCA 278 Bezjak v Wyatt [2018] NSWSC 199 Blendell v Blendell; Blendell v Blendell [2020] NSWCA 154 Chan v Chan [2016] NSWCA 222 Chapple v Wilcox (2014) 87 NSWLR 646; [2014] NSWCA 392 Clifford v Mayr [2010] NSWCA 6 Collings v Vakas [2006] NSWSC 393 Cooper v Atkin [2020] NSWSC 828 Cringle v Cringle [2018] NSWSC 1558 Diver v Neal [2009] NSWCA 54 Estate of Wright [2016] NSWSC 1779 Freeman v Jaques [2006] 1 Qd R 318; [2005] QCA 423 Graziani v Graziani (Supreme Court (NSW), Cohen J, 20 February 1987, unrep) Haertsch v Whiteway [2020] NSWCA 133 Harris v Ashdown (1985) 3 NSWLR 193 Harris v Harris [2018] NSWCA 334 Heyward v Fischer (Court of Appeal (NSW), Kirby P, 26 April 1985, unrep) Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298 Limberger v Limberger; Oakman v Limberger [2021] NSWSC 474 Lodin v Lodin [2017] NSWCA 327 Mallitt v Gow [2022] NSWSC 1012 McCarthy v McCarthy [2010] NSWCA 103 Megerditchian v Khatchadourian [2020] NSWCA 229 Meres v Meres [2017] NSWSC 285 National Australia Bank Limited v Dionys as Trustee for the Angel Family Trust [2016] NSWCA 242 Page v Page [2017] NSWCA 141 Re Estate Grant, deceased [2018] NSWSC 1031 Re Estate Whiteway [2019] NSWSC 266 Re Fulop Deceased (1987) 8 NSWLR 679 Sgro v Thompson [2017] NSWCA 326 Spata v Tumino [2018] NSWCA 17 Steinmetz v Shannon [2019] NSWCA 114 Stone v Stone [2019] NSWSC 233 Trembath v Trembath [2017] VSC 369 Vanderloo v Milne [2014] NSWSC 1932 Vigolo v Bostin (2005) 221 CLR 191; [2005] HCA 11 Walker v Police [1998] SASC 6717 Watson v Foxman (1995) 49 NSWLR 315 Yee v Yee [2017] NSWCA 305 Texts Cited: Australian Superannuation Handbook: 2022-23 (1st ed, 2022, Thomson Reuters) New South Wales Department of Justice, Statutory Review of the Succession Act 2006 (February 2018) Category: Principal judgment Parties: David Brown (Plaintiff) Robert Frank Brown (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: M J Henry (Plaintiff) S K Hill (Defendant)