Bear v Bear; Jordan v Bear [2022] NSWSC 1687

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Bear v Bear; Jordan v Bear [2022] NSWSC 1687 Hearing dates: 21 – 25, 30 November 2022; Further evidence and submissions 7, 8 December 2022 Date of orders: 9 December 2022 Decision date: 09 December 2022 Jurisdiction: Equity - Probate List Before: Meek J Decision: Orders made consequent upon proposed settlement of contested probate claim Catchwords: PROBATE — Deceased makes various Wills —Contest in respect of Wills made in 2019, 2016 and 2015 (probate claim) — Related proceedings regarding an alleged promise of benefit to a friend of the deceased arising out of what is said to be relationship of personal care and an agreement giving rise to a benefit (care benefit claim) — Parties to probate claim propose resolution of the claim on basis that executors entitled to grant seek to renounce and an attorney grant issue of a copy of penultimate Will sought to be rectified out of time — Issues arising in respect of these and other aspects of proposed settlement of probate claim PROBATE — Principles informing whether Court should accept proposed compromised settlement of probate claim — Whether Court should pass over last Will of deceased — Whether evidence of forgetfulness suffices to pass over final Will — consideration of other evidence impacting cognitive capacity PROBATE — Original of 2016 Will missing — Grant of administration proposed in respect of copy of Will — Principles regarding proof of 'lost' Wills — Principles regarding the presumption of revocation PROBATE — Claim for rectification of — Principles regarding rectification and extension of time EXECUTORS — Executors under last Will also nominated as executors under penultimate will — Executors seek to renounce after propounding all Wills under which they are nominated and engaging in partly contested hearing in respect of determination of which Will is the last valid Will — Principles regarding renunciation — Whether executors entitled to renounce GRANTS — Rectified will names executrix outside jurisdiction — Principles regarding attorney grant — no production of proposed power of attorney — Whether signed proposed orders constitute sufficient nomination of proposed solicitor to take grant PROBATE — Interests of various parties affected by proposed settlement — Consideration of whether non-active parties and beneficiaries served with Notices of Proceedings are bound by the outcome GRANT — Parties propose a special grant of administration pending issue of letters of administration with the Will annexed — Whether appropriate to issue special grant GRANT — Ancillary issues — Whether administration bond should be dispensed with — Costs Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Probate and Administration Act 1898 (NSW) Succession Act 2006 (NSW) Supreme Court Rules 1970 (NSW) Trustee Act 1925 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) Wills, Probate and Administration Act 1898 (NSW) Cases Cited: Ainsworth v Redd (1990) 19 NSWLR 78 Bain v Morabito (Supreme Court (NSW), Powell J, 14 August 1992, unrep) Binetter v Binetter [2022] NSWCA 169 Cahill v Rhodes [2002] NSWSC 561 Cassarino v Cassarino [2020] NSWSC 454 Curley v Duff (1985) 2 NSWLR 716 D'Unienville v Sakalo (No 2) [2013] WASC 469 Demediuk v Demediuk [2019] VSCA 79 Dowling v St Vincent De Paul Society of Victoria Inc [2003] VSC 454 Estate Cockell; Cole v Paisley [2016] NSWSC 349 Estate de Wild, deceased [2019] NSWSC 1128 Estate Kouvakas; Lucas v Konakas [2014] NSWSC 786 Estate of Aspasia Kandros [2019] NSWSC 757 Estate of Hillston; Bar-Mordecai v Rotman (Supreme Court (NSW), Einstein J, 4 September 1998, unrep) Estate Ritossa, Deceased [2022] NSWSC 1083 Estate Rofe [2021] NSWSC 257 Gray v Hart & Ors [2012] NSWSC 1435 Heffernan v Innes [2021] NSWSC 1033 Hodge v Clare (1691) 4 Mod 14; 87 ER 235 In Estate of Jones (1900) 21 LR (NSW) B & P 35 In re Devoy; Fitzgerald v Fitzgerald [1943] St R Qd 137 In the Estate of Athena Yiossis [2011] SASC 99 In the Estate of Biggs, Decd [1966] P 118 In the Estate of Clarence Gilbert Alcorn (Supreme Court (NSW), Powell J, 9 August 1991, unrep) In the Estate of Muirhead [1971] P 263 In the Estate of Ralston (Supreme Court (NSW), Hodgson J, 12 September 1996, unrep) In the Estate of Szylowicz (dec'd) (1978) 19 SASR 263 In the Goods of Campion [1900] P 13 In the Goods of Eleanor Burch (1861) 2 Sw & Tr 139; 164 ER 946 In the Goods of General William Earle (1885) 10 PD 196 In the Goods of Watts (1837) 1 Curt 594; 163 ER 208 In the Will of Lyndon [1960] VR 112 In the Will of Morkill (1900) 17 WN (NSW) 46 Koerstz v Norman [2008] NSWSC 133 Larussa v Carr [2018] WASCA 127 Lawrence v Australian War Memorial [2014] NSWSC 757 Lim v Lim [2022] NSWSC 454 Lockrey v Ferris [2011] NSWSC 179 McCorquodale v Guth [2008] NSWSC 1420 McKeown v Harris & Anor; Re Rice [2018] QSC 87 Morton v Thorpe (1863) 3 Sw & Tr 179; 164 ER 1242 Newell and King v Weeks (1814) 2 Phillim 224; 161 ER 1126 Nobarani v Mariconte (2018) 265 CLR 236; [2018] HCA 36 Perpetual Trustee Co Ltd v Satchell (1939) 39 SR (NSW) 335 Re Dowling; sub-nom NSW Trustee & Guardian v Crossley [2013] NSWSC 1040 Re Estate of Cornford; Cornford v Metcalfe [2005] NSWSC 530 Re Estate of Dippert [2001] NSWSC 167 Re Estates Brooker-Pain and Soulos [2019] NSWSC 671 Re Irismay Holdings Pty Ltd [1996] 1 Qd R 172 Re Swain (Dawn) [2008] NSWSC 1343 Reilly v Reilly [2017] NSWSC 1419 Ritchie v Malcolm [1902] 2 IR 403 Robinson v Jones (No 3) [2015] VSC 508 Smith v Johnson [2008] NSWSC 923 Smith v Smith; Estate of Smith [2007] NSWSC 116 Starr v Miller [2022] NSWCA 46 Tamcelik v Savas [2022] NSWSC 1537 Taylor v Waters (Supreme Court (NSW), Powell J, 19 June 1992, unrep) The Estate of Alea Angelic Dupree [2021] NSWSC 1022 Tiger v Barclays Bank Ltd [1951] 2 KB 556 Trust Co of Australia Ltd v Perpetual Trustees WA Ltd (No P2) (1995) 36 NSWLR 654 Vandeleur v Franich [1991] 1 Qd R 481 Whiteley v Clune (No 2); The Estate of Brett Whiteley (Supreme Court (NSW), Powell J, 13 May 1993, unrep) Withers v Graham (Supreme Court (NSW), Powell J, 9 August 1981, unrep) Wytcherley v Andrews (1871) LR 2 P&D 327 Young v Holloway [1985] P 87 Texts Cited: Explanatory Note to the Succession Bill 2006 (NSW) GE Dal Pont, Law of Succession (3rd ed, 2021, LexisNexis) GL Certoma The Law of Succession in New South Wales (4th ed, 2010, Thomson Reuters) Leslie G Handler and Richard Neal, Mason and Handler Succession Law and Practice: New South Wales (LexisNexis) NSW Law Reform Commission Report No 85 (1998) Second Reading Speech, Succession Bill 2006 (NSW), New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), 19 September 2006 at 1857-1860 Stephen Janes, David Liebhold and Paul Studdert, Wills, Probate and Administration Law in New South Wales (2nd ed, 2020, Thomson Reuters) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Lance Bear (Plaintiff in 2020/170777) Annie Jordan (Plaintiff in 2021/309778) Robert Bear (First Defendant in both matters) Monty Leventhal (Second Defendant in both matters) Aliza Golshani (Third Defendant in both matters) Raymond Bear (Fourth Defendant in 2020/170777) Representation: Counsel: Ms M Painter SC with Mr H Morrison (Plaintiff in 2020/170777) Ms L Judge (Plaintiff in 2021/309778) Mr L Ellison SC (First and Second Defendants in both matters) Mr F Salama with Mr A Smyth (Third Defendant in both matters) Mr B Kelleher SC with Dr S Chapple and Mr D Yazdani (Fourth Defendant in 2020/170777)