Clarke v Clarke & Anor [2022] NSWSC 1721

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Clarke v Clarke & Anor [2022] NSWSC 1721 Hearing dates: 30 November 2022 Date of orders: 15 December 2022 Decision date: 15 December 2022 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Hallen J Decision: The Court: Directs the parties to confer and to submit to the Court in hard and soft copy, by 25 January 2023, an agreed form of orders, or if agreement cannot be reached, alternative forms of orders, reflecting these reasons. Catchwords: SUCCESSION – Claim by widow, who was second wife of the deceased, for a family provision order – The value of the deceased's estate small – Deceased's Will made some provision for the Plaintiff, which, in events that have happened, amounts, effectively, to one-third of the value of the proceeds of sale of the principal asset, being real property owned by the deceased, with the balance of the proceeds to be shared equally between the Defendants, who are two children of the deceased's first marriage and the executors – Relevance of testamentary freedom – Guidelines relating to widows' claims – Whether adequate provision for proper maintenance and advancement made for the Plaintiff PROCEDURE – costs – costs in family provision cases where the value of the estate is less than $500,000 Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) s 98 Family Provision Act 1982 (NSW) Probate and Administration Act 1898 (NSW) s 86 Succession Act 2006 (NSW) Ch 3, ss 57, 58, 59, 60(2), 61(1), 63(5), 65(1), 66, 84, 72(1), 99(1) Cases Cited: Alcock v Cooper [2010] SASC 167 Barns v Barns (2003) 214 CLR 169; [2003] HCA 9 Bassett v Bassett [2021] NSWCA 320 Bladwell v Davis [2004] NSWCA 170 Blore v Lang (1960) 104 CLR 124; [1960] HCA 73 Boettcher v Driscoll [2014] SASC 86 Bosch v Perpetual Trustee Co Ltd [1938] AC 463 Burke v Burke [2015] NSWCA 195 Butcher v Craig [2010] WASCA 92 Carey v Robson (No 2) [2009] NSWSC 1199 Chapple v Wilcox (2014) 87 NSWLR 646; [2014] NSWCA 392 Clifford v Mayr [2010] NSWCA 6 Clune v Collins Angus & Robertson Publishers Pty Ltd (1992) 25 IPR 246; [1992] FCA 806 Collins v McGain [2003] NSWCA 190 Cooper v Dungan (1976) 50 ALJR 539; (1976) 9 ALR 93 Crisp v Burns Philp Trustee Company Ltd (Supreme Court (NSW), Holland J, 18 December 1979 unrep) Cropley v Cropley [2002] NSWSC 349 de Angelis v de Angelis [2003] VSC 432 Devenish v Devenish [2011] WASC 129 Devereaux-Warnes v Hall (No 3) (2007) 35 WAR 127; [2007] WASCA 235 Diver v Neal [2009] NSWCA 54 Dobb v Hacket (1993) 10 WAR 532 Edgar v Public Trustee for the Northern Territory [2011] NTSC 5 Foley v Ellis [2008] NSWCA 288 Forsyth v Sinclair (No 2) (2010) 28 VR 635; [2010] VSCA 195 Golosky v Golosky [1993] NSWCA 111 Goodman v Windeyer (1980) 144 CLR 490 Goodsell v Wellington [2011] NSWSC 1232 Gorton v Parks (1989) 17 NSWLR 1 Grainger v The Public Trustee (Supreme Court of Western Australia, Steytler J, 6 December 1995, unreported) Grey v Harrison [1997] 2 VR 359 Harkness v Harkness (No 2) [2012] NSWSC 35 Hertzberg v Hertzberg [2003] NSWCA 311 Ibrahim v Nasr [2021] NSWSC 1321 In the Estate of Puckridge, Deceased (1978) 20 SASR 72 Johnson v Wright [2012] NSWSC 87 Kay v Archbold [2008] NSWSC 254 Langtry v Campbell (7 March 1991, Powell J, unreported) Magill v Magill (2006) 226 CLR 551; [2006] HCA 51 Marshall v Carruthers [2002] NSWCA 47 Mayfield v Lloyd-Williams [2004] NSWSC 419 McCosker v McCosker (1957) 97 CLR 566 McKenzie v Topp [2004] VSC 90 Milillo v Konnecke [2009] NSWCA 109 Moore v Moore (NSWCA, 16 May 1984, unreported) Morris v Smoel [2014] VSC 32 Neil v Jacovou [2011] NSWSC 87 North v Daniel [2021] NSWSC 828 O'Leary v O'Leary & Eccles [2010] NSWSC 1347 O'Loughlin v O'Loughlin [2003] NSWCA 99 Permanent Trustee Co Ltd v Fraser (1995) 36 NSWLR 24 Plunkett v Bull (1915) 19 CLR 544; [1915] HCA 14 Pogorelic v Banovich [2007] WASC 45 Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith v Scales (1962) 107 CLR 9; [1962] HCA 19 R (on the application of M) v Slough Borough Council [2008] 1 WLR 1808; [2008] UKHL 52 Re Coventry (Deceased) [1979] 3 All ER 815 Re Crewe, Crewe v Corbett [1956] NZLR 315 Re Schlink; Keane v Corns [2020] VSC 180 Re Stojanovska; Stojevski v Stojevski [2020] VSC 702 Re the Will of Sitch (deceased); Gillies v Executors of the Will of Sitch [2005] VSC 308 Salmon v Blackford [1997] NSWCA 274 Sellers v Scrivenger [2010] VSC 320 Sgro v Thompson [2017] NSWCA 326 Slack v Rogan (2013) 85 NSWLR 253; [2013] NSWSC 522 Steinmetz v Shannon (2019) 99 NSWLR 687; [2019] NSWCA 114 Stern v Sekers; Sekers v Sekers [2010] NSWSC 59 Szypica v O'Beirne [2013] NSWSC 297 Tchadovitch v Tchadovitch (2010) 79 NSWLR 491; [2010] NSWCA 316 Vigolo v Bostin (2005) 221 CLR 191; [2005] HCA 11 Vukic v Luca Grbin; Estate of Zvonko Grbin [2006] NSWSC 41 Walker v Walker (NSWSC, 17 May 1996, unrep) Welsh v Mulcock [1924] NZLR 673 Wilcox v Wilcox [2012] NSWSC 1138 Yee v Yee [2017] NSWCA 305 Texts Cited: Leslie G Handler and Richard Neal, Mason and Handler Succession Law and Practice NSW (LexisNexis Butterworths) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Robyn Lorraine Clarke (Plaintiff) Todd Raymond Clarke (first Defendant) Michelle Anne Clarke (second Defendant) Representation: Counsel: M Maconachie (Plaintiff) G Rich (Defendants)