Alexakis v Masters (No 2) [2023] NSWSC 509

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Alexakis v Masters (No 2) [2023] NSWSC 509 Hearing dates: 6 – 10, 13, 15 – 17 December 2021 Date of orders: 16 May 2023 Decision date: 16 May 2023 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Henry J Decision: See [743] Catchwords: SUCCESSION — contested probate — validity of two wills made in 2017 under which large bequests made to doctor — lack of knowledge and approval alleged — consideration of suspicious circumstances — probate undue influence alleged — no challenge to testamentary capacity of the deceased — no issue of valid execution — distinction between undue influence in probate and in equity — whether presumption of undue influence in probate applies where testator is enfeebled, relationship of doctor and patient exists and where testator was never married, had no close family and few friends — where sizable estate — where fraud alleged — where beneficiary introduces own solicitor to the testator but is otherwise not involved in the instructions for or preparation of wills — where no direct evidence of pressure or coercion — consideration of circumstantial evidence — knowledge and approval established, no finding of probate undue influence or fraud EQUITY — undue influence — whether equity can apply or extend its principles respecting undue influence and dispositions inter vivos to subject gifts under a will to a trust in favour of residuary or past beneficiaries — where presumptive relationship of undue influence exists — where factual findings establish knowledge and approval — presumption arising from relationship of parties rebutted EQUITY — unconscionable conduct — whether unconscionable conduct applicable to dispositions inter vivos can be extended to invalidate wills or parts thereof — whether acceptance or retention of benefits under a will amounts to unconscionable conduct in the absence of any dealing, transaction or inter vivos arrangement between testator and beneficiary Legislation Cited: Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) Succession Act 2006 (NSW) Cases Cited: Alexakis v Masters [2021] NSWSC 158 Allen v M'Pherson [1847] 1 HL Cas 191; (1847) 9 ER 727 Aslanidis v Aslanidis [2020] NSWSC 110 Bar-Mordecai v Hillston [2004] NSWCA 65 Blendell v Byrne [2019] NSWSC 583 Boyce v Bunce [2015] NSWSC 1924 Boyse v Rossborough (1857) 6 HL Cas 2; (1957) 10 ER 1192 Bracher v Jones [2020] NSWSC 1024 Brand v Brand (Unreported, Supreme Court of New South Wales, Rolfe J, 10 December 1991) Breen v Williams (1996) 186 CLR 71 Bridgewater & Ors v Leahy & Anor (Unreported, Supreme Court of Queensland, de Jersey J, 23 August 1995) Bridgewater v Leahy [1997] QCA 036 Bridgewater v Leahy (1998) 194 CLR 457; [1998] HCA 66 Briginshaw v Briginshaw (1938) 60 CLR 336; [1938] HCA 34 Brown v Guss [2014] VSC 251 Buckley v Maddocks (1891) 12 Lr (NSW) Eq 277 Buckley v Millar (1869) 8 SCR Eq 4 Callaghan v Myers (1880) 1 NSWLR 351 Carr v Homersham (2018) 97 NSWLR 328; [2018] NSWCA 65 Chant v Curcuruto [2021] NSWSC 751 Commercial Bank of Australia v Amadio (1983) 151 CLR 447; [1983] HCA 14 Dent v Bennett (1839) 4 My & Cr 269; 41 ER 105 Dickman v Holly [2013] NSWSC 18 Estate of the late Genevieve Bryan [2022] NSWSC 965 Fox v Percy (2003) 214 CLR 118; [2003] HCA 22 Gill v Woodall [2011] Ch 380; [2010] EWCA Civ 1430 Hall v Hall (1868) LR1P&D 481 Hayward (as Executor of Felton Estate) v Speedy & Felton [2021] NSWSC 943 Hobhouse v Macarthur-Onslow [2016] NSWSC 1831 Huguenin v Baseley (1807) 14 Ves Jr 273; [1803–13] All ER Rep 1 Johnson v Buttress (1936) 56 CLR 113 Johnson v Smith [2010] NSWCA 306 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298 Kakavas v Crown Melbourne Ltd (2013) 250 CLR 392; [2013] HCA 25 Lewis v Lewis [2020] NSWSC 1306 Lewis v Lewis (2021) 105 NSWLR 487; [2021] NSWCA 168 Lim v Lim [2023] NSWCA 84 Mekhail v Hana; Mekail v Hana [2019] NSWCA 197 Mentink v Olsen [2020] NSWCA 182 National Australia Bank Limited v Dionys as Trustee for the Angel Family Trust [2016] NSWCA 242 Nicholson v Knaggs [2009] VSC 64 Nicolson v Knaggs (No 3 – Severance and Costs) [2009] VSC 328 Nock v Austin (1918) 25 CLR 519; [1918] HCA 73 Nye v Sewell (1894) 15 NSWR 18 Olsen v Mentink [2019] NSWSC 1299 Parfitt v Lawless (1872) LR2P&D 462 Pates v Craig & Public Trustee (Estate of the late Joyce Jean Cole) (Unreported, Supreme Court of New South Wales, Santow J, 28 August 1995) Petrovski v Nasev; Re Estate of Janakievska [2011] NSWSC 1275 Plunkett v Bull (1915) 19 CLR 544; [1915] HCA 14 Quek v Beggs (1990) 5 BPR 11,761 Re Estate Rofe [2021] NSWSC 257 Re Estates Brooker-Pain and Soulos [2019] NSWSC 671 Re the Estate of Griffith (dec'd); Easter v Griffith (1995) 217 ALR 284 Revie v Druitt [2005] NSWSC 902 Robertson v Barker [2021] NSWSC 1682 Romascu v Manolache [2011] NSWSC 1362 Sangha v Baxter (2009) 52 MVR 492; [2009] NSWCA 78 Schrader v Schrader [2013] All ER (D) 89 (Mar) Skinner v Frappell [2008] NSWCA 296 Starr v Miller [2021] NSWSC 426 Stivactas v Michaletos (No 2) [1994] ANZ ConvR 252; (1993) NSW ConvR Stojic v Stojic [2018] NSWCA 28 The Public Trustee v Mullane (Unreported, Supreme Court of New South Wales, Powell J, 12 June 1999) Thorne v Kennedy (2017) 263 CLR 85; [2017] HCA 49 Tobin v Ezekiel (2012) 83 NSWLR 757; [2012] NSWCA 285 Tobin v Ezekiel, Re; Estate of Ezekiel (2011) 6 ASTLR 358; [2011] NSWSC 81 Transport Industries Insurance Co Ltd v Longmuir [1997] 1 VR 125 Trustee for the Salvation Army (NSW) Property Trust t/as the Salvation Army v Becker (2007) 14 BPR 26,867; [2007] NSWCA 136 Veall v Veall (2015) 46 VR 123; [2015] VSCA 60 Warner v Hung, in the matter of Bellpac Pty Ltd (recs and mgrs apptd) (in liq) (No 2) (2011) 297 ALR 56; [2011] FCA 1123 Watson v Foxman (1995) 49 NSWLR 315 Watson v Kerridge (1887) 8 LR (NSW) Eq 25 Watson v Kerridge and Wife (1888) 9 LR (NSW) Eq 35 Wingrove v Wingrove (1885) 11 PB 81 Winter v Crichton; Estate of Galieh (1991) 23 NSWLR 116 Wintle v Nye [1959] 1 All ER 552; [1959] 1 WLR 284 Wu v Ling [2016] NSWCA 322 Texts Cited: G E Dal Pont, Law of Succession (3rd ed, 2020, LexisNexis Butterworths) G 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 J Campbell, "The Overborne Elderly: A Forensic toolkit", paper delivered to Blue Mountains Law Society Succession Conference, Medlow Bath, September 2020 J D Heydon, M J Leeming and P G Turner, Meagher, Gummow & Lehane's Equity: Doctrines & Remedies (5th ed, 2014, LexisNexis Butterworths) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Peter Alexakis (Plaintiff/First Cross-Defendant on the First, Second and Third Cross-Claims)