Cooper v McLennan [2023] NSWSC 1385

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Cooper v McLennan [2023] NSWSC 1385 Hearing dates: 26 and 27 September, 11 and 26 October and 2 November 2022. Further submissions 9 and 11 November 2022. Date of orders: 17 November 2023 Decision date: 17 November 2023 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Henry J Decision: See [205] Catchwords: LAND LAW — adverse possession — rural Torrens title land — where plaintiff registered proprietor seeks declarations in response to defendant's application for possessory title — where defendant claims possession of lots by he and his family since September 1996 — whether plaintiff consented to defendant and family using the lots for grazing cattle — whether defendant's acts establish factual possession — whether intention to possess where defendant believed he and his family owned the lots — whether plaintiff's acts broke chain of possession — found that defendant and family in adverse possession for more than 12 years — extinction of title of plaintiff registered proprietor if Limitation Act 1969 (NSW) had applied Legislation Cited: Dividing Fences Act 1991 (NSW) Fences Act 1890 (Vic) Limitation Act 1969 (NSW) Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) Real Property Act 1900 (NSW) Cases Cited: Allen v Roughley (1955) 94 CLR 98; [1955] ALR 1017 Australian Retirement Holdings Pty Ltd v Higgins in her capacity as adminis of Estate of late Pritchard (2021) 20 BPR 41,633; [2021] NSWSC 1158 Bartlett v Ryan (2000) 10 BPR 18,077; [2000] NSWSC 807 BP Properties Ltd v Buckler (1987) 284 EG 372; [1987] 2 EGLR 168; (1987) 55 P & Cr 337 Braye v Tarnawskyj (2019) 19 BPR 39,213; [2019] NSWSC 277 Clement v Jones (1909) 8 CLR 133; (1909) 15 ALR 158; [1909] HCA 11 Fox v Percy (2003) 214 CLR 118; [2003] HCA 22 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298; [1959] ALR 367 Malter v Procopets (2000) V ConvR 54-624; [2000] VSCA 11 McDonell v Giblin (1904) 23 NZLR 660 McFarland v Gertos (2018) 98 NSWLR 954; (2018) 19 BPR 38,969; [2018] NSWSC 1629 Mulcahy v Curramore Pty Ltd [1974] 2 NSWLR 464 Plunket v Bull [1915] VLR 603; (1915) 19 CLR 544; [1915] HCA 14 Powell v McFarlane (1979) 38 P&CR 452 Re Riley and the Real Property Act [1965] NSWR 994 Riley v Penttila 1974 [VR] 547 Shaw v Garbutt (1996) 7 BPR 14,816 Sidoti v Hardy (2021) 105 NSWLR 1; (2021) 20 BPR 41,435; [2021] NSWCA 105 Solling v Broughton [1893] AC 556 Watson v Foxman (1995) 49 NSWLR 315 Whittlesea City Council v Abbatangelo (2009) 259 ALR 56; [2009] VSCA 188 Category: Principal judgment Parties: John William Cooper (Plaintiff) Tony McLennan (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: A G Martin (Plaintiff) M A McCall (Defendant)