Li v Tao [2023] NSWCA 310

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Li v Tao [2023] NSWCA 310 Hearing dates: 16 May 2023 Date of orders: 15 December 2023 Decision date: 15 December 2023 Before: Ward P at [1] Mitchelmore JA at [2] Kirk JA at [3] Decision: 1. The appeal is dismissed. 2. The appellant is to pay the respondent's costs. Catchwords: EQUITY — General principles and maxims — Conveyancing — Statute of Frauds — Part performance — High threshold for part performance — Equivocal factors for part performance — Many equivocal acts do not add up to an unequivocal act EQUITY — Equitable interests in property — Property disputes — Assertion of legal ownership by trustee — Trusts and trustees — Evidence of trust — Where evidence of oral declaration of trust inadmissible under s 23C of the Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW) — Doctrine in Rochefoucauld v Boustead — Doctrine not limited to where was a conditional assignment or written evidence prevented by fraud — Doctrine not limited to where property was assigned by claimant — Doctrine does not involve weighing up merits of conduct of parties APPEALS — From finding of fact — Credibility of witnesses — Challenge to credibility finding not made out Legislation Cited: Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW), ss 23B, 23C, 23D, 23E Property, Stock and Business Agents Act 1941 (NSW) Cases Cited: Bahr v Nicholay [No 2] (1988) 164 CLR 604; [1988] HCA 16 Bloch v Bloch (1981) 180 CLR 390; [1981] HCA 56 Cadd v Cadd (1909) 9 CLR 171; [1909] HCA 59 Ciaglia v Ciaglia (2010) 269 ALR 175; [2010] NSWSC 341 Di Pietro v Official Trustee in Bankruptcy (1995) 59 FCR 470 Dunphy v Russell [2018] NSWSC 721 Last v Rosenfeld [1972] 2 NSWLR 923 Lee v Lee (2019) 266 CLR 129; [2019] HCA 28 Maddison v Alderson (1883) 8 App Cas 467 Nelson v Nelson (1995) 184 CLR 538; [1995] HCA 25 Organ v Sandwell [1921] VLR 622 Overmyer Industrial Brokers Pty Ltd v Campbells Cash & Carry Pty Ltd (2003) ATPR (Digest) 46-242; (2004) Aust Contract R 90-181; [2003] NSWCA 305 Pipikos v Trayans (2018) 265 CLR 522; [2018] HCA 39 Rochefoucauld v Boustead [1897] 1 Ch 196 Tanwar Enterprises Pty Ltd v Cauchi (2003) 217 CLR 315; [2003] HCA 57 Wratten v Hunter [1978] 2 NSWLR 367 Young v Young (2014) 23 Tas R 76 Texts Cited: D Heydon, MJ Leeming and PG Turner, Meagher Gummow & Lehane's Equity: Doctrines and Remedies (5th edn, 2015, Butterworths) PW Young, C Croft and ML Smith, On Equity (2009, Lawbook) I Spry, The Principles of Equitable Remedies (9th edn, 2014, Lawbook) James Williams, The Statute of Frauds Section 4 (1932, Cambridge University Press) William Swadling, "The Nature of the Trust in Rochefoucauld v Boustead", in C Mitchell, Constructive and Resulting Trusts (2010, Hart Publishing) YK Liew, "Rochefoucauld v Boustead (1897)" in C Mitchell and P Mitchell, Landmark Cases in Equity (2012, Hart Publishing) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Cheryl Shu Yan Li (Appellant) Zhiyong Tao (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: