Coster v Coster [2024] NSWSC 1104

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Coster v Coster [2024] NSWSC 1104 Hearing dates: 1, 2 and 3 July 2024 Date of orders: 29 August 2024 Decision date: 29 August 2024 Jurisdiction: Common Law Before: Hmelnitsky J Decision: (1) The amended statement of claim is dismissed; (2) The defendant is to file and serve submissions of no more than five pages as to costs on or before 12 September 2024; and (3) The plaintiff is to file and serve submissions of no more than five pages as to costs on or before 26 September 2024. Catchwords: EQUITY — Trusts and trustees — Constructive trusts — Common intention — whether there was an "actual intention" mutually held between the parties– where defendant owned farm property in which plaintiff alleged that he had a present beneficial interest ESTOPPEL — Proprietary estoppel — Encouragement — whether there was a clear and unambiguous representation by the plaintiff to the defendant – where defendant purportedly made representations as to plaintiff's interest in farm property ESTOPPEL — Proprietary estoppel — Encouragement — Detrimental reliance — whether sufficient evidence that circumstances amounted to detrimental reliance – where plaintiff contributed time and labour to defendant's farm properties over several years EQUITY – Trusts and trustees – Constructive trusts – whether circumstances gave rise to a joint endeavour between the parties – where plaintiff and defendant lived and farmed properties together on and off for 30 years Legislation Cited: Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), Sch 2 – Australian Consumer Law Industrial Relations Act 1996 (NSW) Cases Cited: Bassett v Cameron [2021] NSWSC 207 Baumgartner v Baumgartner (1987) 164 CLR 137; [1987] HCA 59 Bijkerk Investments Pty Ltd v Bikic [2020] NSWSC 1336 Briginshaw v Briginshaw (1938) 60 CLR 336; [1938] HCA 34 Commonwealth v Verwayen (1990) 170 CLR 394; [1990] HCA 39 Delaforce v Simpson-Cook (2010) 78 NSWLR 483; [2010] NSWCA 84 DHJPM Pty Ltd v Blackthorn Resources Ltd (2011) 83 NSWLR 728; [2011] NSWCA 348 Donis v Donis (2007) 19 VR 577; [2007] VSCA 89 Effem Foods Pty Ltd v Lake Cumbeline Pty Ltd (1999) 161 ALR 599; [1999] HCA 15 Flinn v Flinn [1999] 3 VR 712; [1999] VSCA 109 Fox v Percy (2003) 214 CLR 118; [2003] HCA 22 Galaxidis v Galaxidis [2004] NSWCA 111 Gissing v Gissing [1971] AC 886 Green v Green (1989) 17 NSWLR 343 Grundt v Great Boulder Pty Gold Mines Ltd (1937) 59 CLR 641; [1937] HCA 58 Helton v Allen (1940) 63 CLR 691; [1940] HCA 20 In the matter of Hillsea Pty Ltd [2019] NSWSC 1152 John Holland Pty Ltd v Kellogg Brown & Root Pty Ltd [2015] NSWSC 451 Koprivnjak v Koprivnjak [2023] NSWCA 2 Kramer v Stone (2023) 112 NSWLR 564; [2023] NSWCA 270 Legione v Hateley (1983) 152 CLR 406; [1983] HCA 11 McKinlay v Woods [2024] NSWCA 122 Michael Gregory Jones as Liquidator of SBH Australia Pty Limited (In Liq) & Anor v Joseph Cummins [2018] NSWSC 606 Muschinski v Dodds (1985) 160 CLR 583; [1985] HCA 78 NSW Trustee and Guardian v Togias (2022) 110 NSWLR 86; [2022] NSWCA 225 Pettitt v Pettitt [1970] AC 777 Protheroe v Protheroe [2023] NSWSC 188 Q v E Co (2021) 383 ALR 469; [2020] NSWCA 220 Shepherd v Doolan [2005] NSWSC 42 Sidhu v Van Dyke (2014) 251 CLR 505; [2014] HCA 19 Watson v Foxman (1995) 49 NSWLR 315 West v Mead [2003] NSWSC 161; (2003) 13 BPR 24, 431 Woods v McKinlay (No 2) [2021] NSWSC 1510 Category: Principal judgment Parties: David Alan James Coster (Plaintiff) Robyn Mary Coster (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: