Mitchell v Gibbins [2024] NSWSC 1524

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Mitchell v Gibbins [2024] NSWSC 1524 Hearing dates: 22 and 23 October 2024, 18 November 2024 Date of orders: 28 November 2024 Decision date: 28 November 2024 Jurisdiction: Equity - Real Property List Before: Black J Decision: Proceedings dismissed with costs. Catchwords: CONTRACT – Formation – Whether Plaintiff and Defendant entered into an oral contract in respect of the transfer of the Plaintiff's property to the Defendant – Whether there was an intention to enter legal relations – Where terms uncertain. EQUITY – Unconscionable conduct – Whether unconscionable for daughter to retain property transferred to her by elderly father – Where transfer registered by father without daughter's involvement, three years after earlier discussion – Where father sought to have the property reconveyed to him, nine years after the transfer was registered –Whether unconscionable for the daughter not to reconvey the property to the father without any compensation for the outgoings that she had paid in respect of the property in the nine years between the registration of the transfer and the demand for reconveyance. EQUITY – Equitable estoppel – Whether pleaded representations were made. EQUITY – Undue influence – Whether Plaintiff's transfer of the property was due to undue influence – Where Plaintiff independently registered the transfer of the property – Where the Defendant asserted no pressure and had no involvement in the registration of the transfer. EQUITY – Trusts and Trustees – Express Trust – Where the terms of the purported trust are uncertain – Where there is no intention to create a trust. Legislation Cited: Contracts Review Act 1980 (NSW), ss 7, 9 Cases Cited: - Anning v Anning (1907) 4 CLR 1049; [1907] HCA 13 - Blomley v Ryan (1956) 99 CLR 362; [1956] HCA 81 - BP Refinery (Westemport) Pty Ltd v Shire of Hastings (1977) 180 CLR 266 - Bovaird v Frost [2009] NSWSC 337 - Codelfa Construction Pty Ltd v State Rail Authority of New South Wales (1982) 149 CLR 337; [1982] HCA 24 - Commercial Bank of Australia Ltd v Amadio (1983) 151 CLR 447; [1983] HCA 14 - Commercial N Pty Ltd v Huang & Ors [2024] NSWSC 23 - Commonwealth v Verwayen (1990) 170 CLR 394; [1990] HCA 39 - Corin v Patton (1990) 169 CLR 540; [1990] HCA 12 - Crane Distribution Ltd v Yang [2016] NSWSC 620 - Dalton & Schaeffer as Executors of the Estate of the Late John Herman Schaeffer v Naegeli [2024] NSWCA 51 - Hightime Investments Pty Ltd v Adamus Resources Ltd [2012] WASC 295 - Hoy Mobile Pty Ltd v Allphones Retail Pty Ltd (No 2) [2008] FCA 810 - John Holland Pty Ltd v Kellogg Brown & Root Pty Ltd [2015] NSWSC 451 - Johnson v Buttress (1936) 56 CLR 113; [1936] HCA 41 - Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298; [1959] HCA 8 - King v Adams [2016] NSWSC 1798 - Kowalczuk v Accom Finance Pty Ltd (2008) 77 NSWLR 205; [2008] NSWCA 343 - Leedman v Chahhoud [2024] NSWSC 1284 - Lym International Pty Ltd v Marcolongo [2011] NSWCA 303 - Mentink v Olsen [2020] NSWCA 182 - Moore v Aubusson [2020] NSWSC 1466 - Mouti v Nguyen [2015] NSWCA 93 - No 1 Victoria Dragons Pty Ltd v AEN Developments Pty Ltd [2022] NSWSC 134 - Ormwave Pty Ltd v Smith [2007] NSWCA 210 - Pethybridge v Stedikas Holdings Pty Ltd [2007] NSWCA 154 - Provident Capital Ltd v Papa (2013) 84 NSWLR 231; [2013] NSWCA 36 - Re Atlas Advisors Australia Pty Ltd (2022) 162 ACSR 509; [2022] NSWSC 705 - Re Border Express Pty Ltd [2023] VSC 769 - Re Reserve Hotels Pty Ltd [2021] NSWSC 376 - Re Tresdar Pty Ltd [2019] NSWSC 179 - Realestate.com.au Pty Ltd v Hardingham (2022) 277 CLR 115; (2022) 406 ALR 678; [2022] HCA 39 - Silovi v Barbaro (1988) 13 NSWLR 466 - Spina v Permanent Custodians Ltd [2009] NSWCA 206 - Thorne v Kennedy (2017) 263 CLR 85; [2017] HCA 49 - Torok v Becker [2020] NSWSC 1570 - Turner v O'Bryan-Turner [2021] NSWSC 5 - Turner v Windever [2003] NSWSC 1147 - Twigg v Twigg (No 4); Lambert v Twigg Investments Pty Ltd (No 3) (2020) 147 ACSR 389; [2020] NSWSC 1159 - Varma v Varma [2010] NSWSC 786 - Ventouris Enterprises Pty Ltd v Dib Group Pty Ltd [2010] NSWSC 963 - Walsh Bay Developments Pty Ltd v Federal Commissioner of Taxation (1995) 130 ALR 415; [1994] FCA 703 - Waltons Stores (Interstate) Ltd v Maher (1998) 164 CLR 387; [1988] HCA 7 - Watson v Foxman (1995) 49 NSWLR 315 - West v AGC (Advances) Ltd (1986) 5 NSWLR 610 - White v Wills [2014] NSWSC 1160 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Joseph Patrick Mitchell (Plaintiff) Gabrielle Gibbins (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: J Clifton (Plaintiff) TO Bland (Defendant)