Murdocca v Murdocca (No2) [2002] NSWSC 505

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Murdocca v Murdocca (No2) [2002] NSWSC 505 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Equity FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 3726/00 HEARING DATE(S) : 16 May 2002 JUDGMENT DATE : 25 June 2002

PARTIES : Cosimo Murdocca (Plaintiff) Antonio Murdocca (Second Defendant) JUDGMENT OF : Campbell J

COUNSEL : C Harris (Plaintiff) D Marks (Second Defendant) SOLICITORS : Business Law Office (Plaintiff) Roderick B Harris & Co (Second Defendant) CATCHWORDS : EQUITY - general principles and maxims of equity - interest payable when late performance of equitable personal obligation - effect on payment of interest of payee's conduct causing the delay in performance of equitable personal obligation - appropriate rate of interest - SUCCESSION - EXECUTORS AND ADMINISTRATORS - proceedings to enforce transfer of specific devise of land - construction of will needed to decide plaintiff's entitlement to the devise - whether costs of proceedings are testamentary expenses - principles in accord with which costs of litigation concerning deceased estates are awarded - how those principle interact with rules for order of application of assets in administration of estates - present status of practice established by Patching v Barnett [1907] 2 Ch 154 - present status of approach to costs based on Roberts v Graham (1917) 17 SR (NSW) 676 - PROCEDURE - costs - litigation concerning construction of will Equity Act 1901 Government of Ireland Act 1920 (UK) LEGISLATION CITED : Land Transfer Act 1897 (UK) Supreme Court Act 1970 Trustee Act 1925 Wills, Probate and Administration Act 1898 Adam v Mullen, Holland J, Supreme Court of NSW, 15 December 1976, unreported Allen v Attorney General (1914) 15 SR (NSW) 41 Attorney General for New South Wales v Metcalfe (1904) 1 CLR 421 Ballard v Shutt (1880) 15 Ch D 122 Davies v Littlejohn (1923) 34 CLR 174 Fowler v Nield (1961) SR (NSW) 152 Hagan v Waterhouse (1994) 34 NSWLR 308 Hermann v Charny [1976] 1 NSWLR 261 Higstrim v Ray (1895) 16 NSWLR (Eq) 1 Hungerfords v Walker (1989) 171 CLR 125 In Re Betts; Doughty v Walker [1907] 2 Ch 149 In Re Buckton; Buckton v Buckton [1907] 2 Ch 406 In Re Cunningham; Sprowle v Quested (1914) 31 WN (NSW) 44 In Re Drax; Savile v Drax [1903] 1 Ch 781 In Re Groom [1897] 2 Ch 407 In Re Hall-Dare; Le Marchant v Lee Warner [1916] 1 Ch 272 In Re Jones; Elgood v Kinderley [1902] 1 Ch 92 In Re Stone; Read v Dubua (1936) 36 SR (NSW) 508 CASES CITED : In Re White; White v White (1910) 10 SR (NSW) 304 Lawrence v Broderick (1974) 1 BPR 9115 Lloyd v Frape (1922) 23 SR (NSW) 11 McLean v Burns Philp Trustee Co Pty Ltd (1985) 2 NSWLR 623 Metcalfe v O'Kennedy (2) (1904) 4 SR (NSW) 633 Moran v House (1924) 35 CLR 60 Morgan Equipment Company v Rodgers [No.2] (1993) 32 NSWLR 467 Muller v Marriott (1921) 22 SR (NSW) 100 Murdocca v Murdocca [2002] NSWSC 159 O'Brien v Ritchie (1931) 48 WN (NSW) 85 Patching v Barnett [1907] 2 Ch 154 Perpetual Trustee Co Ltd v Paling (1924) 25 SR (NSW) 56 Perpetual Trustee Company (Limited) v Thomas (1942) 59 WN (NSW) 100 Re Rooke; Jeans v Gatehouse [1933] Ch 970 Robertson v Graham (1917) 17 SR (NSW) 676 Sharp v Lush (1879) 10 Ch D 468 Trustees Executors and Agency Co Ltd v Ramsay (1920) 27 CLR 279 Wallersteiner v Moir [No.2] [1975] 1 QB 373 Watson v Ralph (1982) 148 CLR 646 Wyndham v Mackenzie (1918) 25 CLR 172 DECISION : Interest awarded, at Schedule J Supreme Court rates; Principles appropriate to adversary litigation applied in making costs order; Orders made in paragraph 82 judgment.