Nagle & Anor - as Executors, Estate Late Marie Jewell Lodge v Lavender [2002] NSWSC 611

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Nagle & Anor - as Executors, Estate Late Marie Jewell Lodge v Lavender [2002] NSWSC 611 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Equity FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 4475/99 HEARING DATE(S) : 24/6/02-28/6/02 JUDGMENT DATE : 16 July 2002

PARTIES : Patricia Nagle & Richard Patrick Nagle as Executors of the Estate Late Marie Jewell Lodge (Plaintiffs/Cross Defendants) Geoffrey Lavender (Defendant/Cross Claimant) JUDGMENT OF : Campbell J

COUNSEL : M Ashhurst (Plaintiffs/Cross Defendants) R Lovas (Defendant/Cross Claimant) SOLICITORS : Blackshaw Lindsay (Plaintiffs/Cross Defendants) George Loupos & Associates (Defendant/Cross Claimant) CATCHWORDS : EQUITY - fiduciary obligations - misappropriation of money by fiduciary agent - no question of principle decided - EVIDENCE - burden of proof, presumptions and weight and sufficiency of evidence - claims against deceased's estate - EVIDENCE - burden of proof, presumptions and weight and sufficiency of evidence - effect of destruction of documents - EQUITY - fiduciary obligations - claim for "damages for breach of fiduciary duty" - meaning and availability LEGISLATION CITED : Evidence Act 1995 Supreme Court Act 1970 Allen v Tobias (1958) 98 CLR 367 Briginshaw v Briginshaw (1938) 60 CLR 336 CASES CITED : Clive Eggins & 2 Ors v Allan Robinson [2000] NSWCA 61 Hunt v Barlow [2000] NSWSC 324 Seager v Copydex (No2) [1969] 1 WLR 809 Simon v NRMA Insurance Ltd (NSW Court of Appeal, 22 October 1991, unreported) DECISION : Misappropriated money to be repaid with interest