Porters v Cessnock City Council [2005] NSWSC 1275

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Porters v Cessnock City Council [2005] NSWSC 1275

HEARING DATE(S) : 6 December 2005

JUDGMENT DATE : 6 December 2005

JURISDICTION : Equity

JUDGMENT OF : Campbell J

DECISION : Purchaser entitled to balance of proceeds of sale, minus amount purchaser obliged to pay to complete sale.

CATCHWORDS : PROCEDURE – Supreme Court procedure – proceedings where deceased person's estate has an interest, but is not represented – circumstances when appropriate to proceed in absence of any legal personal representative – EQUITY – equitable charges and liens – purchaser's lien for amounts paid towards purchase price of land – when available – EQUITY – general principles and maxims of equity – equity regards as done that which ought to be done – terms contract for sale of land not completed in vendor's lifetime – no legal personal representative of vendor appointed – beneficiaries uncontactable – strenuous efforts by purchaser to identify legal personal representative and contact beneficiaries unsuccessful – land sold for payment of rates – entitlement of purchaser to interest in proceeds of sale of land – SUCCESSION – EXECUTORS AND ADMINISTRATORS – proceedings concerning property in which deceased estate has an interest – no legal personal representative appointed – when such proceedings may be heard notwithstanding absence of legal personal representative – enforcement of contract for sale of land entered by deceased against estate assets – operation of doctrine of conversion in deceased estates

Civil Procedure Act 2005 LEGISLATION CITED : Supreme Court Act 1970 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005

In Re Anstis (1886) 31 Ch D 596 Booth v Commissioner of Taxation (Cth) (1987) 164 CLR 159 Borough of Drummoyne v Hogarth (1907) 23 WN (NSW) 243 Chan v Cresdon Pty Ltd (1989) 168 CLR 242 Chronopoulos v Caltex Oil (Australia) Pty Ltd (1982) 70 FLR 8 Combe v Swaythling (Lord) [1947] Ch 625 Curtius v Caledonian Fire and Life Insurance Co (1881) 19 Ch D 534 De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited v British South Africa Company [1912] AC 52 Frederick v Frederick (1721) 1 P Wms 710; 24 ER 582 Frederick v Frederick (1731) 2nd edition 1 Bro PC 253; 1 ER 549 In Re Gillott's Settlement; Chattock v Reid [1934] 1 Ch 97 CASES CITED : Hewett v Court (1983) 149 CLR 639 Hoddel v Pugh (1864) 33 Bev 489; 55 ER 458 Manchester Brewery Company v Coombs (1901) 2 Ch 608 May v Newton (1887) 34 Ch D 347 McIntyre v Gye (1994) 51 FCR 472 Palette Shoes Pty Ltd (In liq) v Krohn (1937) 58 CLR 1 Roger v Harrison [1893] 1 QB 161 Walsh v Longdale (1882) 21 Ch D 9 Webster v British Empire Mutual Life Assurance Company (1880) 15 Ch D 169 Whitbread & Co Limited v Watt [1901] 1 Ch 911 Whitbread & Co Limited v Watt [1902] 1 Ch 835