Cairns v Cairns [2006] NSWSC 364

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Cairns v Cairns [2006] NSWSC 364

HEARING DATE(S) : 28 April 2006

JUDGMENT DATE : 28 April 2006

JURISDICTION : Equity

JUDGMENT OF : Campbell J

EX TEMPORE JUDGMENT DATE : 04/28/2006

DECISION : Affidavit permitted to be read.

CATCHWORDS : PROCEDURE - Supreme Court procedure - permitting affidavits to be read when deponent not available for cross-examination - factors relevant to exercise of discretion - PROCEDURE - Supreme Court procedure - affidavits read, but deponent subsequently declines to be cross-examined - retrospectively treating affidavits as not read - EVIDENCE - judicial discretion to admit or exclude evidence - deponent not available for cross-examination - factors relevant to discretion - SUCCESSION - FAMILY PROVISION AND MAINTENANCE - evidence - lack of utility of evidence of minutiae of virtues and shortcomings of family members

Family Provision Act 1982 LEGISLATION CITED : Property (Relationships) Act 1984 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005

CASES CITED : Russell Caldar v Public Trustee of NSW (Master McLaughlin, 27 October 2004, unreported)

Diane Patricia Cairns - Plaintiff PARTIES : George Ernest Cairns (in the estate of the late George Hamilton Cairns) - First Defendant Debbie Doreen Cairns - Second Defendant Elaine Mary Durack - Third Defendant

FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 4293/04

E Cohen - Plaintiff COUNSEL : P Dowdy - First Defendant L Ellison SC - Second and Third Defendant

Colin Daley Quinn - Plaintiff SOLICITORS : Russell C Byrnes - First Defendant Haydon Fowler Corbett Jessop - Second and Third Defendant