Milillo v Konnecke [2009] NSWCA 109

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION: Milillo v Konnecke [2009] NSWCA 109 This decision has been amended. Please see the end of the judgment for a list of the amendments.

HEARING DATE(S): 3 April 2009

JUDGMENT DATE: 15 May 2009

JUDGMENT OF: Ipp JA at 1; Macfarlan JA at 132; Sackville AJA at 133

(a) The appeal is dismissed. DECISION: (b) Rosa to pay the executors costs of the appeal. (c) The executors are entitled to be reimbursed from the the testator's estate on an indemnity basis for the balance of their costs to the extent to which those costs are not paid by Rosa. (d) No order is made as to the costs of Gina (the intent being that she pay her own costs of the appeal).

CATCHWORDS: SUCCESSION - family provision and maintenance - failure by testator to make sufficient provision for applicant - appeal - small estate - whether provision should be made for portable life estate based upon Crisp v Burns Philp Trustee Company Ltd - whether widow's claim has automatic primacy - whether error in exercise of trial judge's discretion - whether matters of weight in the exercise of discretion may constitute error. - PROCEDURE - costs - separate representation of defendants - where no conflict of interest between defendants.

Family Provision Act 1982 LEGISLATION CITED: Supreme Court Rules 1970 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005

CATEGORY: Principal judgment

Barns v Barns [2003] HCA 9; (2003) 214 CLR 169 Bladwell v Davis [2004] NSWCA 170 Court v Hunt (NSWSC, Young J, 14 September 1987, unreported) Credit Lyonnais Australia Ltd v Darling (1991) 5 ACSR 703 Crisp v Burns Philp Trustee Company Ltd (NSWSC, Holland J, 18 December 1979, unreported) Diver v Neal [2009] NSWCA 54 Drummond v Drummond [1999] NSWSC 923 Foley v Ellis [2008] NSWCA 288 Golosky v Golosky [1993] NSWCA 111 Gronow v Gronow [1979] HCA 63; (1979) 144 CLR 513 Harbin v Masterman [1896] 1 Ch 351 CASES CITED: House v The King [1936] HCA 40; (1936) 55 CLR 499 In re Lyell [1941] VLR 207 Lloyd-Williams v Mayfield [2005] NSWCA 189; (2005) 63 NSWLR 1 Lovell v Lovell [1950] HCA 52; (1950) 81 CLR 513 Macedonian Orthodox Community Church St Petka Inc v His Eminence Petar The Diocesan Bishop of The Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand [2008] HCA 42 Mallet v Mallet [1984] HCA 21; (1984) 156 CLR 605 Mulcahy v Weldon [2002] NSWCA 206 Queensland Electricity Commission, Re; Ex parte Electrical Trade Union [1987] HCA 27; (1987) 72 ALR 1 Re Hodges; Shorter v Hodges (1988) 14 NSWLR 698 Richard Brady Franks Ltd v Price [1937] HCA 42; (1937) 48 CLR 112 Singer v Berghouse [1994] HCA 40; (1994) 181 CLR 201 Stratham v Shephard (No 2) (1974) 23 FLR 244 Vigolo v Bostin [2005] HCA 11; (2005) 221 CLR 191