Romascu v Manolache [2011] NSWSC 1362

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Romascu v Manolache [2011] NSWSC 1362 Hearing dates: 9, 10 November 2011 Decision date: 12 December 2011 Jurisdiction: Equity Division - Probate List Before: Hallen AsJ Decision: Order that: (a) Letters of administration with the deceased's Will made on 6 May 2009 annexed in solemn form be granted to the Plaintiff; (b) The matter be referred to the Registrar to complete the grant; (c) The Cross-Claim be dismissed; (d) If the parties are unable to agree on the burden of costs, the matter is adjourned for argument; (e) With the exception of each original Will, the exhibits should be dealt with in accordance with the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules and the Court Books may be returned. Catchwords: The deceased made two wills during her lifetime, the first in May 2009 and the last in December 2009 - No dispute that the May Will was duly executed and otherwise valid - Sole issue whether December Will valid and should be admitted to probate - If valid, it revoked the May Will - Central questions concerning the validity of the December Will, are whether the deceased validly executed that Will; whether she had testamentary capacity and whether the deceased knew and approved of the December Will - Undue influence also alleged but not relied upon at the hearing Legislation Cited: Family Provision Act 1982 Succession Act 2006 Supreme Court Rules 1970 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 Cases Cited: Alvaro, In the Estate of; (deceased); Public Trustee v Alvaro (1995) 182 LSJS 383; [1995] SASC 5183 Bailey v Bailey (1924) 34 CLR 558 Banks v Goodfellow [1870] LR 5 QB 549 Battan Singh v Amirchand [1948] AC 161 Bool v Bool [1941] St R Qd 26 Boughton v Knight (1873) LR3 P&D 64 Brown v Wade [2010] WASC 367 Bull v Fulton (1942) 66 CLR 295 England, In the Will of (1900) 22 ALT 86 Edwards v Boyd (1958) 75 WN (NSW) 525 Fradgley v Pocklington (No 2) [2011] QSC 355 Friesen and Holmberg v Friesen Estate (1985) 33 Man R (2d) 98 Frizzo v Frizzo [2011] QCA 308 Griffith, Re; Easter v Griffith (1995) 217 ALR 284 Hodges, Re; Shorter v Hodges (1988) 14 NSWLR 698 Hoff v Atherton [2005] WTLR 99 Jolley v Jarvis [1964] P 262 In the Estate of Kirs (1990) 55 SASR 61 Key v Key [2010] EWHC 408; [2010] All ER 155 King v Hudson [2009] NSWSC 1013 Kovacs v Public Trustee [2006] SASC 1 Kuhl v Liebcheschel [1933] SASR 394 Levy, Re [1953] VLR 652 Manning v Hughes; Estate of Ludewig [2010] NSWSC 226 Munn, In re [1943] SASR 304 Nicholson v Knaggs [2009] VSC 64 Nock v Austin (1918) 25 CLR 519 Oakes v Uzzell [1932] Osborne v Smith [1960] HCA 89; (1960) 105 CLR 153 Palin v Ponting [1930] P 185 Parton v Johnson (1868) LR 1 P and D 549 Pates v Craig; The Estate of Cole (NSWSC, 28 August, 1995, unreported) Perrins v Holland [2009] EWHC 1945 Petrovski v Nasev; The Estate of Janakievska [2011] NSWSC 1275 Richardson v Rearden [2006] NSWSC 1252 R, In re (dec'd) [1950] 2 All ER 117 Sharp v Adam [2006] WTLR 1059 Smith v Tebbitt (1867) L.R. 1 P&D 398 Tsagouris v Bellairs [2010] SASC 147 Vernon v Watson; Estate Clarice Isabel Quigley dec'd [2002] NSWSC 600 Virginie-Pitel v Campbell; Campbell v Virginie-Pitel [2010] NSWSC 1440 Young v Holloway [1895] P 87 Texts Cited: Hardingham IJ, Neave MA and Ford HAJ, Wills and Intestacy in Australia and New Zealand (2nd ed) (1989) Jarman on Wills, London, Sweet and Maxwell, 8th ed, 1951, Vol. 3 K Laster & V Taylor, Interpreters & the Legal System (1994), 120 referred to in Barnett, Michael, "Mind Your Language - Interpreters in Australian Immigration Proceedings" [2006] UWSLawRw 5; (2006) 10(1), University of Western Sydney Law Review 109 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Florin Adrian Romascu (Plaintiff) Elena Manolache (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Plaintiff appeared in person Mr P R Glissan (Defendant) Counsel: Plaintiff appeared in person John McEncroe & Company (Defendant) File Number(s): 2010/272586