Curnow v Curnow [2014] NSWSC 896

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Curnow v Curnow [2014] NSWSC 896 Hearing dates: 24 March 2014; 16 and 17 June 2014 (further submissions with leave) Decision date: 07 July 2014 Jurisdiction: Equity Division Before: Hallen J Decision: Direct the parties, within 14 days, to bring in Short Minutes of Order giving effect to these reasons and any agreement reached between them as to the designation of property as notional estate. Stand the matter over to a convenient date to be arranged at the time of delivery of these reasons. Catchwords: SUCCESSION - FAMILY PROVISION - Application by three Plaintiffs for a family provision order under the Succession Act 2006 - One Plaintiff is the stepdaughter of the deceased and the other two are children of the deceased - Order sought out of the notional estate of the deceased - The Defendant the widow of the deceased - Deceased died intestate - No grant of administration - No dispute as to each Plaintiff's eligibility - No dispute as to factors warranting the making of the stepchild's application - Whether to make a family provision order in each case - If order for provision made, nature of order for each Plaintiff - Competing claim of the Defendant - Widow a beneficiary of her mother's estate - Provision made for each Plaintiff - How that provision to be met to be first determined by Defendant Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Family Provision Act 1982 (NSW) Legal Profession Act 2004 (NSW) Practice Note SC Eq 7 Probate and Administration Act 1898 (NSW) Property (Relationships) Act 1984 (NSW) Succession Act 1981 (Qld) Succession Act 2006 (NSW) Succession Amendment (Family Provision) Act 2008 (NSW) Transport Accident Act 1986 (Vic) Cases Cited: Akkerman v Ewins [2003] NSWCA 190 Alexander v Jansson [2010] NSWCA 176 Allardice, In re; Allardice v Allardice (1909) 29 NZLR 959 Allen (Deceased), In re; Allen v Manchester [1922] NZLR 218 Andrew v Andrew [2012] NSWCA 308; (2012) 81 NSWLR 656 Aubrey v Kain [2014] NSWSC 15 Bartlett v Coomber [2008] NSWCA 100 Baychek v Baychek [2010] NSWSC 987 Bondelmonte v Blanckensee [1989] WAR 305 Bosch v Perpetual Trustee Co Ltd [1938] AC 463 Butcher v Craig [2009] WASC 164 Cabban v Cabban [2010] NSWSC 1433 Cameron v Cameron [2009] SASC 27 Carega Properties SA (formerly Joram Developments Ltd) v Sharratt [1979] 2 All ER 1084; [1979] 1 WLR 928 Christie v Manera [2006] WASC 287 Churton v Christian [1988] NSWCA 23; (1988) 13 NSWLR 241 Collins v McGain [2003] NSWCA 190 Commissioner of Stamp Duties (Queensland) v Livingston [1964] UKPCHCA 2; (1964) 112 CLR 12; (1965) AC 694 Crossman v Riedel [2004] ACTSC 127 de Angelis v de Angelis [2003] VSC 432 Devereaux-Warnes v Hall (No 3) [2007] WASCA 235; (2007) 35 WAR 127 Diver v Neal [2009] NSWCA 54; (2009) 2 ASTLR 89 Doshen v Pedisich [2013] NSWSC 1507 Edgar v Public Trustee for the Northern Territory [2011] NTSC 05 Estate of Terry [2012] NSWSC 927 Flathaug v Weaver [2003] NZFLR 730 Foley v Ellis [2008] NSWCA 288 Freeman v Jaques [2006] 1 Qd R 318 Gardiner v Gardiner (Supreme Court (NSW), Santow J, 28 May 1998, unrep) Gardiner v Gardiner [2014] NSWSC 435 Golosky v Golosky [1993] NSWCA 111 Goodman v Windeyer [1980] HCA 31; (1980) 144 CLR 490 Gorton v Parks (1989) 17 NSWLR 1 Graziani v Graziani (Supreme Court (NSW), Cohen J, 20 February 1987, unrep) Grey v Harrison [1997] 2 VR 359 Hampson v Hampson [2010] NSWCA 359 Hawkins v Prestage (1989) 1 WAR 37 Heyward v Fisher (Court of Appeal (NSW), 26 April 1985, unrep) Hitchcock v Pratt [2010] NSWSC 1508 Hughes v National Trustees Executors and Agency Co of Australasia Ltd [1979] HCA 2; (1979) 143 CLR 134 Hyland v Burbidge [2000] NSWSC 12 Kay v Archbold [2008] NSWSC 254 Kossert v Margaret Gerda Ruggi As Executor of the Will of Peter Korps (No 2) [2012] WASC 191 Kleinig v Neal (No 2) [1981] 2 NSWLR 532 Luciano v Rosenblum (1985) 2 NSWLR 65 MacGregor v MacGregor [2003] WASC 169 McCosker v McCosker [1957] HCA 82; (1957) 97 CLR 566 McGrath v Eves [2005] NSWSC 1006 McKenzie v Baddeley [1991] NSWCA 197 McKenzie v Topp [2004] VSC 290 McLeod v Johns (1981) 1 NSWLR 347 Magill v Magill [2006] HCA 51; (2006) 231 ALR 277 Manuel v Lane [2013] NSWCA 61 Marks v Marks [2003] WASCA 297 Marshall v Carruthers; Marshall v Marshall [2002] NSWCA 47 Mayfield v Lloyd-Williams [2004] NSWSC 419 Morris v Smoel [2014] VSC 32 Neale v Neale [2013] NSWSC 983 Ng v Neville Mark Morgan; Selena Natanie Ng v Morgan; Commonwealth Bank of Australia v Neville Mark Morgan in his capacity as Administrator of the estate of the late Dell Smith [2014] NSWSC 536 Justyn Marcus Ng v Neville Mark Morgan & Anor; Selena Natanie Ng v Morgan; Commonwealth Bank of Australia v Neville Mark Morgan in his capacity as Administrator of the estate of the late Dell Smith (No 2) [2014] NSWSC 677 O'Loughlin v O'Loughlin [2003] NSWCA 99 Official Receiver in Bankruptcy v Schultz [1990] HCA 45; (1990) 170 CLR 306 Palaganio v Mankarios [2011] NSWSC 61 Phillips v James [2014] NSWCA 4 Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith v Scales [1962] HCA 19; (1962) 107 CLR 9 Puckridge, Deceased, In the Estate of (1978) 20 SASR 72 Re Buckland, Deceased [1966] VR 404 Re Bull [2006] VSC 113 Re Coventry, Deceased [1979] 3 All ER 815 Re Estate of Bridges (1975) 12 SASR 1 Re Estate Harriett Cassel [2000] NSWSC 294 Re Fulop, Deceased (1987) 8 NSWLR 679 Ross v Collins [1964] 1 All ER 861; [1964] 1 WLR 425 Singer v Berghouse [1994] HCA 40; (1994) 181 CLR 201 Slack v Rogan; Palffy v Rogan [2013] NSWSC 522 Stern v Sekers; Sekers v Sekers [2010] NSWSC 59 Stiles v Joseph (Supreme Court (NSW), Macready M, 16 December 1996, unrep) Szypica v O'Beirne [2013] NSWSC 297 Taylor v Farrugia [2009] NSWSC 801 Tobin v Ezekiel [2012] NSWCA 285; (2012) 83 NSWLR 757 Turner v Perpetual Trustees Australia Ltd [2001] ACTSC 56 Verzar v Verzar [2012] NSWSC 1380 Vigolo v Bostin [2005] HCA 11; (2005) 221 CLR 191 Union-Fidelity Trustee Co of Australia Ltd v Montgomery (1976) 1 NSWLR 134 Walker v Walker (Supreme Court (NSW), Young J, 17 May 1996, unrep) West v Mann [2013] NSWSC 1852 White and Tulloch v White (1995) 19 Fam LR 696 Wilcox v Wilcox [2012] NSWSC 1138 Williams v Aucutt [2000] 2 NZLR 479 Texts Cited: J D Heydon and M J Leeming, Jacobs' Law of Trusts in Australia (7th ed, 2006, LexisNexis Butterworths) Uniform Succession Laws: Intestacy [2007] NSWLRC 116 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Alana Marie Curnow (first Plaintiff) Jake Howard Curnow (second Plaintiff) Kristy Anne Jean Curnow (third Plaintiff) Deborah Shireen Curnow (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr R Wilson SC Mr L Ellison SC Solicitors: Turnbull Hill Lawyers (Plaintiffs) Barwick Boitano Lawyers (Defendant) File Number(s): 2012/312464