Mears v Salier [2014] NSWSC 934

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Mears v Salier [2014] NSWSC 934 Decision date: 15 July 2014 Jurisdiction: Equity Division Before: Hallen J Decision: See Paragraph 167 of these reasons for judgment. Catchwords: SUCCESSION - Plaintiff, a child of the deceased, makes a claim for a family provision order - No dispute as to the Plaintiff's eligibility - Deceased died intestate - Deceased married at the date of his death but cohabitation as husband and wife no longer than a few days - The widow of the deceased unable to be located despite efforts on part of the deceased and subsequently the Plaintiff - Widow and deceased separated for over 12 years at date of his death - Widow, if alive, entitled on intestacy - Independent solicitor appointed to represent the estate - Section 91 grant applied for to enable the Plaintiff's application to be dealt with - Whether family provision order should be made for Plaintiff, and if so, the nature and quantum of the further provision to be made - Order for provision for the Plaintiff made Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Family Provision Act 1982 (NSW) Probate and Administration Act 1898 (NSW) Succession Amendment (Family Provision) Act 2008 (NSW) Succession Act 2006 (NSW) Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) Cases Cited: Akkerman v Ewins [2003] NSWCA 190 Allardice v Allardice; In re Allardice (1910) 29 NZLR 959 Andrew v Andrew [2012] NSWSCA 308; (2012) 81 NSWLR 656 Aubrey v Kain [2014] NSWSC 15 Bartlett v Coomber [2008] NSWCA 100 Bondelmonte v Blanckensee [1989] WAR 305 Bosch v Perpetual Trustee Co Ltd [1938] AC 463 Buckland, Deceased, Re [1966] VR 404 Butcher v Craig [2009] WASC 164 Cameron v Cameron [2009] SASC 27 Christie v Manera [2006] WASC 287 Collins v McGain [2003] NSWCA 190 Crossman v Riedel [2004] ACTSC 127 Curnow v Curnow [2014] NSWSC 896 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 Flathaug v Weaver [2003] NZFLR 730 Foley v Ellis [2008] NSWSC 288 Gardiner v Gardiner (Supreme Court (NSW), Santow J, 28 May 1998, unrep) Goodman v Windeyer [1980] HCA 31; (1980) 144 CLR 490 Gorton v Parks (1989) 17 NSWLR 1 Grey v Harrison [1997] 2 VR 359 Hampson v Hampson [2010] NSWCA 359 Hawkins v Prestage (1989) 1 WAR 37 Hughes v National Trustees Executors and Agency Co of Australasia Ltd [1979] HCA 2; (1979) 143 CLR 134 Hyland v Burbidge [2000] NSWSC 12 In the Estate of the late Anthony Marras [2014] NSWSC 915 Janette Susan Gardiner v Raymond James Gardiner as Administrator of the Estate of the Late Dulcie Eva Gardiner [2014] NSWSC 435 Kay v Archbold [2008] NSWSC 254 Kleinig v Neal (No 2) [1981] 2 NSWLR 532 Kossert v Margaret Gerda Ruggi As Executor of the Will of Peter Korps (No 2) [2012] WASC 191 Luciano v Rosenblum (1985) 2 NSWLR 65 Macgregor v Macgregor [2003] WASC 169 Marks v Marks [2003] WASCA 297 Mayfield v Lloyd-Williams [2004] NSWSC 419 McCosker v McCosker (1957) 97 CLR 566 McGrath v Eves [2005] NSWSC 1006 McKenzie v Topp [2004] VSC 90 O'Loughlin v O'Loughlin [2003] NSWCA 99 Palaganio v Mankarios [2013] 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 Pogorelic v Banovich [2007] WASC 45 Puckridge, Deceased, In the Estate of (1978) 20 SASR 72 R (on the application of M) v Slough Borough Council [2008] UKHL 52; [2008] 1 WLR 1808 Re Bull [2006] VSC 113 Re Estate of Bridges (1975) 12 SASR 1 Sam Wardy v Gordon Salier; William Wardy v Gordon Salier; Hassiba Wardy v Estate of late Edmond Wadih Wardy, developer and Ch 3 of the Succession Act 2006 [2014] NSWSC 473 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 Szypica v O'Beirne [2013] NSWSC 297 Taylor v Farrugia [2009] NSWSC 801 Thornley v Heffernan (Supreme Court (NSW), McClelland J, 12 September 1995, unrep) Tobin v Ezekiel [2012] NSWCA 285 Verzar v Verzar [2012] NSWSC 1380 Verzar v Verzar [2014] NSWCA 45 Vigolo v Bostin [2005] HCA 11; (2005) 221 CLR 191 Walker v Walker (Supreme Court (NSW), Young J, 17 May 1996, unrep) West v Mann [2013] NSWSC 1852 Wheat v Wisbey [2013] NSWSC 537 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) Rosalind Atherton, 'The Concept of Moral Duty in the Law of Family Provision - a Gloss or Critical Understanding?' (1999) 5 Australian Journal of Legal History 5 Uniform Succession Laws: Intestacy [2007] NSWLRC 116 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Brett Anthony Mears (Plaintiff) Gordon Albert Salier (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr M Condon SC (Plaintiff) Solicitors: Holman Webb Lawyers (Plaintiff) Gordon A Salier (Defendant) File Number(s): 2013/332551