Lawrence v Martin [2014] NSWSC 1506

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Lawrence v Martin [2014] NSWSC 1506 Hearing dates: 22 and 23 October 2014 Decision date: 31 October 2014 Jurisdiction: Equity Division Before: Hallen J Decision: (i) Having found that the Plaintiff is an eligible person and that the provision made for her in the Will of the deceased is inadequate for her proper maintenance or advancement in life, order that she receive, out of the estate of the deceased, a lump sum of $350,000. (ii) Order that the lump sum provision made for the Plaintiff be paid out of the residuary estate. (iii) Order that no interest be paid on the lump sum if it is paid within 14 days of the making of these orders; otherwise, interest calculated at the rate prescribed by s 84A(3) Probate and Administration Act 1898 (NSW), on unpaid legacies, is to be paid from that date until the date of payment. (iv) Order that the Plaintiff's costs, calculated on the ordinary basis, and the Defendants' costs, calculated on the indemnity basis, be paid out of the estate of the deceased. (v) Liberty be granted to any party to apply, in these proceedings, for consequential and ancillary orders for the purpose of, or with respect to, giving effect to, and implementing, the family provision order made in favour of the Plaintiff. (vi) Order that the Exhibits be dealt with in accordance with the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005. (vii) Directs that the Court Books be returned. Catchwords: SUCCESSION - FAMILY PROVISION - Plaintiff makes a claim for a family provision order - No dispute as to the Plaintiff's eligibility as a person with whom the deceased was living in a de facto relationship at the date of his death - Defendants are children of the deceased by a prior marriage to whom administration of the deceased's Will granted - No provision made in the Will of the deceased for the Plaintiff - Whether family provision order should be made and, if so, the nature and quantum of the provision to be made Legislation Cited: Family Provision Act 1982 (NSW) Probate and Administration Act 1898 (NSW) Statute Law Amendment Relationships Act 2001 (Vic) Succession Act 2006 (NSW) Succession Amendment (Family Provision) Act 2008 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) Wills Probate and Administration Act 1898 (NSW) Cases Cited: Alexander v Jansson [2010] NSWCA 176 Allardice, In re; Allardice v Allardice (1909) 29 NZLR 959 Allen v Manchester [1922] NZLR 218 Andrew v Andrew [2012] NSWCA 308; (2012) 81 NSWLR 656 Aubrey v Kain [2014] NSWSC 15 Auckland City Mission v Brown [2002] 2 NZLR 650 Bartlett v Coomber [2008] NSWCA 100 Belfield v Belfield [2012] NSWSC 416 Bladwell v Davis 2004] NSWCA 170 Boettcher v Driscoll [2014] SASC 86 Bosch v Perpetual Trustee Co Ltd [1938] AC 463 Butcher v Craig [2009] WASC 164 Carega Properties SA (formerly Joram Developments Ltd) v Sharratt [1979] 2 All ER 1084; [1979] 1 WLR 928 Chen v Lu [2014] NSWSC 1053 Clifford v Mayr [2010] NSWCA 6 Collins v McGain [2003] NSWCA 190 Cooper v Dungan (1976) 50 ALJR 539 Cross v Wasson [2009] NSWSC 378; (2009) 2 ASTLR 201 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) 2ASTLR 89 Flathaug v Weaver [2003] NZFLR 730 Foley v Ellis [2008] NSWCA 288 Forsyth v Sinclair [2010] VSCA 147 Gardiner v Gardiner (Supreme Court (NSW), Santow J, 28 May 1998, unrep) Janette Susan Gardiner v Raymond James Gardiner as Administrator of the Estate of the Late Dulcie Eva Gardiner [2014] NSWSC 435 Goodman v Windeyer (1980) 144 CLR 490 Goodsell v Wellington [2011] NSWSC 1232 Gorton v Parks (1989) 17 NSWLR 1 Graham v Graham [2011] NSWSC 504 Grey v Harrison [1997] 2 VR 359 Hampson v Hampson [2010] NSWCA 359 Hillman v Box (No 4) [2014] ACTSC 107 Horton v Simmons (Supreme Court (NSW), McLaughlin M, 30 July 1997, unrep) Hyland v Burbidge [2000] NSWSC 12 In the Estate of the late Anthony Marras [2014] NSWSC 915 Kay v Archbold [2008] NSWSC 254 Kembrey v Cuskelly [2008] NSWSC 262 Langtry v Campbell (Supreme Court (NSW), Powell J, 7 March 1991, unrep) Luciano v Rosenblum (1985) 2 NSWLR 65 Marcuola-Bel Estate, Re; Marcuola-Bel v Thi Ly Tran [2005] NSWSC 1182 Marinis v Jeweller [2000] NSWCA 282 Marshall v Carruthers [2002] NSWCA 47 Mayfield v Lloyd-Williams [2004] NSWSC 419 McCosker v McCosker [1957] HCA 82; (1957) 97 CLR 566 McKenzie v Topp [2004] VSC 90 O'Loughlin v O'Loughlin [2003] NSWCA 99 Palaganio v Mankarios [2011] NSWSC 61 Phillips v James [2014] NSWCA 4 Pogorelic v Banovich [2007] WASC 45 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 R (on the application of M) v Slough Borough Council [2008] UKHL 52; [2008] 1 WLR 1808 Re Meier (deceased) [1976] 1 NZLR 257 Ross v Collins [1964] 1 All ER 861; [1964] 1 WLR 425 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 Schmidt v Watkins [2002] VSC 273 Sellers v Scrivenger [2010] VSC 320 Singer v Berghouse [1994] HCA 40; (1994) 181 CLR 201 Sitch (deceased), Re the Will of; Gillies v Executors of the Will of Sitch [2005] VSC 308 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) Stott v Cook (1960) 33 ALJR 447 Szypica v O'Beirne [2013] NSWSC 297 Taylor v Farrugia [2009] NSWSC 801 Tobin v Ezekiel [2012] NSWCA 285 Turner v Perpetual Trustees Australia Ltd [2001] ACTSC 56 Verzar v Verzar [2012] NSWSC 1380 Verzar v Verzar [2014] NSWCA 45. Vidler v Ivimey [2013] NSWSC 1605 Vigolo v Bostin (2005) 221 CLR 191 Walker v Walker (Supreme Court (NSW), Young J, 17 May 1996, unrep) West v France [2010] NSWSC 845 West v Mann [2013] NSWSC 1852 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 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Julie Anne Lawrence (Plaintiff) Antonio Feliciano Martin (first Defendant) Daniel Martin Rodriguez (second Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr R Wilson SC (Plaintiff) Mr H Altan; Mr N Avery-Williams (Defendants) Solicitors: L Rundle & Co Solicitors (Plaintiff) Atkinson Vinden (Defendants) File Number(s): 2013/268422