Boyce v Bunce [2015] NSWSC 1924

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Boyce v Bunce [2015] NSWSC 1924 Hearing dates: 25 May and 17 June 2015 Decision date: 17 December 2015 Jurisdiction: Equity - Probate List Before: Lindsay J Decision: (1) A propounder of a disputed will's claim of privilege over documents produced on subpoena by an attesting witness to the will, inspected by an opponent, dismissed.

(2) The opponent's notices to produce demanding production of further written communications between the propounder and the witness set aside pending reformulation of pleadings Catchwords: SUCCESSION – Making of a will – Testamentary Instruments – Undue Influence – Evidence – Interlocutory application - Consideration of operation and potential interaction of undue influence in probate and equity – Governing purpose of probate jurisdiction – Due and proper administration of an estate PROCEDURE – Discovery and interrogatories – Discovery of documents – Production and inspection – Grounds for resisting production – Client legal privilege - Probate - Application for documents produced on subpoena by attesting witness to be "re-privileged" – "Rule in Re Fuld" - Case management principles applicable to contested probate proceedings – Due and proper administration of estate – Claim for documents to be "re-privileged" dismissed – Notices to Produce further documents set aside Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005, NSW Evidence Act 1995 NSW Guardianship Act 1987 NSW Powers of Attorney Act 2003 NSW Succession Act 2006 NSW Supreme Court Act 1970 NSW, section 63 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 NSW Cases Cited: Adair v New River Co. (1805) 11 Ves 429; 32 ER 1153 Australian Coal & Shale Employees' Federation (1937) 38 SR (NSW) 48 at 65 and 61 Bailey v Bailey (1924) 34 CLR 558 at 570 Barry v Butlin (1838) 2 Moo PC 480 at 482-485; 12 ER 1089 at 1090-1091 Bates v Messner (1967) 67 SR (NSW) 187 at 189 and 191-192 Boyse v Rossborough (1857) 6 HLC 1 at 49; 10 ER 1192 at 1211 Bridgewater v Leahy (1998) 194 CLR 457 at 474[62] - 475[63] Brown v Fisher (1890) 63 LT 465 Calverley v Green (1984) 155 CLR 242 at 264 Carbotech-Australia Pty Limited v Yates [2007] NSWSC 1151 at [6]-[13]. Carnie v Esanda Finance Corporation (1995) 182 CLR 398 at 415-424 Cockburn v Thompson (1809) 16 Ves Jun 321; 33 ER 1005 Commissioner for Railways v Small (1938) 38 SR (NSW) 564 at 574-575 Dickman v Holley; Estate of Simpson [2013] NSWSC 18 at [162] and [173] Docking v Schwarzkopf [2015] SASC 18 at [8] Duke of Bedford v Ellis [1901] AC 1 at 8-11 Dunesky v Elder (1992) 107 ALR 573 at 575-576 Esso Australia Resources Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation (1999) 201 CLR 49 Estate Kouvakas; Lucas v Konakas [2014] NSWSC 786 at [211] Estate of Fuld, Deceased (No 3) [1966] 2 WLR 717 at 757G-H Estate Wight; Wight v Robinson [2013] NSWSC 1229 at [17]-[20], [22] Expense Reduction Analysts Group Pty Limited v Armstrong Strategic Management and Marketing Pty Limited (2013) 250 CLR 303 at 320 [49] Fulton v Andrew (1875) LR 7 HL 448 at 461 and 471-472 Gertsch v Roberts; The Estate of Gertsch (1993) 35 NSWLR 631 at 634B-C Gordon v Hilton (NSWSC, 13 October 1995, unrep Grant v Downs (1976) 135 CLR 674 at 689 Hall v Hall (1868) 1 P & D 481 Hall v Hall (1868) LR 1 P&D 481 Harris v Jenkins (1922) 31 CLR 341 at 367-368 Hill v Van Erp (1997) 188 CLR 159 Horton v Jones (1935) 53 CLR 475 Huguenin v Baseley (1807) 14 Ves Jun 273 at 300; 33ER 526 at 536 Hunter and New England Area Health Services v A by his Tutor T (2009) 74 NSWLR 88 In the Estate of Leona Johnson (Deceased) [2015] SASC 51 at [11] In the Goods of Loveday [1900] P 154 at 156 John v Rees [1970] Ch 345 at 369-374 Johnson v Buttress (1936) 56 CLR 113 at 134-136 Bank of NSW v Rogers (1941) 65 CLR 42 at 54 and 85) Law Society of NSW v Foreman (1994) 34 NSWLR 408 at 435E-436C Miller v Jones [1999] NSWCA 467 at [28]. Nock v Austin (1918) 25 CLR 519 Osborne v Smith (1960) 105 CLR 153 at 158-159 Parfitt v Lawless (1872) LR 2 P&D 462 at 468-470 Petrovski v Nasev; The Estate of Janakievska [2011] NSWSC 1275 at [263]-[277] and [308]-[314] Ramcoumarsingh v Adminstrator General [2002] UPC 67; [2002] All ER (D) 259 (Dec) Re Eger; Heilprin v Eger (Powell J, 4 February 1985) BC 8500997 at 72-74 Re Estate of Fuld, Deceased [1965] P405 at 409F-411B Re Estate of Hodges, Deceased; Shorter v Hodges (1988) 14 NSWLR 698 at 709D-710B Re Estate Pierobon [2014] NSWSC 387 at [49]-[50], [62] Revie v Druitt [2005] NSWSC 902 at [54] and [2005] NSWSC 965 at [14]) Ridge v Rowden; Estate of Dowling (Santow J, 10 April 1996) BC 9601342 at 39-46. Ritz Hotel Ltd v Charles of the Ritz Ltd [No 22] (1988) 14 NSWLR 132 at 133F-134A Shorten v Shorten (No 2) [2003] NSWCA 60 at [14]-[27] Shovelar v Lane [2011] EWCA Civ 82; [2012] 1 WLR 637; [2011] 4 All ER 669 at [44] Singtel Optus Pty Ltd v Weston (2011) 81 NSWLR 526 at [28]. Spoehr v Health Services Charitable Gifts Board [2014] SASC 171; 121 SASR 174 at [38] State of NSW v Jackson [2007] NSWCA 279 at [38], [42]-[43], [52]-[55] and [60]-[61] Tobin v Ezekiel (2012) 83 NSWLR 757 at 770 [43]-774 [55] Trade Practices Commission v Ampol Petrol (Victoria) Pty Limited (1994) 53 FCR 578 at 584A-585D and 586B Trustee for the Salvation Army (NSW) Property Trust v Becker [2007] NSWCA 1365; 14 BPR 26,867 at [63]-[64] Tyrrell v Painton [1894] P 151 at 156, 157 and 159-160 Waind v Hill [1978] 1 NSWLR 372 at 381E-386B Walton v Gardiner (1993) 177 CLR 378 at 392-393. Williams v Spautz (1992) 174 CLR 509 at 526-527 Wingrove v Wingrove (1885) LR 11 PD 81 at 82-83 Winter v Crichton; Estate of Galieh (1991) 23 NSWLR 116 at 121-122 Wintle v Nye [1959] 1WLR 284 Woodley-Page v Symons (1987) 217 ALR 25 at 35 Woolf v Snipe (1933) 48 CLR 677 at 678-679 Texts Cited: Enquiry into Succession Laws, paragraphs W11-W12 Fiona Burns, "Elders and Testamentary Influence in Australia" (2005) 28 UNSW Law Journal 1 FW Maitland, Equity: a course of lectures (Cambridge University Press, revised, 1936), page 17 Meagher, Gummow and Lehane's Equity: Doctrines and Remedies, JD Heydon, MJ Leeming and PG Turner (eds), (Lexis Nexis Butterworths, Australia, 5th ed, 2015), paragraph [15-040] NSW Law Reform Commission, Report 47 (1986) - Community Law Reform Programme: Wills -Execution and Revocation, paragraphs [8.31]-[8.35) Pauline Ridge "Equitable Undue Influence and Wills" (2004) 120 Law Quarterly Review 617 PW Young, C Croft and ML Smith, On Equity (Law Book Co, 2009), paragraph [1.100] Succession Law and Practice NSW, Mason and Handler, (Lexus Nexus Butterworths), paragraph [6085] The Law of Succession in NSW, GLC Certoma (Thomson Reuters, Sydney, 4th ed, 2010), paragraph [6.60], page 95 Wills, Probate and Administration Law in NSW, RS Geddes, CJR Rowland and PS Studdert (LBC, Sydney, 1996), paragraph [40.65], page 295 Category: Procedural and other rulings Parties: Plaintiff: Philip Leslie Boyce Defendant: Marguerite Anne Bunce Representation: Counsel: Plaintiff: M Gorrick Defendant: PM Barham