Ciric v Ciric [2015] NSWSC 313

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Ciric v Ciric [2015] NSWSC 313 Hearing dates: 19 March 2015 Decision date: 31 March 2015 Jurisdiction: Equity Division Before: Hallen J Decision: Direct the parties, within 14 days, to bring in Short Minutes of Order consistent with, and reflecting, these reasons. Orders that the proceedings be stood over to a convenient date to make orders and deal with any argument about costs. Catchwords: SUCCESSION – FAMILY PROVISION – Plaintiff makes a claim for a family provision order – No dispute as to the Plaintiff's eligibility as a child of the deceased – Defendant, also a child of the deceased and the sole executor and beneficiary named in the Will – Allegations of misconduct made by the deceased in signed document – Whether allegations made by the deceased should be found to be true – Not so found – No competing financial claim advanced by the Defendant – Whether family provision order should be made, and if so, the nature and quantum of the further provision to be made Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Family Provision Act 1982 (NSW) Practice Note SC Eq 7 Practice Note No SC Gen 18 Probate and Administration Act 1898 (NSW) Succession Act 2006 (NSW) Succession Amendment (Family Provision) Act 2008 (NSW) Supreme Court Rules 1970 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) Cases Cited: Alcock v Cooper [2010] SASC 167 Andrew v Andrew [2012] NSWCA 308; (2012) 81 NSWLR 656 Akkerman v Ewins [2003] NSWCA 190 Aubrey v Kain [2014] NSWSC 15 Barna v Barna [2008] NSWSC 1402 Bartlett v Coomber [2008] NSWCA 100 Baychek v Baychek [2010] NSWSC 987 Blore v Lang [1960] HCA 73; (1960) 104 CLR 125 Boettcher v Driscoll [2014] SASC 86; (2014) 119 SASR 523 Bondelmonte v Blanckensee [1989] WAR 305 Bosch v Perpetual Trustee Co Ltd [1938] AC 463 Bowditch v NSW Trustee and Guardian [2012] NSWSC 275 Brand v Brand [2015] NSWSC 52 Butcher v Craig [2009] WASC 164 Cameron v Cameron [2009] SASC 27 Chandler v Coulson [2015] NSWSC 172 Chapple v Wilcox [2014] NSWCA 392 Christie v Manera [2006] WASC 287 Collicoat v McMillan [1999] 3 VR 803 Collings v Vakas [2006] NSWSC 393 Collins v McGain [2003] NSWCA 190 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 Dijkhuijs (formerly Coney) v Barclay (1988) 13 NSWLR 639 Dion Giuseppi Sergi by next friend Aileen Solowiej v Sergi [2012] WASC 18 Diver v Neal [2009] NSWCA 54; (2009) 2 ASTLR 89 Dobb v Hacket (1993) 10 WAR 532 Edgar v Public Trustee for the Northern Territory [2011] NTSC 5 Fiorentini v O'Neill [1998] NSWCA 79 Flathaug v Weaver [2003] NZFLR 730 Foley v Ellis [2008] NSWCA 288 Gardiner v Gardiner [2014] NSWSC 435 Gardiner v Gardiner (Supreme Court (NSW), Santow J, 28 May 1998, unrep) Goodman v Windeyer [1980] HCA 31; (1980) 144 CLR 490 Goodsell v Wellington [2011] NSWSC 1232 Gorton v Parks (1989) 17 NSWLR 1 Grey v Harrison [1997] 2 VR 359 Hamilton v Moir [2013] NSWSC 1200 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 re Allardice; Allardice v Allardice (1910) 29 NZLR 959 In re Allen (Deceased); Allen v Manchester [1922] NZLR 218 In the Estate of Puckridge, Deceased (1978) 20 SASR 72 In the Estate of the late Anthony Marras [2014] NSWSC 915 Kay v Archbold [2008] NSWSC 254 Kearns v Ellis (Supreme Court (NSW), Mahoney JA, 5 December 1984, unrep) Kleinig v Neal (No 2) [1981] 2 NSWLR 532 Kohari v Snow [2013] NSWSC 452 MacGregor v MacGregor [2003] WASC 169 McCosker v McCosker [1957] HCA 82; (1957) 97 CLR 566 McGrath v Eves [2005] NSWSC 1006 McKenzie v Topp [2004] VSC 90 Madden-Smith v Madden (estate of the late Doris Linda Madden) [2012] NSWSC 146 Marks v Marks [2003] WASCA 297 Mayfield v Lloyd-Williams [2004] NSWSC 419 Morris v Smoel [2014] VSC 32 Palagiano v Mankarios [2011] NSWSC 61 Phillips v James [2014] NSWCA 4; (2014) 85 NSWLR 619 Pogorelicv Banovich [2007] WASC 45 Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith v Scales [1962] HCA 19; (1962) 107 CLR 9 R (on the application of M) v Slough Borough Council [2008] UKHL 52; [2008] 1 WLR 1808 Re Buckland, Deceased [1966] VR 404 Re Bull [2006] VSC 113 Re Coventry (Deceased) [1979] 3 All ER 815 Re Dennis (Deceased) [1981] 2 All ER 140 RHG Mortgage Limited v Rosario Ianni [2015] NSWCA 56 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 Salmon v Osmond [2015] NSWCA 42 Sammut v Kleemann [2012] NSWSC 1030 Samsley v Barnes [1990] NSWCA 161; (1991) DFC 95-100 Singer v Berghouse [1994] HCA 40; (1994) 181 CLR 201 Slack v Rogan; Palffy v Rogan [2013] NSWSC 522; (2013) 85 NSWLR 253 Slack-Smith v Slack-Smith [2010] NSWSC 625 Stern v Sekers; Sekers v Sekers [2010] NSWSC 59 Sung v Malaxos [2015] NSWSC 186 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; (2012) 83 NSWLR 757 Turner v Perpetual Trustees Australia Ltd [2001] ACTSC 56 Vasiljev v Public Trustee [1974] 2 NSWLR 497 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 Wilcox v Wilcox [2012] NSWSC 1138 Williams v Aucutt [2000] 2 NZLR 479 Zagame v Zagame [2014] NSWSC 1302 Texts Cited: Rosalind Atherton in "The Concept of Moral Duty in the Law of Family Provision – a Gloss or Critical Understanding?" (1999) 5 Australian Journal of Legal History 5 J D Heydon and M J Leeming, Jacobs' Law of Trusts in Australia (7th ed, 2006, LexisNexis Butterworths) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Neville Ciric (Plaintiff) John Ciric (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr D J Williams (Plaintiff) Mr G M McGrath (Defendant)