Chu v Ngar [2015] NSWSC 1505

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Chu v Ngar [2015] NSWSC 1505 Hearing dates: 24, 25, 26 and 27 August 2015 Decision date: 20 October 2015 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Hallen J Decision: Orders that the Plaintiff's Summons be dismissed.

Orders that the Defendant's notice of motion filed on 17 February 2014 be dismissed.

Stands over any argument as to costs to a mutually convenient date. Catchwords: PRACTICE & PROCEDURE – Self-represented Plaintiff at the hearing – On occasions prior to hearing, Plaintiff had legal representation – Duty of the court to ensure fair hearing – Applications for an adjournment made by the Plaintiff – Applications refused

SUCCESSION – FAMILY PROVISION – The Plaintiff, a child of the deceased applies for a family provision order under Part 3.2 of the Succession Act 2006 (NSW) – The Defendant, the executor of the Will of the deceased and mother of the Plaintiff – Probate not granted although application for grant recently made – Defendant the sole beneficiary named in Will – Estate consisting of cash and shares wholly distributed despite no grant of Probate – Jointly held property transmitted to the Defendant – Notional estate orders sought regarding property in which the deceased was a joint tenant with the Defendant – Extension of time for making Plaintiff's application required as proceedings commenced outside the time prescribed by the Act – Whether adequate and proper provision not made in Will of the deceased for the Plaintiff – Whether order designating property as notional estate should be made – Whether requirement to establish special circumstances – Nature and quantum of provision, if any, that ought to be made for the Plaintiff Legislation Cited: Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth) Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Family Provision Act 1982 (NSW) Succession Act 2006 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) Cases Cited: Andrew v Andrew [2012] NSWCA 308; (2012) 81 NSWLR 656 Balajan v Nikitin (1994) 35 NSWLR 51 Bartlett v Coomber [2008] NSWCA 100 Bates v Cooke [2015] NSWCA 278 Bladwell v Davis [2004] NSWCA 170 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 Butler v Morris [2012] NSWSC 748 Caska v Caska [1999] NSWSC 289 Cetojevic v Cetojevic [2006] NSWSC 431 Chandler v Coulson [2015] NSWSC 172 Chapple v Wilcox [2014] NSWCA 392 Chen v Lu [2014] NSWSC 1053 Christie v Manera [2006] WASC 287 Cicek v Estate of late Solomon [2014] NSWCA 278 Collicoat v McMillan [1999] 3 VR 803 Collings v Vakas [2006] NSWSC 393 Crossman v Riedel [2004] ACTSC 127 de Angelis v de Angelis [2003] VSC 432 De Winter v Johnstone (NSWCA, 23 August 1995, unrep) Devereaux-Warnes v Hall (No 3) [2007] WASCA 235; (2007) 35 WAR 127 Diver v Neal [2008] NSWSC 304 Diver v Neal [2009] NSWCA 54 Edgar v Public Trustee for the Northern Territory [2011] NTSC 5 Flathaug v Weaver [2003] NZFLR 730 Foley v Ellis [2008] NSWCA 288 Foye v Foye [2008] NSWSC 1305 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 Harrison v Harrison [2011] VSC 459 Haskakis v Hatzopoulos [2015] NSWSC 1408 Hawkins v Prestage (1989) 1 WAR 37 Hitchcock v Pratt [2010] NSWSC 1508; (2010) 79 NSWLR 687 Hughes v National Trustees Executors and Agency Co of Australasia Ltd [1979] HCA 2; (1979) 143 CLR 134 Hunter v Hunter (1987) 8 NSWLR 573 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 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 Moore v Randall [2012] NSWSC 184 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 Rajski v Scitec Corporation Pty Ltd (Court of Appeal (NSW), 16 June 1986, unrep) Re Buckland, Deceased [1966] VR 404 Re Salmon, Deceased [1981] Ch 167 Romascu v Manolache (No 2) [2012] NSWSC 87 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 Shi v ABI-K Pty Ltd [2014] NSWCA 293 Singer v Berghouse [1994] HCA 40; (1994) 181 CLR 201 D H Singh v G K Singh; D J Singh v D H Singh; S Dillon v D Singh; G K Singh v D H Singh [2015] NSWSC 1457 Slack v Rogan; Palffy v Rogan [2013] NSWSC 522; (2013) 85 NSWLR 253 Smith v Johnson [2015] NSWCA 297 Smith v Woodward (NSWSC, Macready M, 9 September 1994, unreported) Stern v Sekers; Sekers v Sekers [2010] NSWSC 59 Stewart v Stewart [2015] QSC 238 Strano v Jovcevski [2008] NSWSC 380 Sung v Malaxos [2015] NSWSC 186 Szypica v O'Beirne [2013] NSWSC 297 Taylor v Farrugia [2009] NSWSC 801 Tobin v Ezekiel [2012] NSWCA 285; (2012) 83 NSWLR 757 Tomasevic v Travaglini [2007] VSC 337; (2007) 17 VR 100 Underwood v Gaudron [2014] NSWSC 1055 Underwood v Gaudron [2015] NSWCA 269 Verzar v Verzar [2012] NSWSC 1380 Verzar v Verzar [2014] NSWCA 45 Vigolo v Bostin [2005] HCA 11; (2005) 221 CLR 191 Vincent v Lewis [2006] NZFLR 812 Walker v Walker (Supreme Court (NSW), Young J, 17 May 1996, unrep) Wilcox v Wilcox [2012] NSWSC 1138 Zannetides v Spence [2013] NSWSC 2032 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Angela Chu (Plantiff) Chow Ching Ngar as executrix of the Estate of the late Ching Chu (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Ms R Winfield (Defendant)