Sreckovic v Sreckovic [2018] NSWSC 1597

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Sreckovic v Sreckovic [2018] NSWSC 1597 Hearing dates: 17 – 18 September 2018 Date of orders: 23 October 2018 Decision date: 23 October 2018 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Hallen J Decision: See Paragraph 299 Catchwords: SUCCESSION — FAMILY PROVISION — The Plaintiff, an adult child of the deceased, makes a claim for a family provision order — No dispute as to the Plaintiff's eligibility as a child of the deceased — Proceedings not commenced within time prescribed by Act — No consent to extension of time — Whether sufficient cause shown — Deceased made statements in her Will, and otherwise, providing reasons for making no provision for the Plaintiff — Nature of relationship of the Plaintiff and the deceased — Estate comprises, at the date of hearing, only the deceased's home in which the Defendant, the sole beneficiary, lived for many years — Competing claim of the Defendant — Reasonably large estate in value — Whether family provision order should be made, and if so, the nature and quantum of the provision to be made Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Family Provision Act 1982 (NSW) Justice Legislation Amendment Act 2018 No 4 (NSW) Probate and Administration Act 1898 (NSW) Succession Act 2006 (NSW) Testator's Family Maintenance and Guardianship of Infants Act 1916 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) Cases Cited: Andre v Perpetual Trustees WA Ltd (as Executor of the Will of Barbara Helen Owen Stewart) [2009] WASCA 14 Andrew v Andrew (2012) 81 NSWLR 656; [2012] NSWCA 308 Benham v Benham [2004] NSWSC 416 Bondelmonte v Blanckensee [1989] WAR 305 Borebor v Keane [2013] VSC 35 Bosch v Perpetual Trustee Co Ltd [1938] AC 463 Bowditch v NSW Trustee and Guardian [2012] NSWSC 275 Bowyer v Wood (2007) 99 SASR 190; [2007] SASC 327 Burke v Burke (2015) 13 ASTLR 313; [2015] NSWCA 195 Butcher v Craig [2009] WASC 164 Butler v Morris; Butler (bht NSW Trustee & Guardian) v Morris [2012] NSWSC 748 Carey v Robson (No 2) [2009] NSWSC 1199 Cetojevic v Cetojevic [2006] NSWSC 431 Chan v Chan [2016] NSWCA 222 Chapple v Wilcox (2014) 87 NSWLR 646; [2014] NSWCA 392 Charles v Charles (Supreme Court (NSW), Young J, 25 March 1988, unrep) Christie v Manera [2006] WASC 287 Collicoat v McMillan [1999] 3 VR 803 Condello v Kim [2018] NSWSC 394 Crossman v Riedel [2004] ACTSC 127 Delacour v Waddington (1953) 89 CLR 117; [1953] HCA 64 Devereaux-Warnes v Hall (No 3) (2007) 35 WAR 127; [2007] WASCA 235 Diver v Neal [2009] NSWCA 54 Dugac v Dugac [2012] NSWSC 192 Forsyth v Sinclair (No 2) (2010) 28 VR 635; [2010] VSCA 195 Goodsell v Wellington [2011] NSWSC 1232 Gorton v Parks (1989) 17 NSWLR 1 Grey v Harrison [1997] 2 VR 359 Handley v Walker (1903) 22 NZLR 932 Harkness v Harkness (No 2) [2012] NSWSC 35 Hawkins v Prestage (1989) 1 WAR 37 Heyward v Fisher (Court of Appeal (NSW), Kirby J, 26 April 1985, unrep) Hills v Chalk [2009] 1 Qd R 409; [2008] QCA 159 Hughes v National Trustees Executors & Agency Company of Australasia Ltd (1979) 143 CLR 134; [1979] HCA 2 Hunter v Hunter (1987) 8 NSWLR 573 In re Green, deceased; Zukerman v Public Trustee [1951] NZLR 135 Kalmar v Kalmar; estate of Kalmar [2006] NSWSC 437 Kleinig v Neal (No 2) [1981] 2 NSWLR 532 Kohari v Snow [2013] NSWSC 452 MacGregor v MacGregor [2003] WASC 169 Madden-Smith v Madden (Estate of the late Doris Linda Madden) [2012] NSWSC 146 Marks v Marks [2003] WASCA 297 McGrath v Eves [2005] NSWSC 1006 McKenzie v Topp [2004] VSC 90 Moore v Randall [2012] NSWSC 184 Nicholas v Tubb [2016] TASSC 53 Nock v Austin (1918) 25 CLR 519; [1918] HCA 73 Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith v Scales (1962) 107 CLR 9; [1962] HCA 19 Re Salmon, Deceased [1981] Ch 167 Re the Will of Gilbert (1946) 46 SR (NSW) 318 RHG Mortgage Corporation Ltd v Ianni [2016] NSWCA 270 Salmon v Osmond [2015] NSWCA 42 Sgro v Thompson [2017] NSWCA 326 Slack v Rogan; Palffy v Rogan (2013) 85 NSWLR 253; [2013] NSWSC 522 Slack-Smith v Slack-Smith [2010] NSWSC 625 Smith v Johnson (2015) 14 ASTLR 175; [2015] NSWCA 297 Sophron v The Nominal Defendant (1957) 96 CLR 469 at 475; [1957] HCA 27 Steinmetz v Shannon [2018] NSWSC 1090 Stone v Stone [2016] NSWSC 605 Stott v Cook (1960) 33 ALJR 447 Sung v Malaxos [2015] NSWSC 186 Taylor v Farrugia [2009] NSWSC 801 Thomas v Pickering; Byrne v Pickering [2011] NSWSC 572 Tobin v Ezekiel (2012) 83 NSWLR 75; [2012] NSWCA 285 Toscano v Toscano [2017] NSWSC 419 Underwood v Gaudron [2014] NSWSC 1055 Underwood v Gaudron (2015) 324 ALR 641; [2015] NSWCA 269 Valbe v Irlicht [2001] VSC 53 Verzar v Verzar [2012] NSWSC 1380 Verzar v Verzar (2014) 12 ASTLR 523; [2014] NSWCA 45 Vigolo v Bostin (2005) 221 CLR 191; [2005] HCA 11 White v Barron (1980) 144 CLR 431; [1980] HCA 14 Worsley v Solomon [2008] NSWSC 444 Yee v Yee [2017] NSWCA 305 Texts Cited: Rosalind Atherton, "The Concept of Moral Duty in the Law of Family Provision – a Gloss or Critical Understanding?" (1999) 5(1) Aust J Leg Hist 5 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Ljiljana Sreckovic (Plaintiff) Gina Sreckovic (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr R M Higgins (Plaintiff) Mr M Cleary (Defendant)