Blendell v Byrne & Ors; The Estate of Noeline Joan Blendell (No 2) [2019] NSWSC 798

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Blendell v Byrne & Ors; The Estate of Noeline Joan Blendell (No 2) [2019] NSWSC 798 Hearing dates: 3 June 2019 Date of orders: 03 July 2019 Decision date: 03 July 2019 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Hallen J Decision: See Paragraph [123] Catchwords: SUCCESSION – PROBATE – COSTS – Costs of two Probate proceedings, and equity proceedings in which undue influence in equity sense relied upon – Whether to depart from the rule that costs follow the event – Overall justice of the case – Exceptions to the usual order as to costs in probate litigation – Reasonableness of the Defendants in opposing the Plaintiff's application – Relevance of Offer of Compromise

SUCCESSION – FAMILY PROVISION – COSTS – following principal judgment four different family provision orders made, two of which involve settlement – Offer of Compromise served in relation to one of the applicants for provision some months prior to the hearing – That applicant failed to obtain order more favourable than the offer made – Whether overall justice of the case warrants exercise of the Court's discretion to "otherwise order" Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Succession Act 2006 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) Cases Cited: AB v Curry (No 2) [2015] NSWSC 1209 Automotive Holdings Group Ltd v Prime Constructions Australia Pty Ltd (No. 2) [2019] NSWSC 315 Bates v Cooke (No 2) [2014] NSWSC 1322 Blendell v Byrne & Ors; The Estate of Noeline Joan Blendell [2019] NSWSC 583 Briggs v Mantz (No 2) [2014] VSC 487 Bruce v Greentree (No 2) [2015] NSWSC 1636 Bullabidgee Pty Ltd v McCleary (No 2) [2011] NSWCA 343 Cellarit Pty Ltd v Cawarrah Holdings Pty Ltd (No 2) [2018] NSWCA 266 Chaina v Alvaro Homes Pty Ltd [2008] NSWCA 353 Commonwealth of Australia v Gretton [2008] NSWCA 117 Gilles v Palmieri [2018] NSWSC 350 Harkness v Harkness (No 2) [2012] NSWSC 35 Heath v Greenacre Business Park Pty Ltd [2016] NSWCA 34 Herning v GWS Machinery Pty Ltd (No 2) [2005] NSWCA 375 Hinderry v Hinderry (No 2) [2016] NSWSC 1577 Howards Storage World Pty Ltd v Haviv Holdings Pty Ltd (2010) 182 FCR 84; [2010] FCAFC 5 Kazar (Liquidator) v Kargarian; In the Matter of Frontier Architects Pty Ltd (In Liq) [2011] FCAFC 136 Leach v The Nominal Defendant (QBE Insurance (Australia) Ltd) (No 2) [2014] NSWCA 391 Liverpool City Council v Estephan Estephan (Executor and Administrator of the Estate of the late Jocelyn Estephan) [2009] NSWCA 161 Luxmore Pty Ltd v Hydedale Pty Ltd (2008) 20 VR 481; [2008] VSCA 212 Meres v Meres (No 2) [2017] NSWSC 523 Miwa Pty Ltd v Siantan Properties Pte Ltd (No. 2) [2011] NSWCA 344 Nadilo v Souris (No 2) [2019] NSWSC 246 Ohn v Walton (1995) 36 NSWLR 77 Pates v Craig; Estate of the late Joyce Jean Cole (NSWSC, 5 September 1995, Santow J, unrep) Pearson & Ors (The Joint Administrators of Lean Brothers International (Europe)) v Lehman Brothers Finance SA & Ors [2010] EWHC 3044 (Ch) Penfold v Predny [2016] NSWSC 472 Petrovski v Nasev; The Estate of Janakievska (No 2) [2011] NSWSC 1474 Re Mangan [2016] VSC 480 Re Wilcox; Ex parte Venture Industries (No 2) [1996] FCA 1942; (1996) 72 FCR 151 Regency Media Pty Ltd v AVN Australia Pty Ltd [2009] NSWCA 368 Rogers v Rogers [2018] NSWSC 1982 Sahab Holdings Pty Ltd v Registrar-General (No 3) [2010] NSWSC 403 Smith v Whittaker [2016] VSC 287 Stojanovski v Stojovski [2016] NSWSC 976 The Joint Administrators of Lean Brothers International (Europe)) v Lehman Brothers Finance SA & Ors [2010] EWHC 3044 (Ch) Tu v Tu Estate of Tu [2008] NSWSC 458 Texts Cited: Alexander Learmonth et al (eds), Williams, Mortimer and Sunnucks on Executors, Administrators and Probate (21st ed, 2018, Thomson Reuters) Category: Costs Parties: 2016/188756 Michael James Blendell (Plaintiff) Denise Leanne Blendell (first Defendant/first Cross-Claimant) Dominic James Blendell (second Defendant/third Cross-Claimant) Julian Karl Blendell (third Defendant/second Cross-Claimant) Nicholas Charles Blendell (fourth Defendant, submitting appearance) Matthew Edward Byrne (fifth Defendant)