Comninos v Buckley; The Estate of Comninos [2019] NSWSC 968

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Comninos v Buckley; The Estate of Comninos [2019] NSWSC 968 Hearing dates: 18 July 2019 Date of orders: 01 August 2019 Decision date: 01 August 2019 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Hallen J Decision: The Court orders that:

(1) Denise Buckley be joined as a party/Defendant to the proceedings.

(2) The rules requiring the Plaintiff to file an amended Summons be dispensed with.

(3) The proceedings be dismissed pursuant to rule 13.4 of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW).

(4) The Plaintiff pay the Defendant's costs, calculated on the ordinary basis, of the proceedings, including the costs of the Defendant's notice of motion filed 22 May 2019.

(5) The Defendant's costs, calculated on the indemnity basis, of the proceedings, including of the notice of motion filed 22 May 2019, to the extent that those costs are not recovered from the Plaintiff, be paid, or retained, as the case may be, out of the estate of the deceased. Catchwords: CIVIL PROCEDURE – Summary disposal – Dismissal of proceedings – Family provision order sought by brother of deceased – Proceedings out of time – Issues at final hearing will concern whether "sufficient cause" shown for the application being made out of time, whether Plaintiff an eligible person, and whether factors warranting making of the application established – Plaintiff estranged from deceased for many decades prior to deceased's death – Further issue, if all other issues arguable, whether adequate provision for the proper maintenance, education or advancement in life of the Plaintiff has not been made by the will of the deceased – Whether the proceedings are an abuse of process, frivolous or vexatious – Whether a high degree of certainty about the ultimate outcome or should the proceedings go to trial in the ordinary way Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) Succession Act 2006 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) Cases Cited: Aon Risk Services v Australian National University (2009) 239 CLR 175; [2009] HCA 27 Attorney General In and for the State of New South Wales v Markisic [2012] NSWSC 433 Bodikian v Sproule [2009] NSWSC 599; (2009) 72 ACSR 598 Brindley v Wade [2019] NSWSC 303 Dey v Victorian Railways Commissioners (1949) 78 CLR 62 [1949] HCA 1 Estate Grundy; La Valette v Chambers-Grundy [2018] NSWSC 104 General Steel Industries Inc v Cmr for Railways (NSW) (1964) 112 CLR 125; [1964] HCA 69 Grant v Roberts; Smith v Smith; Roberts v Smith; Curtis v Smith [2019] NSWSC 843 In re Rules of the Supreme Court 1971 (WA); ex parte Nikoloff [2019] WASC 263 Jackson v Newns [2011] VSC 32 Page v Page [2016] NSWSC 1218 Page v Page (2017) 16 ASTLR 331; [2017] NSWCA 141 Perera v Genworth Financial Mortgage Insurance Pty Ltd (2017) 94 NSWLR 83; [2017] NSWCA 19 Shaw v State of New South Wales (2012) 219 IR 87; [2012] NSWCA 102 Sidebottom v Cureton (1937) 54 WN (NSW) 88 Simmons v New South Wales Trustee and Guardian [2014] NSWCA 405 Spencer v Commonwealth (2010) 241 CLR 118; [2010] HCA 28 Ugur v Attorney General for New South Wales [2019] NSWCA 86 Wickstead v Browne (1992) 30 NSWLR 1; [1992] NSWCA 272 Texts Cited: Peter Taylor SC et al, Ritchie's Uniform Civil Procedure NSW (2005, LexisNexis Australia) Practice Note SC Eq 7 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Pascall Comninos (Plaintiff) Denise Buckley (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr C Sparks (Sol) (Plaintiff) Mr N Bilinsky (Defendant)