Serwin v Dolso [2020] NSWSC 370

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Serwin v Dolso [2020] NSWSC 370 Hearing dates: 13 February 2020 Date of orders: 07 April 2020 Decision date: 07 April 2020 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Hallen J Decision: The Court: (a) Declares that Stanislaw Habel died before attaining a vested interest in the rest and residue of the deceased's estate in accordance with Cl 3(c) of the deceased's Will. (b) Declares that the whole of the rest and residue of the deceased's estate passes to the Plaintiff, Halina Serwin. (c) Orders that the whole of the Statement of Cross-Claim filed 23 July 2019 be dismissed. (d) Orders that the Defendants' costs, calculated on the indemnity basis, be paid, or retained, as the case may be, out of the estate of the deceased. Catchwords: SUCCESSION – Will construction – Residuary clause in Will of deceased provides for gift to brother unless "[he] has already died or does not survive me or dies before attaining a vested interest" and then to her niece – Meaning of "before attaining a vested interest" Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), s 73 Succession Act 2006 (NSW), ss 32, 35, 93 Trustee Act 1925 (NSW), s 63 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), r 54.3 Cases Cited: Application by Elizabeth Marie Robinson [2015] NSWSC 1387 Arnott v Kiss [2014] NSWSC 1385 Byrne v Macquarie Group Services Australia Pty Ltd [2011] NSWCA 68 Commissioner of Stamp Duties (Qld) v Livingston (1964) 112 CLR 12; [1965] AC 694 Coorey v Coorey (Supreme Court (NSW), Powell J, 22 February 1986, unrep) De Martin v Jacobs [2008] NSWSC 1378 Fairbairn v Varvaressos (2010) 78 NSWLR 577; [2010] NSWCA 234 Farrelly v Phillips (2017) 128 SASR 502; [2017] SASCFC 111 Fell v Fell (1922) 31 CLR 268; [1922] HCA 55 Hatzantonis v Lawrence [2003] NSWSC 914 Jepson v Bowman [2014] VSC 590 Marley v Rawlings [2015] AC 129; [2014] UKSC 2 Muir v Winn [2009] NSWSC 857 Official Receiver in Bankruptcy v Schultz (1990) 170 CLR 306; [1990] HCA 45 Peoples v Simpson [2005] NSWSC 355 Perpetual Trustee Co Ltd v Wright; Re Will of James Paul Gee Cox Junior, Deceased (1987) 9 NSWLR 18 Pohlner v Pfeiffer (1964) 112 CLR 52; [1964] HCA 8 Re Croxon; Croxon v Ferrers [1904] 1 Ch 252 Re De Bruyn [2016] VSC 6 Re Estate Late Chow Cho-Poon (2013) 10 ASTLR 251; [2013] NSWSC 844 Re Evans; Public Trustee v Evans [1920] 2 Ch 304 Simmons v Ross [2018] VSC 306 Tanner v New Zealand Guardian Trust Co Ltd [1992] 3 NZLR 74 (CA) Thomson v Thomson [2008] VSC 375 Towns v Wentworth [1858] EngR 371; (1858) 11 Moo PC 526 White v Shortall (2006) 68 NSWLR 650; [2006] NSWSC 1379 James v Douglas [2016] NSWCA 178 Texts Cited: David Hayton, "Uncertainty of Subject-Matter of Trusts" (1994) 110 LQR 335 HS Theobald, SM Cretney and G Dworkin, Theobald on Wills (13th ed, 1971, Stephen & Sons) JR Martin, M Oldham, A Learmonth and C Ford, Theobald on Wills (17th ed, 2010, Thomson Reuters) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Halina Serwin (Plaintiff) Adriana Margherita Dolso (First Defendant) Caroline June Salvo (Second Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr K Morrissey (Plaintiff) Ms M Pringle (Defendants)