It is a suggestion that arises throughout many estate disputes that the claim of a widow on an estate should be paramount to those of other family member who survive the deceased person. However, as each case is determined on it’s merits, this is not always the case. Yesterday, the Supreme Court of New South Wales…
Tag: adult children
What is “Contemplation of marriage”: Marriage revokes Will in blended family (NSW)
Last week, the Supreme Court of New South Wales published a judgement in a estate matter where the question of whether a Will was “made in contemplation of marriage” was a central focus of their attention. In the case of Re Estate Grant, deceased [2018] NSWSC 1031, the deceased made a Will dated on about…
FPA 7 years out of time: Allowed on Appeal (WA)
In an unusual case published a few weeks ago, the Western Australian Court of Appeal allowed an extension of time for an adult son to bring a claim against his late father’s estate 7 years after the time limit expired. The claim was dismissed at first instance and the adult son appealed asserting 9 different…
Excluded child’s claim dismissed: 40 years of estrangement after bitter divorce (NSW)
In case it’s not already evident to my readers, I have a particular interest in family provision cases that touch on disentitling conduct or estrangement. So, it’s no surprise this recent case in the Supreme Court of NSW caught my eye yesterday where a family provision application by an adult child, who was excluded from…
Competing Relationships: Needs of De Facto vs Adult Children
Relationships and tragedy are a complex maze of emotions. In the very sad case of Gore v Rouse [2017] QDC 98, Mr Gore was tragically killed in a tree lopping incident at the home of his de facto partner, Mrs Rouse. Mr Gore was 63 years old. Mr Gore was survived by three adult children, Tracey (from his first marriage),…
Family provision and 30 years of estrangement
I am always fascinated by the outcome of family provision claims where the applicant is an estranged adult child. Naturally, the case of Wright v Wright [2016] QDC 74 piqued my interest. The case involved a testator leaving a significant estate valued at approximately $1.7 million dollars. Within his last will, the testator elected to disinherit his children and benefit his siblings,…
Step-son successful in FPA on an estate worth $260k
Recently in Cairns, the District Court made an order for a step-son to receive a further $30k from an estate worth approximately $260k. In determining the matter, the court found that the applicant’s net worth was fairly low as he headed towards retirement age and he had also contributed significantly to the maintenance and upkeep…
