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Lendich v Codilla relates to an attempt to claim a beneficial interest in property sold at an undervalue where there was an agreed element of gift. The case also raises the question as to standing of directors and shareholders of a company that has been removed from the register of companies. The issues raised by … Continue reading
Family financial arrangements are commonly not recorded in writing. For this reason questions as to whether a prior advance was a loan or a gift are not uncommon. Comins v Public Trust represents an unsuccessful application for a declaration that a sum of $50,000 was a gift, in circumstances where the deceased’s will provided that … Continue reading
Hey v Hey relates to a mother and son in dispute regarding the mother removing her son as a trustee of the trust that the mother settled with her now deceased husband. The trust in question (the BMA & DCL Hey Family Trust (the Trust)) was settled by Brian and Dorothy Hey. The trustees were … Continue reading
The decisions in Reid v Castleton-Reid and Tian v Zhang highlight the importance of recording not only transactions, but also the parties’ expectations. Reid v Castleton-Reid relates to the correct characterisation of a $1.7m trading account. Tian v Zhang relates to whether sums advanced represented a dowry or were held on resulting trust. In both cases the judgment … Continue reading
On first glance Almond v Read, appears to have it all. Arguments were made relating to the parties common intention, a constructive trust and breaches of fiduciary duty in the context of family owned land that was acquired with best of intentions. However, over time, different parties adopted different views of the basis upon which a … Continue reading
The case of The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints Trust Board v CIR considers whether donations made in connection with a missionary application are charitable gifts for the purposes of s LD1 of the Income Tax Act 2007. The crux of the matter for consideration is whether gifts made by church members … Continue reading
In Roberts v CIR the question for the court is whether the forgiveness of debt a monetary gift for the purposes of s LD 3(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act 2007? Background The Oasis Charitable Trust (the Trust), a registered charitable trust, was settled by Mrs Roberts and her late husband on 14 October 2007 to facilitate the growth of … Continue reading
Much is said of late about the “bank of Mum and Dad” in the context of parents helping children into their first home. However, with the passage of time positions can change as to whether sums advanced were loans or gifts and how much has been re-paid. When Mum or Dad is elderly questions can … Continue reading
The bare facts of Chang v Lee can be summarised as follows: Ms Lee purchases a property in Sunnynook Mr Chang (Ms Lee’s uncle) advances Ms Lee $275,000 of the $566,000 purchase price The advance was not a gift The terms of the loan advance were incomplete Mr Chang made the advance to Ms Lee on the … Continue reading
The expression “One swallow does not a summer make, nor one fine day; similarly one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy” is attributed to Aristotle (384 – 322 BC). This proverb is perhaps apposite in the case of D v T. D (age 72) and T (age 59) … Continue reading
Matters of Trust 