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Robinson v Beaman [2023] NZCA 468 (27 September 2023)
Last Updated: 2 October 2023
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IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF NEW
ZEALANDI
TE KŌTI PĪRA O AOTEAROA
|
|
|
BETWEEN
|
NATALIE CHRISTINE ROBINSON Appellant
|
|
AND
|
SHANE MICHAEL BEAMAN and JARROD JASON BEAMAN First
Respondents
FYNN BEAMAN and KIM JANINE McHARDY as litigation guardian for
AVA DIANNE BEAMAN Second Respondents
|
Hearing:
|
28 August 2023
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Court:
|
Courtney, Whata and Downs JJ
|
Counsel:
|
E J H Morrison and J Y Leenoh for Appellant E Telle for First
Respondents A R Gilchrist and G K Ericson for Second Respondents
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Judgment:
|
27 September 2023 at 10 am
|
JUDGMENT OF THE COURT
- The
application to adduce further evidence is granted.
- The
appeal is dismissed.
- The
appellant must pay costs to the respondents for a standard appeal on a band A
basis, with usual
disbursements.
____________________________________________________________________
REASONS OF THE COURT
(Given by Downs J)
Introduction
- [1] Glenn Beaman
died on 27 November 2020 from complications arising from attempted suicide.
Natalie Robinson, Mr Beaman’s
partner, applied to the High Court under s
14 of the Wills Act 2007 to validate a 2020 email, or alternatively, a
2019 draft will,
as Mr Beaman’s will. Woolford J declined the
application as he was not satisfied Mr Beaman’s testamentary intentions
were settled in relation to either
document.[1] Ms Robinson appeals. As
in the High Court, Mr Beaman’s brothers, Shane and Jarrod Beaman, and his
two children from an earlier
marriage, Fynn and Ava, oppose the application.
- [2] An appeal of
this nature is a general appeal, but Ms Robinson must persuade us of error or to
a different conclusion from that
reached by the High
Court.[2]
Background
- [3] Mr Beaman
and Ms Robinson’s relationship began in or about 2013. Mr Beaman had
two children from an earlier marriage, Fynn,
aged 10 years, and Ava, aged seven
years.
- [4] On 21
January 2014, Mr Beaman made his last valid will, which we call the 2014 will.
The 2014 will was prepared by Dominion Law.
Under the 2014 will:
(a) Mr Beaman’s brothers, Shane and Jarrod Beaman, were executors.
(b) 10 percent of Mr Beaman’s estate went to Shane Beaman, should he
survive him.
(c) 10 percent of Mr Beaman’s estate went to Jarrod Beaman, should he
survive him.
(d) The balance of Mr Beaman’s estate went to his surviving children who
had reached the age of 20 years, and if more than
one, in equal shares as
tenants in common.
- [5] Mr Beaman
then had two children with Ms Robinson: Tiah, born 19 January 2018;
and Jentah, born 2 August 2019. Tiah has Down syndrome
and other difficulties.
- [6] On 9 April
2019, Mr Beaman emailed a different law firm, Kemp Solicitors, about a new will.
Mr Beaman said:
Hi – I’d like to update my Will and as I
work in the CBD (although live in Waimauku) is there a means of liaising with
you by email to update my Will? I am keen to draft/complete it myself and just
to get it legally checked to ensure it is appropriate
etc.
My circumstances have changed since my last Will (held at Dominion Law) so it
needs updating.
- [7] Kemp
Solicitors replied promptly, saying they could help, and inviting Mr Beaman
to send his notes in relation to a draft will.
- [8] On 15 April
2019, Mr Beaman replied by email with a draft will, which we call the 2019
draft, and which we reproduce in full:
Last will and testament of
Glenn Christopher BEAMAN
- I revoke any
previous Will dated prior to the date of signing of this Will.
- I revoke any
previous Enduring Power of Attorney dated prior to the date of signing of this
Will.
- The executor of
this Will is: Richard John ROBINSON ...
- I wish to be
cremated upon my death, with my ashes to be scattered upon my mother’s
(Dianne Beaman) burial plot at Schnapper
Rock Road Cemetery, Auckland.
- Any funeral
expenses should be minimised as much as practical i.e. no formalities, no
religious or expensive ceremonies, no expensive
coffins, no headstone or formal
place of remembrance etc. If any informal gathering is held it should be one of
joy and celebration
of life rather than mourning a death and at a location where
alcohol can be provided/consumed. Anyone that wishes to attend can
do so, as
long as the focus from the attendees is placed on the future rather than any
past issues/concerns/relationships.
- I would like the
attached letter (attached as Annex A to this Will) to be read out loud by the
Executor to any/all of my known children
together/or separately (without any
other attendees accept as subsequently stipulated and should anyone wish to have
a copy of this
letter they are free to copy for their own purposes post the
reading). In attendance of any readings (if she chooses to attend)
will be
Natalie Christine ROBINSON ... who is to be provided the original copy of my
letter upon completion of all readings. This
action must be undertaken prior to
any bequeathing of my assets.
- I have the
following provisions in-place:
- A life
policy PartnersLife ...
- I bequeath the
following:
- Any
cash funds in any bank accounts and/or shares are to be equally shared amongst
my children – namely Fynn BEAMAN ... Ava
Dianne BEAMAN ... Tiah Alecia
Sarah BEAMAN ... and any other subsequent children I have fathered with Natalie
Christine ROBINSON
and whom are alive at the time of executing this Will.
- All
property assets (including chattels, property equipment and animals etc) are to
be given to Natalie Christine ROBINSON for her
sole enjoyment/benefit to do as
she pleases. Natalie can remain in any property for as long as she chooses or
for any period it
reasonably takes to settle any affairs (should she be unable
to proceed with any outgoings/commitments to maintain/retain any property(s)).
In this instance any sale proceeds of any property are for her benefit alone.
Should she not be of mental capability or has died,
this transfers 2/3 in favour
of Tiah Alecia Sarah BEAMAN and the 1/3 balance remaining equally to any other
children I have fathered
with her or the proceeds from sale of such assets are
held in an interest-bearing trust if below the age of 18 and shared (again
2/3
in favour of Tiah Alecia Sarah BEAMAN and the 1/3 balance remaining equally to
any other children I have fathered with Natalie)
immediately once a child
reaches the age of 18 – the executor of such trust being Richard John
ROBINSON. To be clear this
paragraph specifically excludes my other children
– Fynn and Ava Beaman.
- All
commuter vehicle assets are to be given to Fynn and Ava BEAMAN for their sole
enjoyment/benefit to do as they please apart from
any motorcycle(s) and
motorcycle gear/accessories that are to immediately go to Richard John ROBINSON
for his sole enjoyment/benefit
to do as he pleases.
- The
balance of any other assets including any personal effects are to be given to
Natalie Christine ROBINSON for her sole enjoyment/benefit
to do as she pleases.
Should she not be of mental capability or has died, this transfers 2/3 in favour
of Tiah Alecia Sarah BEAMAN
and the 1/3 balance remaining equally to any other
children I have fathered with her or the proceeds from sale of such assets are
held in an interest‑bearing trust if below the age of 18 and shared (again
2/3 in favour of Tiah Alecia Sarah BEAMAN and the
1/3 balance remaining equally
to any other children I have fathered with Natalie) immediately once a child
reaches the age of 18
– the executor of such trust being Richard John
ROBINSON. To be clear this paragraph specifically excludes my other children
– Fynn and Ava Beaman.
- For any
children that I have fathered with Natalie Christine ROBINSON and should she not
be of mental capability or has died, I appoint
Richard John ROBINSON as
guardian.
- [9] Mr Beaman
and Kemp Solicitors then corresponded about Mr Beaman’s family trust and
the interrelationship between that trust
and a new will.
On 26 April 2019, Kemp Solicitors sent Mr Beaman a letter
containing advice about estate planning and how he could
provide for Tiah given
her special needs.
- [10] On 29 July
2020, Mr Beaman again emailed Kemp Solicitors about a new will:
Hi
Luke, what is the preferred method you have for setting up wills?
To minimise time, is it worth us drafting something up for you to
consider/review first [or] should Natalie and I book in a time to
meet? If the
latter we could be available Friday morning if this suits.
- [11] Kemp
Solicitors replied the same day:
Glenn,
- we
can do a draft will for you to consider if you give us an indication
about:
a. Who would you will leave your assets to (ie partner if
they survive you);
b. Presumably then if your partner does not survive you evenly between your
kids.
c. A guardian for any child is under 18.
d. An alternative executor if your partner who is usually the 1st
executor does not survive you.
- [12] Mr Beaman
did not respond.
- [13] On 6 August
2020, Mr Beaman sent Ms Robinson this email, which we call the 2020
email:
Hi – here is a start – advice???
Glenn x
a.
b. Who would you will leave your assets to (ie partner if they survive
you);
- All my assets to
go to my partner (since 2011) Natalie Christine Robinson
...
- Presumably
then if your partner does not survive you evenly between your kids.
- Should my
partner not survive me my assets to be distributed to my children as
follows;
- Fynn
Beaman ... being sound of mind and at (or nearing) an age of adulthood whom has
extensive family support and self-support, a
50% share of my kiwisaver
balance
- Ava
Dianne Beaman ... being sound of mind and at (or nearing) an age of adulthood
whom has extensive family support and capable of
self-support, a 50% share of my
kiwisaver balance.
- Tiah
Alecia Sarah Beaman ... having a mental disability and is unable to effectively
self-support throughout her entire life, and
with limited family support, 50% of
my estate (in cash terms once sale of assets are completed)
- Jentah
Devon Beaman ... being sound of mind (but juvenile) with limited family support,
50% of my estate (in cash terms once sale
of assets are completed) with the
understanding that she (being Tiah’s primary caregiver when of age) will
care and act as
guardian of Tiah.
a. A guardian
for any child is under 18.
- Richard John
Robinson ...
- An
alternative executor if your partner who is usually the 1st executor
does not survive you.
- Richard John
Robinson ...
[14] We gratefully adopt the Judge’s
concise summary in relation to the balance of
events:[3]
[15] There is no record of any response by Ms Robinson. Nor did
Mr Beaman forward his thoughts to Kemp Solicitors, notwithstanding
that
there was further correspondence between them five days later, on 11 August
2020, about family trust matters. The Waimauku
property was then sold by the
family trust on 27 August 2020, and on the same day Mr Beaman and
Ms Robinson’s former husband
together bought a property in Ramarama.
Ms Robinson says that her name was “deliberately left out not to
impede Glenn’s
loan application because his maintenance payments to [his
ex-wife] had really affected this.”
[16] Ms Robinson explains that Mr Beaman did not correspond further with Kemp
Solicitors about finalising his will as he assumed the
2014 will was
automatically revoked due to his change in family circumstances and because he
submitted a newer 2019 version of his
will to his solicitor. Ms Robinson
says that they did not think there was a rush in finalising their affairs and
Mr Beaman “set
about changing his will for a third time believing the
2019 version Mr Kemp held would stand until the revision was finalised as
he
wanted”.
[17] Ms Robinson says that Mr Beaman was disappointed that Mr Kemp told him
earlier, in April 2019, that he could not distribute his
estate in the way he
wanted because it appeared to be leaving smaller provision to his other
children, Fynn and Ava. Rather than
engage further with Kemp Solicitors, it
appears that Mr Beaman then considered seeking advice from another solicitor.
On 12 November
2020, two weeks before his death, Mr Beaman texted a friend in
the Down Syndrome community:
Hi Viv,
Did you find the lawyer who sorted out your will/trusts etc for Erika
good?
Going to set ours up for Tiah and thought I’d work with someone
recommended rather than not?
So many can be crap eh? Xx
[18] Then on 20 November 2020, one week before his death, Ms Robinson made a
111 call to the Police reporting a domestic incident
between herself and
Mr Beaman. Ms Robinson told the Police of previous discord and said she
was thinking of leaving Mr Beaman.
She was also considering a protection order
and wanted Mr Beaman to receive the help he needed for his anger problems and
for his
depression. Mr Shane Beaman says he was told by Ms Robinson that
the offending was minor in that as Mr Beaman was driving away,
he almost
“bowled” her and one of the children (who she was holding) over and
that the Police informed her that they
could not do much unless she wished to
lay a charge and if she did it would put Mr Beaman at the top of the mental
health list so
he could get immediate treatment. She confirmed she would
therefore lay a charge.
[19] The Police subsequently arrested and charged Mr Beaman with assault on a
person in a family relationship, assaulting a child
and common assault. He
appeared in the Papakura District Court on 21 November 2020, when he was
remanded without plea on bail to
10 December 2020. The criminal charges were
withdrawn after Mr Beaman’s death a week later.
- [15] Ms Robinson
applied under s 14 of the Wills Act to validate the 2020 email, or the 2019
draft, as Mr Beaman’s will. That
provision applies to a document that
appears to be a will; does not comply with the requirements of s 11 of the same
Act, which concerns
the witnessing of a will; and which came into existence in
or out of New Zealand.[4] It
remains common ground that these requirements were met.
- [16] The final
requirement is the contentious aspect animating the case. An order under s 14
requires the High Court to be satisfied
“that the document expresses the
deceased person’s testamentary
intentions”.[5]
The High Court decision
- [17] The Judge
was not satisfied Mr Beaman’s testamentary intentions were settled in
relation to either document.
- [18] The Judge
considered the 2020 email to be no more than what it appeared to be, “a
start”[6] and “a work in
progress”,[7] especially as Mr
Kemp would “question the efficacy of giving 50 percent of his estate to
Jentah” as Tiah’s primary
caregiver when Jentah was only a
one-year-old. The Judge thought that the lapse of time between the 2020 email
and Mr Beaman’s
death was
“significant”.[8] It was
“entirely possible that Mr Beaman changed his mind about the terms of the
updated will”.[9] The incident
on 20 November 2020 provided “an example of an event which may have
altered Mr Beaman’s testamentary intentions”,
albeit the Judge
put that incident aside as there was “no way of knowing” whether it
did influence Mr Beaman.[10]
- [19] The Judge
also considered it significant that Mr Beaman was looking for new lawyers rather
than remaining with Kemp Solicitors;
so too the differences in outcomes between
the 2020 email and the 2019 draft.
- [20] The Judge
concluded:
[32] ... I am of the view that Mr Beaman did not have a
settled testamentary intention at the time of the 2020 e-mail or 2019 draft
will. I find it implausible that, as asserted by Ms Robinson, Mr Beaman assumed
the 2014 will was automatically revoked due to his
change in circumstances or
that the 2019 draft will sent to Kemp Solicitors would stand until the revision
was finalised as Mr Beaman
wanted. The evidence discloses that Mr Beaman knew
he should update the 2014 will, but that in the last two years of his life he
continued to seek advice from solicitors and others, including Ms Robinson,
and a friend in the Down Syndrome community. He clearly
wanted to provide in
some way for Tiah and had received advice from Kemp Solicitors of their
proposal to assist him in making a new
will “in the context of reviewing
the family trust deed to establish the extent to which you have the freedom to
benefit Tiah
from the trust fund.” The trust deed was, however, not
reviewed and no decisions had been made on the final shape of a will.
[33] In all the circumstances, the application to validate the 2020 e-mail or
the 2019 draft will as Mr Beaman’s will is dismissed.
Mr Beaman’s
testamentary intentions were not settled at either time.
A précis of Ms Robinson’s case on appeal
- [21] Ms Robinson
contends that the Judge erred, and on her behalf, Mr Morrison challenges the key
planks of the Judge’s reasoning.
He submits:
(a) The 2020 email is “both self-explanatory and tolerably clear”,
and the Judge was wrong to approach it otherwise,
particularly by placing so
much weight on the introductory phrase, “here is a start”.
(b) The Judge erred in identifying problems with the efficacy of
Mr Beaman’s testamentary intentions as this concern has no
relevance
to discerning what those intentions were.
(c) The Judge speculated when referring to the incident on
20 November 2020 as an example of an event that might have influenced
Mr Beaman’s testamentary intentions, as there is no evidence the incident
had any such effect.
(d) That Mr Beaman was looking for new lawyers was consistent with his
testamentary intentions in relation to the 2020 email and
the 2019 draft.
(e) The Judge erred in concluding the 2020 email and the 2019 draft contained
significant differences in their outcomes.
- [22] Mr Morrison
argues this is an obvious case for the operation of s 14, as there is no real
doubt about what Mr Beaman’s
testamentary intentions were. Mr Morrison
stresses the remedial nature of the jurisdiction created by s 14, and the
desirability
of its application in this case.
Further
evidence
- [23] Ms Robinson
invites us to receive further evidence from two witnesses in support of her
appeal. First, a brief affidavit of
Luke Kemp, the principal of
Kemp Solicitors. Second, a similarly brief affidavit of Dean King, a
neighbour to, and friend of, Mr
Beaman and Ms Robinson. Both are offered as
evidence relevant to the assessment of Mr Beaman’s testamentary
intentions.
- [24] The
respondents oppose the reception of the further evidence on the basis it is
neither fresh nor cogent. While we are inclined
to accept that submission, we
are prepared to receive the evidence given the unusual and distressing
circumstances of this case.
For reasons that will become apparent, our approach
does not prejudice the respondents.
Analysis
- [25] We do not
doubt the remedial nature of s 14 or the desirability of its robust application
in cases in which the deceased’s
testamentary intentions are clear but the
validity of the will is frustrated by technicality. However, we begin by
signalling the
important qualification that lies at the heart of this case: the
deceased’s testamentary intentions must be clear. Section
14 was not
intended to validate a document as a will when doubt attaches to whether the
document reflects the deceased’s testamentary
intentions or similarly,
when doubt attaches to whether the deceased’s testamentary intentions were
settled. With these observations
in mind, we make eight points.
- [26] First, Mr
Beaman described the 2020 email as “a start”. In that email,
Mr Beaman also asked Ms Robinson for her
advice about what he was
proposing, a request emphasised by his use of three question marks:
“advice???”. We consider
that the Judge was unquestionably correct
to treat these features as important because they frame the 2020 email as a
request for
Ms Robinson’s view on one possible testamentary outcome, not
more. We emphasise the point with this rhetorical question: what
would Mr
Beaman have done if, for whatever reason, Ms Robinson responded that she was
unhappy with what Mr Beaman proposed? Or,
more to the point, what would Mr
Beaman have done if Ms Robinson said she was happy with his proposal?
- [27] Second, Mr
Beaman did not send or copy the 2020 email to Kemp Solicitors even though he had
corresponded with them on 29 July
2020, eight days before the 2020 email,
and again on 11 August 2020 (about family trust matters), five days after the
2020 email.
That Mr Beaman did not do so is entirely consistent with the
2020 email being what it is as expressed as being: “a start”.
- [28] We pause to
observe that Mr Morrison’s submission that the 2020 email is
“self-explanatory and tolerably clear”
conflates two different
issues: (a) what the 2020 email says on its face about the disposition of
Mr Beaman’s property, which we accept is self-explanatory and clear; and
(b) what the 2020 email says
about Mr Beaman’s testamentary intentions,
which like the Judge, we consider neither self-explanatory nor clear.
- [29] Third, and
contrary to Mr Morrison’s submission, we consider that
Mr Beaman’s apparent desire to find new lawyers,
as evident from his
text message of 12 November 2020, is consistent with his testamentary
intentions being unsettled. If Mr Beaman
had reached a decision about his
will, the obvious thing to do was to record that in an email to Kemp Solicitors,
with whom he had
been corresponding in August 2020. That, in all likelihood,
would have resolved the issue much more swiftly than seeking to identify
fresh
lawyers and repeating the process once Mr Beaman found them. Mr Beaman, did
not, however, confirm with Kemp Solicitors that
he had reached a decision about
his will. Instead, as we have observed, he seemingly set about looking for new
lawyers.
- [30] Fourth,
like the Judge, we do not accept Ms Robinson’s evidence that
Mr Beaman did not progress a new will more quickly
because he assumed the
2014 will was revoked by a change in circumstances or that the 2019 draft
would somehow stand. We note Mr
Beaman created the 2019 draft himself, and the
first point he recorded in that draft is:
- I revoke any
previous Will dated prior to the date of signing of this
Will.
Mr Beaman’s associated email also bears
repeating:
Hi – I’d like to update my Will and as I work in the CBD
(although live in Waimauku) is there a means of liaising with
you by email to
update my Will? I am keen to draft/complete it myself and just to get it
legally checked to ensure that it is appropriate
etc.
My circumstances have changed since my last Will (held at Dominion Law) so it
needs updating.
- [31] The logical
inference is that Mr Beaman knew that he had to revoke the 2014 will by
making a new, valid will, and that unless
he did so, the 2014 will would
continue to be operative. The inference is supported by the fact Mr Beaman
wanted legal advice to
ensure a new will would be “appropriate etc”,
which obviously encompassed a request for advice to achieve a legally valid
will.
- [32] Fifth, we
consider the Judge was correct to conclude that the 2020 email and
2019 draft will exhibit significant differences
of outcome. We include
this table setting out what we understand comprises Mr Beaman’s
estate:[11]
Description
|
Debit
|
Credit
|
Partners Life Premium Refund
|
|
$1,963.59
|
Partners Life Interest on Life Cover
|
|
$8,083.77
|
Partners Life Insurance Payment
|
|
$1,016,673.00
|
Mercer Kiwisaver
|
|
$51,088.92
|
APM / AMP Life Insurance
|
|
$282,900.00
|
Westpac credit account
|
|
$120,479.22
|
Westpac savings account
|
|
$10,152.72
|
Mastercard
|
($3,162.38)
|
|
Half share in [family home]
|
|
$850,000.00
|
Half share of Westpac mortgage
|
($496,993.50)
|
|
|
|
$1,841,185.34
|
- [33] The 2020
email leaves all of Mr Beaman’s estate to Ms Robinson and would
effectively disinherit both Fynn and Ava, if
operative.[12] The 2019 draft,
however, makes provision for all of Mr Beaman’s children by equal division
of “Any cash funds in any
bank accounts and/or shares”, as well as
specific provision for Fynn and Ava of “All commuter vehicle
assets”.
Under the 2019 draft, remaining property goes to
Ms Robinson, whether as “All property assets” or “The
balance
of any other assets”.
- [34] The precise
effect of the 2019 draft in relation to the proceeds of Mr Beaman’s life
insurance policies is not material
to the appeal, and we say no more about this
aspect. What is material is that the two documents offered by Ms Robinson as
identifying
consistent testamentary intentions reveal quite different outcomes,
in turn suggesting a fluidity of testamentary intentions on Mr
Beaman’s
part as 2019 and 2020 unfolded.
- [35] Sixth, we
do not agree that the Judge speculated, and hence erred, by referring to the
alleged incident of family violence on
20 November 2020 as an example of an
event that might have caused Mr Beaman to reconsider his testamentary
intentions. The Judge
did not say the incident had that effect. Indeed, the
Judge recognised it would be speculative to approach things in that way.
The
Judge’s point, which was a legitimate one, was that time passed between
the creation of the 2020 email and Mr Beaman’s
death, and that period
had relevance in determining whether Mr Beaman’s testamentary
intentions were settled, particularly
as Mr Beaman had still not finalised a
will and was, even on 12 November 2020, seemingly looking for new lawyers to
make one. We
repeat what we said earlier, namely that a new will would, in all
likelihood, have been resolved much more swiftly had Mr Beaman
instructed Kemp
Solicitors to prepare that rather than Mr Beaman seeking to identify fresh
lawyers and repeating the process once
he found them.
- [36] Seventh, we
do not accept Mr Morrison’s remaining submission, namely that the Judge
erred by commenting on the efficacy
of Mr Beaman’s testamentary
intentions. We capture what the Judge
said:[13]
[25] Second,
the e-mail was a work in progress. If the e-mail had been forwarded to Kemp
Solicitors, Mr Kemp would undoubtedly question
the efficacy of giving 50 per
cent of his estate to Jentah with the understanding that she, being Tiah’s
primary caregiver
when of age, would care and act as guardian of Tiah. At the
time Jentah was just a year old.
- [37] By these
remarks, the Judge was not saying that the efficacy of Mr Beaman’s
testamentary intentions had relevance in discerning
what those intentions were.
Rather, the Judge was emphasising the embryonic nature of Mr Beaman’s
testamentary intentions
by pointing out that even such early thinking would have
attracted comment by a prudent lawyer.
- [38] Eighth, the
further evidence of Mr Kemp and Mr King does not alter the position. Mr Kemp
confirms that Mr Beaman wanted to change
his 2014 will, a point not in dispute
in either this Court or the High Court. Unsurprisingly, Mr Kemp cannot comment
meaningfully
on Mr Beaman’s testamentary intentions beyond what he was
told by Mr Beaman, and the balance of Mr Kemp’s evidence does
not
materially advance Ms Robinson’s appeal.
- [39] Mr
King purports to offer an opinion that the 2020 email “reflects
Glenn’s testamentary wishes”, but we regard
this aspect of his
evidence as bald, inadmissible lay opinion. The balance of Mr King’s
brief affidavit is impressionistic,
and lacks both detail and specificity. So
again, while we receive the further evidence of both witnesses in the interests
of justice,
that evidence does not alter the position.
- [40] It follows
we do not accept any of the criticisms advanced in relation to the Judge’s
reasoning. Moreover, like the Judge,
we consider the record demonstrates that
Mr Beaman’s testamentary intentions were unsettled in 2019 and 2020, and
it would
therefore be wrong to validate either of the documents offered by Ms
Robinson as wills.
- [41] For
completeness, we see no need to comment upon the many cases cited to us by
counsel, as all, ultimately, turn on their facts.
Result
- [42] The
application to adduce further evidence is granted.
- [43] The appeal
is dismissed.
- [44] The
appellant must pay costs to the respondents for a standard appeal on a
band A basis, with usual
disbursements.
Solicitors:
K3 Legal Ltd,
Auckland for Appellant
KooTelle Lawyers, Auckland for First Respondents
Ericson Lawyers, Auckland for Second Respondents
[1] Robinson v Beaman
[2022] NZHC 2822.
[2] Marshall v Singleton
[2020] NZCA 450, [2020] NZFLR 556 at [48].
[3] Robinson v Beaman,
above n 1.
[4] Wills Act 2007, s 14(1).
[5] Section 14(2).
[6] Robinson v Beaman,
above n 1, at [24].
[7] At [25].
[8] At [26].
[9] At [26].
[10] At [26].
[11] The table is taken from the
submissions on behalf of Ms Robinson.
[12] Unless, of course, Ms
Robinson had died before Mr Beaman.
[13] Robinson v Beaman,
above n 1.
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