A 17 year old girl’s parents separated when she was less than a year old. She lived interstate with her mother. Her father moved to the North Coast of New South Wales. From a very young age she maintained regular contact with her father and visited him regularly, and after she went to school, spent a significant part of every school holidays with him.
About 15 years after the separation her father remarried. Shortly after his marriage, he died without leaving a Will.
By operation of law, his wife was the most appropriate person to obtain Letters of Administration. The daughter had an interest in the Estate, which was not a large one but was a significant enough size for her to make enquiries through other relatives as to what could be done.
A family provision claim was brought and was successfully settled soon after commencement of the claim and well before the trial.
The result was a satisfactory one and many of her immediate and some future needs were met from the settlement.