Kumari Murphy v (1) Nicholas Courtauld Rayner (2) Aeternus Ltd and Another
| Jurisdiction | England & Wales |
| Judge | MR JEREMY COUSINS QC |
| Judgment Date | 18 January 2011 |
| Neutral Citation | [2011] EWHC 1 (Ch) |
| Court | Chancery Division |
| Docket Number | Claim No: HC09C01691 |
| Date | 18 January 2011 |
[2011] EWHC 1 (Ch)
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE
CHANCERY DIVISION
Before: Mr Jeremy Cousins QC, Sitting as a Deputy Judge of the Chancery Division
Claim No: HC09C01691
Professor Mark Watson-Gandy (instructed by Messrs Smithfield Partners Limited, of 107, Cannon Street, LONDON EC4N 5AF) for the Claimant
Mrs Teresa Rosen Peacocke ( Instructed by Messrs Penningtons of Abacus House, 33, Gutter Lane, LONDON EC2V 8AR) for the Defendants
APPROVED JUDGMENT
Hearing dates: 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 July, 15, 20, 21 September, 26, 27, 28, 29 October, and 1 st November 2010
CONTENTS
(References are to paragraph numbers in the judgment)
INTRODUCTION 1 The course of the trial 12 THE ISSUES 18 THE WITNESSES 19 Mrs Murphy 20 Mr Rayner 27 Other witnesses 37 THE PROPERTY 48 THE REMUNERATION ISSUE 51 Mrs Murphy's introduction as carer 52
(i) Evidence and submissions on the issue 60
(ii) Discussion and findings 66
THE HISTORY FROM 1996–2009 The Bangalore trip 70 The problems in Mrs Murphy's marriage 73 The development of the relationship between Mrs Murphy and Mr Rayner 76 Krishna and Justin 110 Mr Rayner's admission to hospital in September 2008 115 Execution of Powers of Attorney on 20th November 2008 119 Mrs Murphy's dismissal as carer and removal from the Property 122 Mrs Murphy's application for an injunction in 2009 127
ALLEGED MISAPPROPRIATIONS The removal of documents issue 130 The precious stones issue 134 The missing box issue 137
THE PLANNED PROVISION FOR MRS MURPHY 138 The arrangements for provision 139 Mr Rayner's statements about intended provision 162
VEENA-RELATED ISSUES 171
(i) Evidence and submissions -Veena issue 177
(ii) Evidence and submissions – education payments 189
(iii) Evidence and submissions – Bangalore houses 199
(iv) Findings on the Veena, Bangalore houses, and recoverable payments issues 219
THE BREACH OF FIDUCIARY DUTY ISSUE 228 THE DISPUTED DOCUMENTS ISSUE 234 PROPRIETARY ESTOPPEL ISSUES 246
Relevant principles
(i) Submissions on behalf of Mrs Murphy 247
(ii) Submissions for Mr Rayner, Aeternus, and Courtina 256
(iii) Discussion of the relevant principles 262
The assurance issu e 275
Findings 276 The reliance issue
(i) Reasonable relianc e 280
(ii) Detrimen t 283
(iii) Findings as to reliance and detrimen t 290
The inducement issue – discussion and findings 296 The unconscionability issue -discussion and findings 299 The change in circumstances issue – discussion and findings 301 The undue influence issue 304
(i) The evidence 305
(ii) Submissions as to undue influence 311
(iii) Discussion and findings as to undue influence 319
The clean hands issue -discussion and findings 330 The Aeternus and Courtina issue – discussion and findings 354 Overall findings on proprietary estoppel
DISPOSAL 361
MR JEREMY COUSINS QC:
INTRODUCTION
In this case Mrs Kumari Murphy, who cared for Mr Nicholas Rayner for many years during which he has been disabled following a stroke, maintains that she has established interests in a valuable Knightsbridge flat, and other investments, which are owned or controlled by Mr Rayner. Her claim is made on the basis of proprietary estoppel.
Mr Rayner, a former Army officer, was by the mid-1980s a renowned auctioneer. He achieved international fame in 1987 when he auctioned the jewels of the late Duchess of Windsor. He was enjoying great prosperity, when, in 1994, he suffered a serious stroke which changed his life forever. His marriage to his second wife (Laetitia) broke down and within a couple of years they separated, subsequently divorcing. Ever since suffering his stroke Mr Rayner has needed a great deal of assistance with everyday living, and carers were engaged to assist even before Laetitia, in January 1996, moved out of their home, a flat in Eaton Square, SW1.
In the weeks prior to Laetitia's departure, Mrs Kumari Murphy visited the Rayners at their flat. She was introduced by the Filipino Centre, a charitable organisation, where she worked as a volunteer. The Centre helped in placing domestic workers, who were in difficult circumstances, with potential employers, especially those who were disabled. Other carers had been introduced to Mr Rayner by the Centre, but had not stayed. Mrs Murphy was not a domestic worker, and she visited to find out whether there were any problems. Although there are many issues between Mr Rayner and Mrs Murphy as to the basis upon which she cared for Mr Rayner over a period of more than twelve years, there is no doubt that she took on the rôle of carer.
In 1997 Mr Rayner moved from the flat in Eaton Square to his present home at 42, Kingston House South, Ennismore Gardens, London SW7 ("the Property"). The Property is owned by Aeternus Limited ("Aeternus"), a Gibraltar company. Both Aeternus and Courtina Corp ("Courtina"), a Panama registered company, which holds substantial investments ("the Investments"), and which appears to be managed from Switzerland, are owned and effectively controlled (though he is a director of neither), as I shall explain below, by Mr Rayner. After the move and until the autumn of 2008, Mrs Murphy continued to care for Mr Rayner. There were others who shared in his care, but what is beyond doubt is that she was the principal carer, and as a carer looked after him very well. In the middle of 1996 they made a trip to Bangalore in India ("the Bangalore trip"), though whether Mrs Murphy's reason for encouraging Mr Rayner in this was for treatment for his stroke, or to visit her family is a matter of contention. Over the years they also made other trips together overseas, mostly to Italy.
Whilst Mrs Murphy remained Mr Rayner's carer all her expenses were paid by him; he also provided all her food and other necessities. He made gifts to her. However, Mrs Murphy is adamant that from the beginning to the end she was never remunerated for her work. She was never, she says, an employee. Mr Rayner is equally adamant that she was an employee, paid from the start, and by the time that she was (on his case) dismissed, her salary was £400 per week.
Mr Rayner remained in contact, in varying degrees of closeness, with his family in the broader sense; his first wife (Marina) and their daughter (Desideria), Marina's daughter by her previous marriage (Domitilla), his siblings, and Laetitia. As the years went by Mr Rayner and Mrs Murphy seemed to have had less contact with others, including Mr Rayner's family. Between themselves, however, Mr Rayner and Mrs Murphy seemed to function well, although from time to time he found her behaviour fell far short of what was acceptable. Nonetheless he was attached to her, and from 1998 onwards planned ever more generous provision for her on his death. At first he intended that she should occupy the Property, rent free, for eighteen months following his death; by early 2008 he intended that she should have the Property outright, and an eight per cent share in the Investments as well. He frankly conceded in his evidence that he told her over the years of the intended provision for her, and kept her informed of any changes in his plans. However, he maintains that this intended provision was the product of her dishonest conduct and pressure applied to him, or an abuse of her position at a time when he was very vulnerable.
In September 2008 Mr Rayner had a fall and suffered a fractured hip and many serious complications. As a result he was in hospital for many months. Whilst he was hospitalised, members of his family visited him. In varying degrees there had been strained relations between Mr Rayner's family members and Mrs Murphy, and relations deteriorated sharply late in 2008 when Mr Rayner's family began to suspect that Mrs Murphy was guilty of seriously misappropriating Mr Rayner's money on a very considerable scale. They investigated the matter, and were not satisfied with the explanations that Mrs Murphy gave and her perceived lack of co-operation with their enquiries.
The investigations led Mr Rayner to believe that Mrs Murphy was guilty of serious financial impropriety. He described himself as outraged at what she had done to him. He decided to dismiss Mrs Murphy early in 2009.
For reasons which I shall explain more fully below, this judgment does not deal fully with the extent to which there were alleged misappropriations of money by Mrs Murphy. That matter will have to await the taking of an account. However, this judgment does deal with the extremely important issue of whether Mrs Murphy procured Mr Rayner to make very substantial payments over many years for the benefit of her aunt's granddaughter, Veena Prabakharan ("Veena"), by falsely representing to him that Veena was Mrs Murphy's daughter. Veena, then a child, was introduced to Mr Rayner during the Bangalore trip. The payments related, Mr Rayner maintains, to Veena's education and houses for her and Mrs Murphy in Bangalore. The false pretence, Mr Rayner says, was kept up until after these proceedings began. Mrs Murphy says that she never claimed Veena was her daughter.
A few months after Mr Rayner's decision to dismiss Mrs Murphy, in May 2009, she commenced this action against Mr Rayner, and Aeternus and Courtina which respectively own the Property and the Investments. Her Particulars of Claim assert that by reason of proprietary estoppel she is entitled to orders that she is entitled to occupy the Property during Mr Rayner's lifetime, a transfer of it to her upon his death, and that the other promised financial provision must be honoured. In maintaining this case she asserts that she relied upon what Mr Rayner represented to her as to intended provision, and suffered significant...
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