10/09/2024 Bertus Preller Wills contested will, estate planning, executor duties, expert testimony, family dispute, inheritance, legal precedent, mental capacity, morphine effects, pancreatic cancer, South African Law, testamentary capacity, undue influence, Wills Act Family Fortune Fracas: M.E.K and Another v Pokroy N.O and Others (70352/16) [2024] ZAGPPHC 862 (26 August 2024) Reshapes South African Will Law. Background: A Family Feud over a Contested Will The case of M.E.K and Another v Pokroy N.O and Others (70352/16) ZAGPPHC 862 unfolds as a gripping family saga centred on… READ MORE
09/09/2024 Bertus Preller Arrears, Children, Contempt of Court, Divorce, Maintenance, Procedural Law, Procedure, Punitive Cost Orders, Recission of Divorce Orders, Settlement agreements, Urgency attorney-client costs, best interests of the child, child adoption, consent paper, court order, custody, Divorce, Family Law, High Court, mental capacity, Parental Rights, punitive costs, rescission, settlement agreement, South African Law Mental Capacity and Punitive Costs: The Cautionary Tale of C.H v A.C and Others (13612/2024) [2024] ZAWCHC 245. (4 September 2024) Background: A Tumultuous Divorce and Custody Battle The case of C.H v A.C and Others (13612/2024) ZAWCHC 245 unfolds against a backdrop of protracted legal skirmishes following the breakdown of… READ MORE
04/09/2024 Bertus Preller Divorce, Spoliation business continuity, business premises, civil procedure, counter-spoliation, divorce proceedings, High Court ruling, joint ownership, legal precedent, mandament van spolie, marital dispute, matrimonial property, Mediation, office access, peaceful possession, property developers, property rights, South African Law, spoliation, Urgent Application Office Access Showdown: High Court Settles Spousal Spat in H.J.C v M.C.C (2041/2024) [2024] ZANCHC 79 – (30 August 2024). Background: A Marital Dispute Turned Property Access Saga In the heart of Kimberley, a seemingly routine marital dispute escalated into a complex legal battle over property access, as seen in… READ MORE
24/08/2024 Bertus Preller Accrual Calculation, Adversarial Legal System, Antenuptial Contracts, Commencement Values, Divorce, Trusts accrual system, Antenuptial Contract, asset dissipation, asset valuation, binding declarations, business entities, classic car valuation, commencement value, constitutional challenge, contractual interpretation, Divorce, expert evidence, expert testimony, financial disclosure, forensic accounting, High Court, High-net-worth divorce, legal precedent, matrimonial property, Matrimonial Property Act, Property Valuation, related-party transactions, South African Law, Trust assets Conclusive Commencement: Manelis v Manelis (32624/2015) [2022] ZAGPJHC 880 – Reshapes Antenuptial Contract Interpretation. Background: The High-Stakes Divorce Battle The Manelis case, heard in the Gauteng Local Division of the High Court of South Africa, revolves around a contentious divorce action where the parties… READ MORE
24/08/2024 Bertus Preller Accrual Calculation, Antenuptial Contracts, Antenuptial Contracts, Commencement Values, Division of Estate, Divorce, Pacta sunt servanda, Prenuptial Afreement accrual claims, accrual system, antenuptial agreements, Antenuptial Contracts, asset valuation, commencement values, conclusive proof, court judgments, divorce litigation, divorce proceedings, Family Law, financial disclosure, financial transparency, forensic accountants, Legal Framework, legal interpretation, Manelis case, matrimonial assets, Matrimonial Property Act, matrimonial property law, Maxted v Maxted, Olivier v Olivier, prima facie proof, property settlements, Section 6, South African Law, spousal maintenance, Thomas v Thomas, TN v NN Accurate Commencement Values in Antenuptial Contracts: Legal Interpretations and Implications Explored in TN v NN and Others 2018 (4) SA 316 (WCC). The Purpose and Role of Commencement Values in Antenuptial Contracts Commencement values play a crucial role in the implementation of the accrual system in South African matrimonial property law. As… READ MORE
19/08/2024 Bertus Preller Costs, Divorce, Domicile, International Divorce adverse inferences, affidavits, attachment orders, Burden of Proof, costs, credibility, domicile, ex parte orders, full disclosure, incola, international litigation, jurisdiction, Legal Fees, motion proceedings, peregrinus, Plascon-Evans rule, reconsideration applications, residence, South African Law, Uniform Rules of Court Domicile Dilemma: Unraveling Jurisdictional Complexities in J.M v N.C (2023/00100) [2024] ZAGPJHC 762 (16 August 2024). Background: The Legal Dispute Between J.M and N.C The case of J.M v N.C (2023/00100) ZAGPJHC 762 (16 August 2024) originated from a dispute over legal fees between J. Mahomed,… READ MORE
13/08/2024 Bertus Preller Best Interests of the Child, Children, Family Law Court System South Africa, Grandparents Rights, Mediation, Parental Rights, Procedural Law, Urgency, Views of the Child Alternative Dispute Resolution, bereavement, best interests of the child, child access, Child Custody, child law, child welfare, children's act, Court Procedures, extended family rights, Family Court, family disputes, Family Law, family relationships, grandparents' rights, Judicial Discretion, legal delay, legal precedent, Legal Procedures, legal urgency, Mediation, parental death, procedural requirements, Self-Created Urgency, South African Law, Urgent Application, urgent court roll, Western Cape High Court Urgency Dismissed in Grandparents’ Access Case: E.S and Others v P.S and Another (16138/24) [2024] ZAWCHC 201 (12 August 2024). Background: A Family's Struggle for Contact After Tragedy In the heart-wrenching case of E.S and Others v P.S and Another (16138/24) ZAWCHC 201 (12 August 2024), the Western Cape High… READ MORE
08/08/2024 Bertus Preller Abuse, Adversarial Legal System, Best Interests of the Child, Children, Domestic Violence, Holiday Travel, International Travel, Relocation, Views of the Child best interests of child, child welfare, children's act, co-parenting, court order, custody rights, Divorce, Family Advocate, Family Court, Immigration Act, international travel, judicial interpretation, Legal Guardianship, minor's travel, parental consent, Parental Rights, parenting plan, South African Law, travel regulations Navigating Parental Consent for International Travel: Insights from J.S v R.S (4146/24) [2024] ZAWCHC 199 (2 August 2024) Background: A Battle Over Holiday Travel with a Minor Child In the recent Western Cape High Court case of J.S v R.S (4146/24) ZAWCHC 199 (2 August 2024), Acting Justice… READ MORE
06/08/2024 Bertus Preller Divorce, Procedural Law, Procedure, Recission of Divorce Orders attorney negligence, bona fide defence, civil litigation, contradictory evidence, costs order, court appearance, default judgment, Divorce, forfeiture, High Court Judgment, Legal Representation, matrimonial benefits, procedural missteps, rescission application, Rule 31(2), Rule 42(1)(a), Saloojee principle, South African Law, unopposed divorce Divorce, Dismissal, and Dueling Affidavits: How Attorneys’ Missteps Doomed a Rescission Bid in S.P.M v L.M (Born M) (56859/2021) [2024] ZAGPPHC 729 (2 August 2024). Background: The Divorce Proceedings and Rule 27 Application The case of S.P.M v L.M (Born M) (56859/2021) ZAGPPHC 729 stems from a divorce action initiated in November 2021. The parties… READ MORE
31/07/2024 Bertus Preller Actio communi dividundo, Adversarial Legal System, Best Interests of the Child, Children, Costs, Divorce, Hostile Family Lawyers, Marital Regimes, Rule 43 actio communi dividundo, best interests of the child, children's interests, costs order, divorce proceedings, equity, family disputes, Family Law, Gauteng Division, High Court, joint ownership, legal precedent, litigation conduct, matrimonial home, Property Division, property rights, punitive costs, Robson v Theron, Rule 43, scale B costs, South African Law, transfer of property, valuation Dividing the Family Home and Awarding Costs: N M v M M and Another (2023/008561) [2024] ZAGPJHC 1818 Balances Property Rights, Children’s Interests, and Litigation Conduct. The Actio Communi Dividundo: Terminating Joint Ownership During Divorce Proceedings In the recent case of N M v M M and Another (2023/008561) ZAGPJHC 1818 (24 July 2024), the Gauteng… READ MORE