HUNTER ESTATE

Taranaki Daily News, 3 June 1933, Page 9

HUNTER ESTATE

END OF LITIGATION. SETTLEMENT ANNOUNCED. Wellington, May 31. After negotiations between the parties lasting for two days, a settlement of the action brought by Lady Hunter, widow of the late- Sir George Hunter, and Cyril Paul Hunter, executor of the estate of Sir George Hunter, was announced in the Supreme Court to-day.

When the case was called before Mr. Justice MacGregor to-day, Mr. G. G. G. Watson, who 'with Mr. E. P. Hay appeared for the plaintiff, Lady Hunter, said that he was happy to be able to inform the Court that the parties to the action had arrived at a complete settlement, and all -he would how ask the Court to do was to enter judgment in the terms arrived at in the settlement. As His Honor was aware, the claim was by Lady Hunter to recover from the trustees of the estate of the late Sir George Hunter considerable sums of money advanced to the late Sir George Hunter during his lifetime, and on the other hand there was a counterclaim by the trustees against Lady Hunter for rental of premises in Dixon Street occupied by her after Sir George Hunter’s death. There were several other mipor matters. Mr. Watson said that counsel on both sides had occupied considerable time over the matter. The substantial grounds of the settlement were that the plaintiff was to recover from the defendant £2850 in respect of money advanced and the defendant was to recover from 'the plaintiff £llOO in respect of rent. This left a balance in the plaintiff’s favour of £1750. Plaintiff was to be paid £250 forthwith, but execution for the balance was not to be issued except by order of the Court.

Mr. H. H. Cornish, who appeared with Mr. N. A. Foden for the defendant, said that Mr. Watson had stated the matter fairly and accurately, and the plaintiff’s advisers had assisted the executor very much in the course of negotiations. It was the executor’s duty to scrutinise the accounts very closely, and they had been much assisted by the fair and frank maimer of the plaintiff’s counsel. His Honor entered judgment by consent as requested.