CLANCY & SAWYER

In *Clancy & Sawyer*, heard before Judge Brown, the dispute concerned property matters between Ms Clancy and Mr Sawyer. The court was required to determine the division of property and the appropriate costs order, following a factual dispute regarding the parties' accounts of events.

The central legal issue before the court was how to fairly divide the parties' property, considering their respective financial circumstances, earning capacities, and past contributions. The court also had to decide whether to uphold or discharge a previous costs order made in favour of the husband.

Judge Brown found Mr Sawyer's account of matters to be more reliable in resolving factual disputes. The court's reasoning appears to have considered the parties' current financial positions, including Ms Clancy's low income and limited future earning prospects, and Mr Sawyer's current employment and potential for continued employment. The court ultimately ordered that all applications in respect of property matters be dismissed, that the previous costs order in favour of the husband be discharged, and that each party retain all property, including superannuation, standing in their respective names, free of any claim from the other.