Rinehart v Rinehart

The proceedings concerned an appeal from orders made by the primary judge regarding the interim indemnification of a previous trustee for the costs associated with delivering trust documents to a new trustee. The parties involved were Bianca Rinehart and Gina Rinehart.

The central legal issue before the Court of Appeal was whether the primary judge's orders were final or interlocutory in nature. This determination was crucial for assessing whether leave to appeal was required and, if so, whether it should be granted. The Court also considered the primary judge's exercise of discretion in managing the case and in working out earlier orders.

The Court of Appeal reasoned that the orders were not final because they were expressly made subject to any further order. The primary judge had not made a final determination of the issues, and there was no utility in granting leave to appeal. Consequently, the Court dismissed the notice of appeal filed on 19 December 2019 and the summons seeking leave to appeal filed on 1 May 2020. The Court further ordered Bianca Rinehart to pay Gina Rinehart’s costs of the appeal proceedings.