The dispute centres around a 114-acre property in Euberta near Wagga. Photo: realestate.com.au.
A man has been ordered to pay his sister’s legal costs after failing to follow court orders and not showing up to a Supreme Court hearing in a bitter Riverina family inheritance dispute.
Lucinda Boreland is seeking a share of her late father’s estate after she was left out of his final will, which was made just five days before he died at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital on 28 April 2025.
Her claim is against her brother, John Boreland Jr, who was appointed executor under the will. The estate includes a 46-hectare property at Euberta, near Wagga, and a house in Harden.
The case is part of a wider family conflict over the estate. John Jr has also been involved in a separate Supreme Court battle with his elderly mother, Robyn, who has sought to have him removed as executor of the estate.
In that case, the court heard John Jr prevented his mother from living at the Euberta property, despite the will granting her a life interest — meaning she had the right to live there for the rest of her life.
A published court decision also stated that John Jr organised his father’s funeral in Harden and only informed his mother of the venue one hour before the ceremony was due to take place. She was in Wagga when she found out and didn’t have time to get there.
In December 2025, the Supreme Court appointed an independent administrator to take control of the estate until the dispute between mother and son is resolved.
A hearing on the dispute between Lucinda and her brother took place on Wednesday (18 March), but there was no appearance by John Jr or his lawyer.
Lucinda’s lawyer, Anthony Sukkar, told the court that John Jr had been ordered to file a response to her claim on the estate by 14 March, but had failed to do so.
“Did they notify you that it hadn’t been done?” Registrar Lynda Gerritsen asked.
“No, the [main solicitor] has written to them and hasn’t heard anything,” Mr Sukkar responded.
The registrar said she would require an explanation from John Jr for failing to comply with the court orders.
“The defendant [John Jr] is to file and serve an affidavit explaining their breach of the timetable by 30 March,” the registrar said.
Registrar Gerritsen also ordered that, because of the failure to comply and the lack of appearance, John Jr must pay his sister’s legal costs for that day’s hearing.
The matter will return to court on Thursday 9 April.
Strange, I thought city-based elites like Labor's Communications Minister Anika Wells should fix it. View