A New South Wales court has ruled in a bitter dispute over a $2.6 million estate between the de facto partner and the ex-wife and son of a deceased man, Ross Fleming. The case centred on Cecilia Ruiz Nunez, who says she arrived home after identifying her partner's body only to find his ex-wife and son already searching their shared house, later producing a will that favoured her. The judge issued a scathing ruling on the conduct of those involved, highlighting the acrimony that erupted almost immediately after Fleming's death.

The dispute pitted Ruiz Nunez's claim as his long-term de facto partner against the interests of his former wife and son, with the family home and a substantial estate at stake. The Supreme Court case turned on questions of inheritance entitlement and the validity of the will Ruiz Nunez said she had found, with the judge's findings coming down firmly on aspects of how the family had behaved in the immediate aftermath of Fleming's death.