A rich lawyer who failed in a bid to claim ownership of a house in Sydney’s inner west under squatter’s rights has tried to snatch a chunk of another family’s $20million fortune. 

Yael Abraham, 69, has been accused of forging the wills of Sydney woman Annie Goldberg’s parents, Leon and Carol Goldberg, to lay claim to much of their estate.

It comes just weeks after she lost her bid to claim ownership of two homes in Rozelle. 

Abraham had insisted she had seen secretly squatting there since 2011 – which would give her the right of ownership under squatting laws – while also owning a $7million home of her own.

She dropped her claim on one home but her claim on the second home was rejected by the NSW Supreme Court in March when a judge cast doubt on her story and kicked her out of the Rozelle property.

Now she is back in court as she tries to stake a claim on the Goldbergs’ estate. 

‘This is a very high-stakes contest,’ Justice Michael Slattery told the NSW Supreme Court.

Leon and Carol owned properties in the Blue Mountains, Vaucluse, Dulwich Hill and Ambarvale which were worth an estimated minimum of $20million.

Yael Abraham (pictured) has been locked in a three-year protracted probate legal battle with Sydney woman Annie Goldberg

Yael Abraham (pictured) has been locked in a three-year protracted probate legal battle with Sydney woman Annie Goldberg

One of the Goldbergs’ properties was a rundown shop in Vaucluse which alone sold for a breathtaking $17.1million in 2022.

Annie Goldberg was their only child, and told NSW Supreme Court she was the main beneficiary of their estate under the wills of her mother, who died in 2014, and her father who died in 2020, that she had in her possession.

But Ms Abraham claimed she had later wills which only left Ms Goldberg $80 a week from her mother’s estate, with the rest of the estate being signed into Ms Abraham’s control.

Ms Abrahams claimed to also have a later version of Leon Goldberg’s will which appointed her executrix, gave her $250,000 and control of half the remaining estate on trust for Ms Goldberg, after other deductions.

Ms Abraham was not a relative of Ms Goldberg’s parents but she claimed in court to be a close friend and confidante of Mr Goldberg, a celebrated criminal lawyer.

Ms Goldberg however insists Ms Abraham’s wills are forgeries.

Neither side’s claims have yet been tested at trial.

In July 2013, Carol Goldberg had made a will, constructed from a will kit, that appointed her husband as her executor and gave the whole of her estate to him, the court heard.

One of the Goldbergs' properties was a rundown shop in Vaucluse which alone sold for a breathtaking $17.1million in 2022

One of the Goldbergs’ properties was a rundown shop in Vaucluse which alone sold for a breathtaking $17.1million in 2022 

Mr Goldberg’s will of April 2018 appointed his daughter as his executor and sole beneficiary of his estate.

However, Ms Abraham alleges Carol made another will in late January 2014, shortly before her death earlier that month.

‘Controversially in these proceedings, only a copy of this will is available, not the original,’ Justice Slattery said.

The typewritten document names Ms Abraham as Carol’s executrix and reads:

‘3. I GIVE to my daughter Annie Goldberg of [address redacted] the sum of $80 pw (per week). I say I do not want my daughter to loose (sic) her sickness benefits. Given certain allegations she [Ms Goldberg] makes against me I make it clear that I deny totally the false allegations she makes. I say she knows what they are. I further say my daughter is due to receive a large inheritance from her father, Leon Goldberg and has received considerable amounts of money from him.

‘4. I GIVE the balance of my estate to my executrix to hold for life for the benefit of her daughter with a disability, CHRISTINE ALYSON FABRIVCATO, also known as ALYSON ABRAHAM and in the event of her death before me, to her surviving children.’

The foot of the 2014 will includes a handwritten signature reading ‘Carol Goldberg’ and clause recording the names of two witnesses, ‘Barry Raymond Thom’ and ‘Zoltan Even Chen Nyti’.

The court noted it was unclear how Ms Abraham came by the 2014 will.

According to Ms Abraham, she informed Leon about the 2014 will but he asked her not to obtain a grant of probate due to his wife’s mental capacity at the time it was made.

The Vaucluse property sold at auction in 2022 for $17.1 million

The Vaucluse property sold at auction in 2022 for $17.1 million

‘Ms Abraham’s version has Leon accepting her account of how she (Ms Abraham) came by the 2014 will,’ Justice Slattery said.

In May 2015, Ms Abraham claimed, Leon also made a will appointing her ‘executrix’ in charge of his estate.

The typewritten document, which at one point misspells his name as Leong’, reads:

‘3. I GIVE the following specific bequests:

‘(i) to the United Israel appeal the sum of $50,000,

‘(ii) to the NSW Friendship Circle the sum of $50,000,

‘(iii) to my brother CHARLES GOLDBERG my share of [the Blue Mountains property],

‘(iv) to my executrix YAEL ABRAHAM the sum of $250,000.’

‘Ms Abraham says she was not involved in the preparation either of Carol’s 2014 will or Leon’s 2015 will,’ Justice Slattery said.

‘But Ms Abraham has not so far adduced any evidence as to who prepared these wills. 

‘Ms Abraham has at various times been asked to bring into Court the originals of Carol’s 2014 will, and Leon’s 2015 will. 

‘She has produced neither. She has made available what she claims are photocopies of the original of each will.’

At the agreement of both parties, the photocopy documents were examined by handwriting expert Melanie Holt, who delivered her report in July 2023.

‘Due to the limited number of available specimen signatures provided for Carol, Ms Holt was unable to reach a conclusion concerning the testator’s signature on the 2014 will but she observed anomalies throughout the 2014 will, which brought its veracity into question,’ Justice Slattery said.

The judge rejected a bid by Ms Goldberg to have the case dismissed outright instead ordering Ms Abraham not to continue her ‘unacceptably chaotic conduct of the proceedings.

The scathing remark referred to her repeated ‘highly disruptive’ failures to appear for hearings and changes of lawyers.

‘The proceedings have not been struck out,’ he said.

‘But Ms Goldberg’s motion has been adjourned and may be revived depending on Ms Abraham’s further adherence to court timetables, directions and orders in relation to further conduct of the proceedings.’

The case will resume in June. 

Ms Abraham is the principal of Assetnet Properties, which ‘purchases, sells, renovates and builds property throughout Queensland and NSW’, according to the company’s website.

She is described on her own website as ‘a lawyer and activist for children’s and animal rights’.

Ms Abraham also featured on ABC’s Australian Story in 2009 for her work as a foster carer.

Abraham’s previous case  

The case comes after Mary Willis, the owner of the two homes in Rozelle, launched NSW Supreme Court proceedings against Ms Abraham in 2023, seeking possession of both properties. 

Ms Abraham claimed to have been living in the properties since 2011, which would have given her claim to ownership under NSW adverse possession laws.

Also known as ‘squatter’s rights’, the law states anyone who occupies an abandoned house for at least 12 years without force or secrecy can inherit the property.

The lawsuit was initially filed to the NSW Supreme Court in 2023 and Ms Abraham eventually dropped her challenges of ownership to one of the homes last year.

She pressed on with her fight to keep the second house however, which was settled by Acting Justice Michael Elkaim, who recently ruled in Ms Willis’s favour.

Justice Elkaim took issue with Ms Abraham’s timeline of events and was skeptical about her claims that she had lived in the home since 2011.

He also ruled that Ms Abraham failed to make her presence in the property ‘visible’ and that until recently, her occupation had been more of a secret.

Ms Abraham, who works as a lawyer and real estate agent in Queensland, initially heard about the abandoned properties via a tip-off from her brother, which she visited in late 2009, the court heard.

She promptly began storing furniture and other items at one of the Rozelle homes after she and her family moved to the area in 2011.

But Justice Elkaim did not agree with Ms Abraham’s claim that she had properly occupied the house as she only visited it once a month at most to begin cleaning it.

The judge also took issue with the fact that Ms Abraham had seemingly occupied the property in secrecy, which was adverse to the law which stated she had to have openly and visibly lived at the property.

‘[Ms Abraham], deliberately, took no action to display her occupation to the outside world until much later [than 2011],’ Justice Elkaim said.

Justice Elkaim ruled in Ms Willis’ favour as the evidence indicated Ms Abraham’s occupancy was a ‘possession continued by stealth’.

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