Tragic cancer victim’s final wishes are determined by her Facebook ‘relationship status’
- A woman’s relationship status has decided who will see her wishes carried out
- Melissa Dunn, of Dapto, south of Wollongong, died after battling cervical cancer
- Her mother and former partner argued over whether she would cremated or not
A dead woman’s relationship status on Facebook has been the deciding factor on who will see her dying wishes carried out.
Melissa Dunn, of Dapto, south of Wollongong, died on March 11 after losing her short battle with cervical cancer.
As the mother-of-two did not leave a will, so the decision over what would happen to her remains lead to a hearing in the New South Wales Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Melissa Dunn, of Dapto, south of Wollongong, died on March 11 after losing her short battle with cervical cancer
The mother-of-two did not leave a will, so the decision over what would happen to her remains lead to a hearing in the New South Wales Supreme Court on Wednesday
Nikola Dragarski, the father of one of her children, had wanted her to be buried, whereas her mother Sharon wanted her daughter to be cremated.
Mr Dragarski lodged urgent orders to be named as Ms Dunn’s defacto partner and next of kin, Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The couple’s relationship status was debated in court, as the pair had lived separately for about two years.
Mr Dragarski and Ms Dunn began seeing each other in 2003 and moved in together in 2010, the court heard. Their daughter was born a year later.
However, after the pair separated in March 2016, Ms Dunn moved into her own home.
Despite being separated the pair remained close, with Mr Dragarski visiting her Dapto home. The court also heard the pair had continued to have sex.
Ms Dunn’s mother Sharon wanted her daughter to be cremated, however, Nikola Dragarski, the father of one of her children, had wanted her to be buried
As Ms Dunn had moved back in with Mr Dragarski in March 2018, he considered their relationship had resumed.
However, Justice Michael Pembroke disagreed.
In his judgement on Thursday, he noted Ms Dunn’s relationship status on her Facebook page, which stated single.
Justice Pembroke also pointed that Mr Dragarski was not on her friends list and that she had a status on January 9 that read: ‘I am still at his house, we still (sic) not together though. Kids are great’.
His judgement also mentioned that Ms Dunn was still a member of an online dating site in May 2018 and that she was receiving the single parent payment from CentreLink.
He found that Ms Dunn had moved back with Mr Dragarski to be closer to her daughter.
The application was dismissed and Ms Dunn’s mother was awarded control of her daughter’s affairs.