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Doris Booth did not divorce her husband, they were separated after 1933 and never reconciled. In 1933 Charles Booth sued her and took her to court for restitution of property. He believed he owned two claims, Cliffside and Clifftop, which Doris worked and had paid to register in her name. At that time there was no law in New Guinea explicitly safe guarding a married woman's property rights. This became a test case. According to New Guinea law, all Doris' property technically belonged to her husband, and Charles wanted it. Judge F. B. Phillips held that British and Australian acts passed before 1921 superseded the common law notion of male control of joint property in New Guinea and gave Doris the winning verdict. Charles appealed to the High Court of Australia in 1935, and the judgment favoring Doris was upheld. Due to this case the territorial law in new Guinea was amended with the Status of Married Women Ordinance 1935-36. This ruling was a landmark case. 68.238.192.12 (talk) 19:05, 8 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]