fbpx

Independent Legal Advice Proves Decisive in Family Inheritance Dispute

27th October 2020 By

Just because someone is old, frail and vulnerable does not mean that they are incapable of understanding the contents of their will. However, as a High Court ruling in the context of a bitter inheritance dispute showed, the benefits of professional advice become all the greater as the inevitable effects of old age begin to bite.

The case concerned a mother who was in her 80s when she made a new will leaving her estate, which had a gross value of about £325,000, to one of her daughters and nothing to the other. In a contemporaneous written statement, she explained that the daughter who did not benefit under the will had broken off contact with her.

The daughter in question denied that that was the case and challenged the validity of the will on the basis that her mother was prey to undue influence brought to bear upon her by the beneficiary. She also asserted that, due to her age and vulnerability, her mother neither knew nor approved the contents of the will.

Ruling on the matter, the Court acknowledged that the mother was very frail when she made her will, suffering from various health problems which affected her sight, hearing and mobility. The will was, however, drafted by a solicitor who interviewed and advised her in the absence of the beneficiary. On the advice of another solicitor from the same firm, she obtained her GP’s confirmation that she had the mental capacity required to make a valid will.

Allegations that the mother was terrified of the beneficiary were rejected. Although she had, by a previous will, left her estate equally between her children, the change in her wishes was readily explained by the breakdown in her relationship with the other daughter. Evidently, the daughter did not like being disinherited but that did not mean that there must have been undue influence.

The care taken by the lawyers who advised the mother in the end proved decisive. The solicitor who interviewed her on her own was not acting for anyone else and satisfied herself by inquiry that the mother wished only one of her daughters to benefit from her estate. The validity of her final will was upheld.

Source: Concious

Latest News

Award That Requires Borrowing Made Into Court Order

17th May, 2024 By

Disagreements between separating couples all too often result in litigation that substantially reduces the assets available to them, as was illustrated by a case that recently reached the High Court. At issue was whether awards made by arbitrators in financial remedy proceedings can be made into court orders even if that would require one of the parties to borrow money. The couple had previously had a relationship lasting a few years before resuming their relationship in 2015. They had two children before separating again in 2019. Following their separation, the...

Inheritance Disputes – Costs Risks Can Be Reduced

15th May, 2024 By

Arguments about what someone promised before their death can lead to significant legal costs. However, if faced with a claim against the estate, there may be steps the beneficiaries or executors can take to reduce the risks, as a recent High Court case illustrated. A man had left a farmhouse and agricultural land in Cornwall to his wife, with whom he had also jointly owned a neighbouring area of land. After his death, one of the couple's daughters and her husband claimed that he had told them he wanted them...

Share Rounding Error Does Not Prevent CGT Relief

13th May, 2024 By

There are often very specific rules that must be complied with in order to claim tax reliefs, but if a small mistake arises, the courts may be able to provide assistance. In a recent case, the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) found that an investor was entitled to Entrepreneurs' Relief on the disposal of his shares in a company, despite owning one share fewer than he needed to qualify for it. The investor had agreed to purchase 5 per cent of the shares in the company for £500,000. He wished to own...

Wife Entitled to Maintenance Until Sale of Family Home

10th May, 2024 By

When divorcing couples disagree on how assets should be divided, the courts will seek to arrive at a fair outcome for both parties. In deciding how the proceeds of sale of a former couple's home should be apportioned, the Family Court agreed with the wife that she should receive maintenance payments until the sale took place. The couple had married in 2006. Following a brief separation, they had reconciled for two years before finally separating in 2022. The husband and wife both contended that they should be entitled to about...