The tragic case of Sotherby’s legend, Nicholas Rayner, was reported in the Daily Mail on Tuesday 31 July 2018. Once a high-flying playboy who had excelled at the Cresta Run, raced his classic Aston Martin across the frozen lake at St Moritz and who had flown his Auster plane in all weathers, once even damaging its wing when he flew too low hitting telephone cables, by 2010 he was a […]
We have all seen this – Auntie Hilda, a frail, vulnerable and yet compos mentis 86 year old spinster has trouble getting to the bank in her local town, where, on a weekly basis, she withdraws £100 cash for her shopping, newspaper and gin. The same bank account holds all of her worldly savings which includes a large lump sum in life insurance which she received after her sister’s death. […]
Challenging a will can be stressful and it is important to make sure that you understand the process by making the most out of meetings with your solicitor. Five questions to ask your will dispute solicitor when challenging a will are set out below. What is the best way for me to challenge this will? You should ask your will dispute solicitor whether challenging the validity of the will is […]
It is common practice for testators to leave money and other assets to charitable organisations in their will. Will disputes usually arise when family members disagree over the validity of a will or its availability of reasonable financial provision. However, in a situation where the beneficiary of a will is a charity, that organisation can become involved in a will dispute as the claimant or as the defendant. The recent […]
The recent case of Thompson v Raggett & Ors [2018] EWHC 688 (Ch), concerned an Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 will dispute, and the use of letters of wishes. An elderly lady applied for reasonable financial provision when her partner and cohabitee of 42 years failed to leave any provision for her in his will when he died, despite the fact that he had explained his reasons […]
The recent case of Nutt v Nutt, an elderly lady left her house to one of her children and not the others. The case shows the factors that the courts use to resolve will disputes. The Facts of Nutt v Nutt Lily Rose Nutt passed away in 2013; she was a widow. Mrs Nutt had made a will in 2005, and another in 2010. Mrs Nutt had three children: Christopher, […]
Challenging a will can be complicated when it is unclear what the testator’s intentions were by the wording of clauses in their will. This is a particularly difficult issue for wills compared with other legal documents for the obvious reason that the person whose intentions are under question has passed away by the time of the will dispute. The recent case of Tish and Others v Olley & Ors [2018] […]
Understanding Inheritance Act claims Challenging a will through using the mechanism of Inheritance Act claims allows claimants to apply to court for reasonable financial provision from a deceased person’s estate, without questioning the validity of the testator’s will. Section 1 of the Act outlines the list of potential Inheritance Act claimants, i.e dependants. People who can potentially claim under the act are: Spouses and civil partners; Former spouses or civil […]
Most will disputes arise from common grounds for a will dispute such as lack of testamentary capacity, undue influence or the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. However, some of the less common situations that give rise to will disputes are the grounds of forgery and will fraud. Both forgery and will fraud occur when someone has deliberately interfered with a testator’s will to change who inherits property […]
Challenging a will requires a valid reason to go to court. Different grounds will be relied upon in a will dispute, depending on the particular circumstances under which the will was made. If you are unhappy with the contents of a will and the circumstances in which it was made, a vital first step in any challenge will be to establish the grounds on which you will challenge the will. […]
Proprietary estoppel is a principle that courts use to resolve disputes. Proprietary Estoppel arises when a defendant has made promises or assurances that property will pass to the claimant, and the claimant has relied on these assurances to their detriment. For example, in Gillett v Holt [2001] Ch 210, a farmer, Mr Holt, made assurances to Mr Gillett that if he worked on his farm for far below the market […]
Challenging a will is potentially expensive, especially through the court system. If the judge rules in your favour, then in addition to any money from the estate, the judge might order the defendant to pay your legal costs. However, if the judge rules against you, as well as having to pay your own costs, you might be ordered to pay the costs of the other side. Will disputes can be […]
One of the ways to challenge a will is to make a case that the Testator, the person who made the will, did not have testamentary capacity. This is not always straightforward. In this blog, we look at 5 things to be aware of if you are considering a will dispute claim on this basis. Testamentary capacity or undue influence? In order to be valid, a will must be made […]
Wills are not the only documents that affect the beneficiaries of a deceased person’s property: other property transactions can also result in different people being left with – and without – an inheritance. Challenging wills is a last resort, and it is important to note that a will dispute is not the only means of challenging the distribution of someone’s estate. If you have reason to believe that a property […]
Creating a will is not the only way that the distribution of property in someone’s estate can change. According to section 18 of the Wills Act 1837, getting married revokes previous wills. If a new will is made after they are married, this will be the valid will. In the absence of a new will made after they are married, the couple will be subject to the intestacy rules, which […]
We look at some lessons from case law that may help prevent will disputes in the future. Making a will is an important step for you to take to ensure that you property will be distributed as far as possible according to your wishes when you die. Without an up to date will, property will either be distributed according to a previous will, which might not reflect your wishes, or […]
What is Probate? When someone has passed away, there is a series of steps that must be taken with regards to their property, in order gain the right to distribute the estate according to their wishes as set out in their will – or if there is no will, the rules of intestacy. Probate is the process by which a deceased person’s will is declared valid, and executors of the […]
What is Undue Influence? Undue influence is a ground upon which to challenge a will, calling into question the validity of the will itself. Claims for undue influence are made when someone suspects that the testator (the person who made the will) was under the influence of another person at the time the will was made. If a court finds that the will was made, either under coercion, or in […]
One ground for a will dispute is undue influence: when someone has been pressured or coerced into signing a will or other contract that affects their estate. The case of Brindley v Brindley [2018] EWHC 157 (Ch), provides an example of an undue influence claim which failed because the testator, the mother of the claimant, had sought independent legal advice before making the transfer. The Facts of Brindley v Brindley […]
You may be concerned about a will and be worried that it doesn’t reflect the real intentions of the person who made it, or feel that you should have received a greater share of the estate. Challenging a will can be a daunting process, especially if you have no experience of the legal system and how the courts work. In this blog, we explain the role of the courts in […]