“The family of a wealthy philanthropist have won a High Court battle to reclaim their inheritance after she left her estate to a man she might never have known.”
The Times, 1st August 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
In re P [2009] EWHC 163 (Ch); [2009] WLR (D) 41
“When making decisions about the property and welfare of persons lacking capacity, the overarching principle pursuant to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 was that any decision made on behalf of that person must be made in his best interests. The guidance given under the Mental Health Acts 1959 and 1983 about the making of settlements or wills could no longer be directly applied to a decision made under the 2005 Act.”
WLR Daily, 10th February 2009
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
“Battles over wills are some of the most bitterly fought of courtroom contests – and they are on the rise. The number of High Court cases involving wills and inheritance rose by 175 per cent – from 83 in 2006 to 228 in 2007, according to the latest figures.”
The Times, 2nd February 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“The Royal Family’s 100-year-old convention that their wills may be kept secret is to be reexamined by senior judges..”
The Times, 24th January 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
In re Hemming (deceased); Raymond Saul & Co (a Firm) v Holden and Another
Chancery Division
“Where a sole residuary legatee under a will became bankrupt but was automatically discharged from bankruptcy before the completion of the administration of the estate of the testator, the money and assets which were thereafter ascertained to form the net residuary estate were payable to his trustee in bankruptcy.”
The Times, 9th December 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
“Where a sole residuary legatee under a will became bankrupt but was automatically discharged from bankruptcy before the completion of the administration of the estate of the testator, the money and assets which were thereafter ascertained to form the net residuary estate were payable to his trustee in bankruptcy.”
WLR Daily, 13th November 2008
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
“An elderly woman who bequeathed her £2.34 million estate to the RSPCA had psychiatric problems at the time, the High Court heard.”
Daily Telegraph, 11November 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“A High Court judge will rule on case that has set three siblings against each other since the death of their father Douglas Firkin-Flood in 200.”
Daily Telegraph, 17th October 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The heir to a £14 million hotel business is fighting a bitter court battle with his brother and sister who have accused him of breaking a promise to give them equal shares of the family fortune.”
Daily Telegraph, 24th September 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“An actor today lost a high court challenge over the £2.3m estate of a distinguished sculptor who had a 50-year lesbian relationship with her mother.”
The Guardian, 14th July 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Thorner v Major and others [2008] EWCA Civ 232; [2008] WLR (D) 222
“A dedicated help and service in reliance upon a statement did not bind his estate by conscience to create a proprietary estoppel to confer the farm to the claimant even if the deceased had given the farm to the claimant by a will which he subsequently revoked to deny an interest to a third person.”
WLR Daily, 3rd July 2008
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
“A farmer who worked on a relative’s land unpaid for 30 years in the expectation he would one day inherit the £2.1 million estate has had the property taken away from him by appeal judges.”
Daily Telegraph, 2nd July 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The case of the sculptress, her £2.3m estate, an elderly lesbian with Alzheimer’s disease and her severely indebted actress daughter reached London’s High Court yesterday.”
The Independent, 26th June 2008
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“The children of Mark Birley, the late founder of Annabel’s nightclub, are to do battle in the High Court over his £104 million will.”
Daily Telegraph, 20th May 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The Tories are facing a £700,000 legal bill for trying to hold on to a £10 million bequest from a mentally unfit tycoon who believed Margaret Thatcher could save the world from Satan.”
The Times, 6th March 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Brown v Executors of the Estate of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Others
Court of Appeal
“A person who held an irrational and scandalous belief that he was the son of the late Princess Margaret was nevertheless entitled to have a substantive hearing of his claim to inspect the wills of the princess and the Queen Mother.”
The Times, 19th February 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
“The process by which a judge had ordered that the wills of two deceased members of the royal family should not be open to public inspection was not transparent, nor were the criteria applied plain, and, therefore, a person who had applied to inspect the wills was entitled to have a substantive hearing of his application, even though it was motivated by an irrational and scandalous belief.”
WLR Daily, 11th February 2008
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
“An accountant who claims he may be the illegitimate son of the late Princess Margaret has won the right to a full court hearing on whether he should be allowed to view her will and that of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.”
The Times, 8th February 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Families are increasingly using the courts to dispute relatives’ wills, as the size of inheritances increases, legal experts have said.”
Daily Telegraph, 2nd January 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“The final will of a widow who left £10 million to the owners of a Chinese restaurant was upheld by the High Court yesterday, despite claims by her family that she did not know what she was doing.”
The Times, 8th December 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
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