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 […]
An update on the case of Lewis v Warner – a case which looked at reasonable financial provision under the Inheritance Act, which was appealed recently to the Court of Appeal. Claiming Reasonable Financial Provision under the Inheritance Act 1975 Under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, dependants of a deceased person can claim reasonable financial provision when the will does not adequately provide for them. We’ve […]
Can the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 help someone who is able to provide for themselves? We look at the case of Lewis v Warner, in which a common law partner who sought to purchase the house where he had lived for the last 20 years and avoid eviction by the sole beneficiary of his deceased partner’s will. The Facts The deceased had left her entire estate […]
We look at what constitutes reasonable financial provision under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 following the case of Wooldridge v Wooldridge The Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 (the Inheritance Act) gives dependants a mechanism to claim ‘maintenance’ – beyond what they may already have been left under the will concerned – from the estate of the deceased. But what amounts to reasonable financial […]
If you’ve been left without an inheritance, what options do you have to challenge a will? There have been a number of high profile examples of people challenging a will because they feel they feel cheated of their inheritance. Not only that, a number of high profile figures have announced that they will not be leaving an inheritance for their children: Anita Roddick of the Body Shop, cook and writer […]