SAD & anr v SED [2018] WTLR 1439
Winter 2018 #170The respondent, who had a history of mental health problems, made a lasting power of attorney (‘LPA’) for property and financial affairs on 1 April 2014 appointing as attorneys her mother and her two daughters, the latter of whom were the applicants. It was then registered by the Office of the Public Guardian. On 25 September 2015 the respondent executed a deed, which had been prepared by a solicitor whom she had not previously instructed, revoking the LPA. Its registration was subsequently cancelled by the Office of the Public Guardian. On 4 December 2015 the applicants made an applicat...
Re Various Incapacitated Persons [2018] WTLR 1511
Winter 2018 #170The court was asked to consider the applications, made on behalf of 36 incapacitated persons, to appoint a trust corporation as their property and affairs deputy. There was currently no agreed system through which the court could know that any particular trust corporation was suitable to be appointed as deputy, nor a ‘panel’ of approved trust corporations.
The following questions arose:
- A. Could a trust corporation lawfully act as a deputy?
- B. How could a trust corporation satisfy the court that it was appropriate for it to act as deputy?
- C. How shou...
ADS v DSM & ors [2017] WTLR 819
Autumn 2017 #169JKS and her late husband had two sons, ADS and DSM. She brought proceedings against the former in August 2012 seeking relief in respect of (a) a transfer by her late husband to ADS of his parents’ matrimonial home (at which she and her late husband continued to live) and (b) a transfer by her late husband to ADS and his wife of a piece of land adjoining other property. Serious allegations were made by JKS, including allegations of undue influence by ADS. On the death of JKS’s husband a significant sum of inheritance tax was due in respect of the reservation of benefit in the matrimonial ...
The Public Guardian’s Severance Applications [2017] WTLR 1145
Autumn 2017 #169The Public Guardian brought various consolidated applications for severance under para 11((3) of Schedule 1 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (the MCA 2005) in respect of various lasting powers of attorney which were potentially unlawful or ineffective by reason of the operation of s9 MCA 2005, which provides that an LPA is not created unless it is made and registered in accordance with Schedule 1 of para 19.
Held:
- 1) As to MC, the donor at s7 of the LPA had instructed that ‘Any financial decisions up to the value of £150.00 c...
Watt v ABC [2016] EWHC 2532 (COP)
Summer 2017 #168ABC was awarded £1.5m in settlement of personal injury proceedings in the QBD. ABC executed a revocable personal injury settlement in January 2015 to receive interim payments of damages and to preserve his entitlement to state funded care. In June 2015 the applicant was appointed by the Court of Protection to be ABC’s deputy, on the basis that he lacked capacity to manage his property and affairs. There were difficulties and issues relating to the extent of ABC’s capacity which had arisen in the context of the QBD proceedings, but had not been resolved. The deputy made an app...
Watt v ABC [2016] EWHC 2532 (COP)
January/February 2017 #166This was an application to the Court of Protection concerning whether substantial damages awarded to ABC in a personal injury claim should be paid to and administered by ABC’s property and affairs deputy or should be held on revocable trust.
In prior litigation it had been common ground that ABC lacked litigation capacity but his capacity or the extent of his capacity to manage his financial affairs with appropriate support had been in dispute. This dispute was not decided due to the matter being settled. Subsequently a deputy was appointed by the Court of Protection upon th...
Re D [2016] EWCOP 35
September 2016 #162This was an appeal of an order allowing an applicant (I) for an order authorising her to execute a statutory will to be released from the obligation to serve the papers on someone entitled to a half share of the estate on intestacy and who would be disinherited if the statutory will was executed.
D was 30 and lived with his mother, I. D had cerebral palsy resulting from complications at birth and had been awarded damages of £3.1m in an action for clinical negligence. I was D’s deputy for property and affairs.
D’s father (F) had no contact with D for over 20 ye...
Re RM [2016] EWCOP 25 (Fam)
September 2016 #162In 2014 Roy and his wife had each executed a Lasting Power of Attorney (‘LPA’) for property and financial affairs in which they appointed their spouse, son (Philip), and daughter (Sue) jointly and severally to be their attorneys and an LPA for health and welfare in which they appointed Sue to be their sole attorney. Roy’s wife died in August 2015 following which the Office of the Public Guardian (‘OPG’) received a complaint about Sue’s conduct and opened a formal investigation. A Court of Protection (‘CoP’) general visitor visited both Roy ...
Re A [2016] EWCOP 3
May 2016 #159C wished to stand down as deputy for her aunt A, and a professional deputy be appointed in her place. The application was opposed by D, who was A’s nephew and C’s cousin.
A was 78 and was a member of a titled family. She suffered from schizophrenia and had undergone a frontal leucotomy in 1962. In 1959, A’s sister B had been appointed to be the committee of her person and of her estate. B subsequently became A’s receiver, and later her deputy for property and affairs. In 2012, B wished to stand down and for her daughter C to be appointed in her place. This ...
Re AMH [2015] EWCOP 70
May 2016 #159AMH was born on 31 October 1936. She lived with her husband in Greenwich until 1999, when they retired and moved to Kent. They had three children, Audrey, Kevin, and Robbie. Robbie died in 2005. Robbie’s son Rocky lived with AMH between 1990 and 2013, and was very close to her. AMH’s husband died in 2007. AMH suffered from Lewy Body dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and epilepsy, and lived in a nursing home in Westgate-on-Sea. Her care was funded by NHS Continuing Health Care.
On 18 March 2002, AMH and her husband made mirror wills in which they left thei...