David Roberts Art Foundation Ltd v Riedweg [2019] WTLR 741
Autumn 2019 #176The claimant was a registered charitable company and the owner of 15a and 37 Camden High Street, London, SW1 7JE (the property). In or around November 2016 the claimant’s directors decided to sell the property and instructed Robert Irving Burns (RIB) to market it. Following a targeted marketing campaign, the defendant made a formal bid to buy the property for £8,000,000. Heads of terms were agreed on 22 December 2016.
On 10 January 2017, the claimant instructed Mr Bryn Williams of DTZ Tie Leung Ltd (trading as Cushman & Wakefield) (CW) to prepare a report. A report was provide...
Duke of Somerset v Fitzgerald & ors [2019] WTLR 771
Autumn 2019 #176Shortly after he came of age, the 19th Duke of Somerset, claimant in this action, established a Settled Land Act settlement dated 30 September 1971 (the settlement). Under the terms of the settlement, the claimant was tenant for life and one of the trustees. The other trustees were independent professional trustees and were joined as first and second defendants. The rest of the defendants were all of the adult beneficiaries interested under the trusts of the settlement (all of whom supported the application), there being no existing minor beneficiaries nor any lacking capacity. ...
Gaskin v Chorus Law Ltd & anr [2019] WTLR 785
Autumn 2019 #176The claimant ‘C’ and second defendant ‘D2’ were two of the children of the deceased, who appeared to have died intestate in 2012. They appointed a probate company ‘D1’ to administer the estate, who took a grant under a power of attorney from D2 in 2013. By 2016, the estate had not been administered and C believed D2 was living in the deceased’s property, so C issued a claim to remove Ds as administrators and for D2 to pay an occupation rent. D1 consented to be removed, but on terms that its fees would be paid. D2 agreed to D1 being removed, but not to her own removal or to payment of occ...
Lines v Wilcox & ors [2019] WTLR 927
Autumn 2019 #176The claimant was the administrator of the estate of Nancy Elizabeth Brock (deceased) who executed a ‘homemade’ will on 22 April 2005. The first defendant was appointed as executrix. The first, third, fourth and fifth defendants were the adult children of the deceased to whom she had bequeathed ‘all the money’ immediately following a reference to the price of £100,000 to be paid for the deceased’s house at 6 Mildfield Estate, Pontypool which she had agreed to sell to the first defendant and her husband, the second defendant. In the event, the defendant later transferred the house to the f...
PQ & anr v RS & ors [2019] WTLR 1015
Autumn 2019 #176This was a Public Trustee v Cooper application by the claimants as trustees of a discretionary trust executed on 11 March 1968. The application was for a declaration that they had power to make a proposed appointment, and the court’s blessing of that appointment. The trust assets had an estimated value of £80 million. Under the terms of the settlement, the beneficiaries included the children and remoter issue of the settlor, including adopted children and issue. The settlement was silent on the position of illegitimate children. The trustees had wide powers to apply the capital ...
Whittaker v Hancock & ors [2019] WTLR 1043
Autumn 2019 #176By his Will dated 23 September 2003 (”Will”) John Sidney Parker (”Testator”) appointed as his executrices the First and Second Defendants. The sole beneficiary of his estate was his second wife, the Second Defendant. She had been obliged to leave the family home to be cared for by her daughter, the Claimant. On 29 October 2013 the Second Defendant executed a Lasting Power of Attorney (”LPA”) in favour of the Claimant and this was registered on 16 January 2014. The Second Defendant, who had been diagnosed with triple dementia, subsequently moved into full time residential care. The Testat...
Dewar v Sheffield City Council & anr [2019] WTLR 495
Summer 2019 #175Graves Park in Sheffield was held by the defendant council on a charitable trust governed by scheme made in 2009. Clause 4(2) of the scheme provided that the land subject to the scheme ‘must be retained by the trustee for use for the object of the charity’. Clause 10 of the scheme provided that “The Commission may decide any question put to it concerning: (1) The interpretation of this scheme; (2) The propriety or validity of anything done or intended to be done under it.”
Section 6, Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 provides that:
‘(1) For ...
Griffin v Higgs & ors [2019] WTLR 539
Summer 2019 #175By her last Will and Codicils thereto Patricia Folkes appointed the First and Second Defendants, who were her solicitors, and the Third Defendant, who was her accountant, to act as executors (“Executors”). Her estate, which included a large house in substantial grounds called Stourton Hall and a holiday home at Pen-y-Graig, was left on discretionary trusts for the benefit of her three children and seven grandchildren. She also left a letter in which she said that her personal chattels at those properties had already been given to the Fourth Defendant, Constantine Folkes. She died on 20 D...
Hanspaul & anr v Ward & ors [2019] WTLR 609
Summer 2019 #175The claimants had applied to remove the 1st to 5th defendants as trustees, and the 6th defendant as protector, of a settlement which owned shares in the family company, and for a relief as to the disputed issue of preference shares in the company. The preference shares question was settled during the trial of a preliminary issue, on terms that the claimants’ costs were paid. The trustees and protector all resigned before trial of the removal application. The claimants applied for their costs on the basis that they had achieved the result they sought. The 1st to 4th defendants contended t...