Davies v Morris [2018] WTLR 405

Summer 2018 #172

The defendant in the present claim had brought a probate action in respect of the will of the deceased; the claimants in the present claim were defendants in the probate action. In the course of the probate action the judge made an order in a preliminary application for the determination of the deceased’s domicile at his death. It had been the present defendant’s position that the deceased had retained his domicile of origin in England and Wales, whereas the present claimants had argued that he had acquired a domicile of choice in Belgium, so that under Belgian law the will was void as a...

Wilson v Lassman [2018] WTLR 1577

Winter 2018 #170

The claimant sought an order pronouncing against the will of his late father Gerald Wilson (the ‘deceased’) dated 9 October 2010, and revoking the grant of probate obtained by the defendant, as executor and sole beneficiary. The claimant contended that the will was not validly executed in compliance with s9 of the Wills Act 1837 (the ‘1837 Act’).

The will had been written, in manuscript by the deceased on a will form and was purportedly attested by two witnesses, Mr Byrne and Mr McKinley. It contained a proper attestation clause. It was not disputed that...

Gordon v Legister [2014] EWHC 2041 (Ch)

December 2014 #145

The claimant (Arlene) applied for reasonable financial provision from the estate of Alonzo Legister (the deceased) as someone maintained by the deceased immediately before his death under s1(1)(e) of the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) 1975 (the 1975 Act). The claim was contested by the defendant, who was the administrator of the estate and one of the residuary beneficiaries on Alonzo’s intestacy. It was Arlene’s case that she was cohabiting with the deceased prior to his death. However, it was accepted that even on her case she wa...