Reeves v Drew & ors (costs) [2022] WTLR 1549
Winter 2022 #189In the main action, the claimant sought to prove a purported will dated 2014. The second and fourth defendants challenged the validity of the will on the grounds first of lack of knowledge and approval and secondly, by a late amendment, of undue influence. That amendment required a substantial amount of further evidence to be filed. In a judgment following trial ([2022] EWHC 159 (Ch), available in the WTLR web reports as WTLR(w) 2022-08) the judge found the 2014 will to be invalid for want of knowledge and approval, but dismissed the claim that it was procured by undue influence. The jud...
Wrangle v Brunt & anr [2021] WTLR 1143
Autumn 2021 #184This was an appeal from a first instance judgment in proceedings relating to the estate of Dean Brunt (Dean), who tragically died aged 35 on 8 December 2007, when he was hit by a train. On 25 June 2008, the first defendant/appellant (Marlene), who was Dean’s mother, obtained letters of administration in relation to Dean’s estate on the basis that he died intestate.
Over ten years later, in November 2018, the claimant/respondent, the deceased’s uncle by marriage (Bob), started the proceedings, seeking to revoke the letters of administration issued to Marlene, on the basis that a pu...
Commissioners for HMRC v The Quentin Skinner 2005 Settlement L & ors [2021] WTLR 127
Spring 2021 #182On 30 July 2015 Mr Ludovic Skinner (LS), Mr Rollo Skinner (RS) and Mr Bruno Skinner (BS) were given interests in possession under the L Skinner Settlement, the R Skinner Settlement and the B Skinner Settlement respectively in the whole of the settled property. On 11 August 2015 Mr Quentin David Skinner (QS) gave 55,000 D ordinary shares in DPAS Ltd to each of those settlements. LS, RS and BS had, since 2011, each held 32,250 C class shares with full voting rights in the company and were also officers of DPAS Ltd from at least 2011 onwards. On 1 December 2015 the trustees of the settlemen...