The Human Rights Act and wills: An unlikely but relevant pairing

Unsettled wills are not exempt from human rights considerations. Tim Crook and Alfred Gherson discuss Judges will utilise s3 HRA to interpret wills drafted before 2000 (when the HRA came into force) and which were drafted utilising legislation passed before 2000 in their consideration of how to interpret a will or trust. The Human Rights …
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Hand & anr v George & anr [2017] EWHC 533 (Ch)

Wills & Trusts Law Reports | Summer 2017 #168

By his will dated 6 May 1946 Henry Hand (testator) directed his trustees to hold his residuary estate upon trust as to one equal third part (Kenneth’s share) to pay the income thereof to his son Kenneth Hand during his life and on his death as to both capital and income thereof for such of his children as attained the age of 21 years and if more than one in equal shares. In default of children, Kenneth’s share was directed to pass to the testator’s children, Gordon Hand and Joan George. The testator died on 9 June 1947 survived by all three children. Gordon Hand died without issue on 15 ...

Gregg & anr v Pigott & ors [2012] EWHC 732 (Ch)

Wills & Trusts Law Reports | July/August 2012 #121

The court was asked to construe the phrase ‘statutory next of kin’ in a settlement that was executed in 1948. It was common ground that, under the classic rules of construction, that phrase would have excluded adopted children because the intestacy rules in 1948 did not benefit adopted children. However, the adopted children argued that they were entitled to capital and income under the trust in preference to their distant cousins who would have benefited under the intestacy rules as enacted in 1948. The adopted children argued that to prevent them benefiting would be a breac...