Davey & anr v Bailey & ors [2021] WTLR 487
Wills & Trusts Law Reports | Summer 2021 #183Alan and Margaret Bailey were a married couple who died each aged 71 within a few months of each other in 2019, leaving no children. Each left a will dated 28 May 2009 appointing the other as sole executor and sole beneficiary. After Mrs Bailey had passed away Mr Bailey attended a solicitor to make a new will, but it was not executed before he also died. The gift to his wife under his 2009 will failed, as she had predeceased him, and passed under the law of intestacy to his next of kin.
Mrs Bailey’s sister and brother, the claimants, claimed that the couple had made gifts of...
The Royal Society v Robinson & ors [2015] EWHC 3442 (Ch)
Wills & Trusts Law Reports | March 2017 #167This was a claim to construe a will or, in the alternative to rectify it. Mr Michael Crowley-Milling (the deceased) died on 24 December 2012. His wife had pre-deceased him and he was survived by one niece, Mrs Lorna Joy Robinson and the children of his other niece (who had predeceased him) James Masterman and Rebecca Masterman (the next of kin). The deceased was a distinguished scientist and had decided to leave the bulk of his estate to the Royal Society.
The deceased left two wills: a Swiss will from February 2006 (the Swiss will) and an English will from October 2009 (the 2009 ...
King v Dubrey & ors [2014] EWCH 2083 (Ch)
Wills & Trusts Law Reports | October 2014 #143The deceased, June Fairbrother, (D), a retired policewoman, made a will in March 1998 leaving legacies to friends and family, the 3rd to 14th defendants ,the executors and legatees and the residue to the 15th to 21st defendants, animal charities (the charities). In June 2007 D’s nephew, Mr King, the claimant (C) had a conversation with her. She was increasingly elderly and frightened of going into a home, and he agreed to move in with her to look after her. He had spent some time in prison as a result of an offence under the Companies Act and was living in the property of a busi...
Day & anr v Day [2013] EWCA Civ 280
Wills & Trusts Law Reports | June 2013 #130The appellants appealed from a first instance decision by Mr Recorder Chapman QC on 15 May 2012, which refused their application for an order for rectification of a conveyance that was executed on behalf of their mother (Mrs Day) by her solicitor (Mr Froud) who was acting as her attorney. The conveyance was dated 6 June 1985. The conveyance had transferred Mrs Day’s home from her sole name into the names or her and her son (the respondent) as beneficial joint tenants. The purpose of the transaction was to enable borrowing to be secured against the property by the respondent. Mrs Day died...
Hughmans Solicitors v Central Stream Services Ltd & anr [2012] EWCA Civ 1720
Wills & Trusts Law Reports | March 2013 #127Hughmans Solicitors (Hughmans) appealed from the decision of Briggs J that a debt owed to Hughmans, secured by a charging order, did not enjoy priority over the rights of Central Stream Services Ltd (in liquidation) (the company) and its liquidator arising from a Tomlin Order.
Hughmans had applied for an order for payment of £19,000 from the proceeds of sale of 3 Tisdal Place, London (the property). Hughmans claimed to be entitled to the payment on the basis of a judgment debt secured by a final charging order against the property. The company and its liquidator claimed a prior s...
Lawie v Lawie & ors [2012] EWHC 2940 (Ch)
Wills & Trusts Law Reports | January/February 2013 #126The claimant (SL) sought rectification of a deed of trust that he and his late wife (PL) had executed in 2006.
SL and PL determined, on the advice of Mr Tollins (a financial advisor at the Norwich & Peterborough Building Society (the building society)) that they wanted £100,000 (just under half of their net assets at the time) to be held in a Legal & General portfolio bond, which was to be held on a flexible trust for the benefit of their children and grandchildren. They expressed an intention to be able to alter the class of discretionary objects and the percentage entitl...
Gallarotti v Sebastianelli [2012] EWCA Civ 865
Wills & Trusts Law Reports | November 2012 #124Mr Gallarotti (G) and Mr Sebastianelli (S) had been friends since 1988. They moved to London to make their careers and habitually rented flats together, both contributing towards the outgoings. In 1997 they took the step of buying a flat (the flat) together, although it was transferred into S’s sole name. The total cost was £188,287.44. S contributed £86,500 and G contributed £26,896.20. The remainder was met by a mortgage taken out by S and against which G agreed to postpone any interest he might have.
No written agreement existed to establish an express declaration of trus...
Re Foote Estate [2011] ABCA 1
Wills & Trusts Law Reports | September 2012 #122Eldon Foote, the deceased (D) was born in Alberta and lived there for the first 43 years of his life. He married and had five children there. When he died in 2004, his estate was worth approximately $130m. He also controlled a charitable foundation worth approximately $80m and had other assets worth approximately $10m. The bulk of his assets were held through corporations in the British Virgin Islands, and he had some investments and investment properties in Norfolk Island and a cabin in Alberta. D had left Alberta in 1967 to start his business in Australia and, over the next three years...