Goenka v Goenka [2014] EWHC 2966 (Ch)
April 2016 #158This was a claim for reasonable financial provision under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 by the widow of Nirupam Goenka (the deceased). The deceased was a member of a statutory pension scheme for NHS employees. The deceased and the claimant had been married for 15 years and together had three sons, aged between 11 and 16, who were represented in these proceedings by their litigation friend, the Official Solicitor. The claimant and the deceased entered into divorce proceedings and a decree nisi of divorce was made on 15 August 2012. On 7 September 2012 the ...
Re H [2015] EWCOP 52
April 2016 #158H, who was stillborn, was diagnosed as autistic and had poor cognitive functioning and adaptive skills, almost unintelligible speech and limited communicative ability. An only child, now aged 26 years, she lived with her parents, F and M. On 6 August 2014 they applied to be appointed jointly and severally as H’s deputies for property and affairs and personal welfare. At the same time, they applied for the appointment of three successive deputies – A, B and C, all of whom were younger, female (two of them maternal aunts) and well known to H. On 6 January 2015 an order was made, on t...
Henderson v Wilcox [2015] EWHC 3469 (Ch)
April 2016 #158The claimant had been convicted of the manslaughter of his mother (the deceased). He had a low IQ though there was no clear medical view that he suffered from a mental disorder. However, he had not argued that he was unfit to plead and he had not raised a defence of diminished responsibility. He was sentenced to be detained in hospital under s37 of the Mental Health Act 1983. He was detained in a medium security establishment, and it was considered unlikely that he will ever be fit for discharge.
The deceased’s house did not form part of her estate. It had previously been he...
Ross v A [2015] EWCOP 46
April 2016 #158A, who was 18 years old, had received £5,000,000 in settlement of a claim for clinical negligence which had left her with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, cortical blindness, severe intellectual impairment and extreme behavioural problems. She lived at home with her parents and siblings. A professional with 25 years’ experience, David Ross of Simpson Millar, Solicitors, was appointed by the Court of Protection as deputy for her property and affairs. B, who was A’s brother, had not progressed at primary school as well as he could have during the build up to the trial in the High Cour...
Wilby v Rigby [2015] EWHC 2394 (CH)
April 2016 #158This was a claim by the claimant (C) against her brother (D) relating to the administration of the estate of their late mother (S).
S died on 30 November 2011 leaving two children: C and D. S’s will appointed C and D as executors and trustees and she gave her whole estate, upon the usual trusts for sale and conversion, to be held in trust to divide the net sale proceeds equally between C and D.
The main asset in the estate was S’s property worth in the order of £165,000 (the House). There were also capital and other investments in the order of some £108,000. The...
Re WP [2015] EWCOP 84
April 2016 #158The applicants (the attorneys) were joint attorneys of their parents WP (who had died in 2015) and EP (the parents) under enduring powers of attorney (EPAs). There was a further sibling, S, who was not an attorney. The EPAs were registered in October 2009. The parents had joint income in 2014/15 of £29,077 and expenditure of £21,256. This expenditure included unauthorised payments of £150 per month to each one of their children. Their sister S instigated an investigation by the Office of the Public Guardian, and the Public Guardian requested that the attorneys seek retrospective approval...
Zeital v Kaye & ors [2010] EWCA Civ 159
April 2016 #158The appeal concerned a dispute over the beneficial ownership of the sole two issued shares in a company in liquidation (the company). The company was incorporated by the deceased in 1988. The shares were originally issued to the company’s formation agents, a Mr Ashok Kumar and Mrs Kamlesh Kumar. Each signed an undated blank stock transfer form in relation to the share he/she held, leaving blank the transferee boxes. These forms came into the deceased’s possession.
In 1998 the company was struck off the register by the Registrar of Companies. In February 2004 the deceas...
Harb v Abdul Aziz [2015] EWHC 3155 (Ch)
March 2016 #157The claimant alleged the existence of an oral agreement between the claimant and the defendant whereby the defendant, a Royal Prince of Saudi Arabia, agreed to pay her £12m and to procure the transfer to her of two properties.
The claimant claimed that at some point prior to 1970 the late King had promised and assured the claimant that he would provide for her financially. When the late King was proclaimed King of Saudi Arabia in 1982, he was said to have repeated his promise to the claimant. The claimant later alleged that he failed to provide financially for the claimant, and in...
Jones v Longley [2015] EWHC 3362 (Ch)
March 2016 #157On 30 July 2015 the court made an order under s50 of the Administration of Justice Act 1985 to remove the claimant (C) as co-executor of the deceased’s estate. The judgment involved no criticism of C. The result was to leave the first defendant (D1) as sole executor of the estate. The master invited written submissions on the issue of costs because all parties wished to apply for costs orders. This was the judgment on the issue of costs orders that should be made in the claim.
C and D1 were appointed as co-executors of the deceased’s will. C was the solicitor who drew ...
O’Kelly v Davies [2014] EWCA Civ 1606
March 2016 #157This appeal concerned a dispute over the beneficial ownership of the property whose legal title was at all times held by the appellant alone. At trial, the judge made the following findings:
(i) A former property had been purchased in the joint names of the respondent and appellant in 1987. (ii) In 1991 the legal estate in that property was transferred into the sole name of the appellant to allow her to claim benefits as though she was a single woman living alone. The outstanding mortgage on that property at the time was converted to an endowment secured by a policy on the joint liv...