Wills & Trusts Law Reports | Summer 2024 #195The claims concerned the estate of Monica Lane (the deceased), who died on 8 May 2019. The deceased’s final will was dated 23 February 2013 (the will). By the will the deceased left her son David her ‘share and interest’ in the partnership (the gift), among other assets. The deceased’s daughter Susan (the first defendant) and David were named as executors.
The first defendant had contended that the deceased became permanently incapacitated shortly before her death, causing the dissolution of the partnership. The argument that the gift failed by ademption and fell into residue had ...
Wills & Trusts Law Reports | Summer 2024 #195The issue before the court was costs in proceedings relating to the estate of Vincent William Cashinella (the testator), who died on 25 November 2019. By a will dated 30 May 1995 (the will) the testator appointed his wife, Olwen, and the first defendant, who was married to Olwen’s niece, as executors. The testator’s wife predeceased him and probate of the will was granted to the first defendant alone.
By a Part 8 claim dated 8 September 2022 (the claim), Olwen’s grandniece (the claimant) brought proceedings originally for:
- (1) an order removing the first defendant as ...
Barny Croft and Louise Corfield consider Pegler v McDonald, the case that has something for everyone The court deemed that its findings added up to a ‘comprehensive disqualification for [the defendant’s] being concerned in the fiduciary administration of assets for the benefit of other people’. If you have not read the case of Pegler v …
Continue reading "Will disputes: The recalcitrant executor"
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Wills & Trusts Law Reports | Autumn 2022 #188The sole trustee of the X Foundation Trust, a Bahamas trust, applied to the court for directions pending the determination of two sets of proceedings before a foreign court (the foreign court proceedings), with respect to the mental capacity of the settlor of the trust (the settlor).
The trust was a discretionary trust whose class of beneficiaries included the settlor and members of his family, as well as companies which received distributions from the trust to pursue charitable activities. The trust instrument provided for a protector, termed an appointor, with power to appoint a...
Wills & Trusts Law Reports | Winter 2020 #181The claim was brought by the executor of the estate of Iris Mary Fantini. Iris and Gloria Fantini were mother and daughter respectively. They jointly owned a property at 7 Merlin Way, Mudeford, Dorset. Gloria predeceased Iris. The application was brought under Part 64 of the CPR to determine whether the joint tenancy was severed by Gloria and whether Iris’s estate’s costs of the claim should be met from the remaining sale proceeds of the property.
On 5 December 2013 Gloria had executed a will and signed a notice purporting to sever the joint tenancy under s36(2) of the
It is worth paying attention to the formalities. James Poole reports on a case where failure to properly sever a joint tenancy had a profound effect on estate planning and distribution The main question was whether the joint tenancy had indeed been severed, by either the notice, the application or the letter. If so, then …
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Wills & Trusts Law Reports | Autumn 2020 #180The claim concerned two adjacent plots of land on Station Road, Hollingwood near Chesterfield, Derbyshire (Plot 1 and Plot 2, collectively the land). At some point before 1986 a Mr Mills, Mr Hartshorne and Mr Unwin had formed a club for railway workers (the association). Plot 1 was purchased by the three in 1986, the conveyance describing them as the trustees of the association and that they took the plot on trust for the association. In 1990 the same three purchased Plot 2. The conveyance again stated they were purchasing as trustees of an association, but the name of that association w...
Wills & Trusts Law Reports | Spring 2020 #178By Declaration of Trust dated 6 July 2009 made between the Appellant and the First Respondent’s husband the latter declared that he held the properties set out in the schedule and the net proceeds of sale and the net income until sale upon trust for the parties thereto as tenants in common in equal shares. The First Respondent became a trustee as a result of being her husband’s sole personal representative. Subsequently she appointed her brother as an additional trustee and, after his death, his executrix was substituted as a party. The Appellant brought a claim seeking an order removing...
