Giles v Royal National Institute for the Blind & Ors [2014] EWHC 1373 (Ch)

October 2014 #143

The claimant claimed as the administratrix of the estate of Ellen Bolton (Ellen) for rectification of a deed of variation by which she had purported to vary the will of Hilda Bolton (Hilda).

Hilda had died on 6 February 2006. Her sister, Ellen, died on 11 September 2007. By her last will Hilda had benefited Ellen in two respects: as the beneficiary of a specific devise of a particular freehold property (the property) at clause 2(a) of the will and also as the sole residuary beneficiary under clause 5 of the will. As Ellen survived Hilda these gifts took effect. The gifts were char...

Kaur v Dhaliwal & anr [2014] EWHC 1991 (Ch)

October 2014 #143

The claimant had made an application under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 (Act) for provision out of the estate of Harcharan Singh Dhaliwal (deceased) who died on 7 June 2009. The question had arisen, as a preliminary issue, whether the claimant was a person who ‘during the whole of the period of two years immediately before the date when the deceased died… was living (a) in the same household as the deceased, and (b) as the… wife of the deceased’ within the meaning of s1(1A) of the Act. The claimant and the deceased ...

Kershaw v Roberts & anr [2014] EWHC 1037 (Ch)

October 2014 #143

This hearing was an appeal from a decision of His Honr Judge Philip in which that judge found that an earlier hearing in the matter had not been a case management conference (CMC) and that therefore the respondent defendants were under no obligation to file and serve a costs budget seven days in advance of it. The claimant had contended that the earlier hearing had been a CMC and renewed that submission in the current hearing. The claimant’s submissions raised general issues as to whether the first hearing in a Part 8 claim, alternatively the first directions hearing, in such a cla...

King v Dubrey & ors [2014] EWCH 2083 (Ch)

October 2014 #143

The 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...

Oatley & ors v Oatley Powney & ors [2014] EWHC 1956 (Ch)

October 2014 #143

In January 1995 Mr Donald Oatley, his wife Mrs Patricia Oatley, their three sons Andrew, Martin and Michael (the three claimants), and a solicitor, Mr Boyd, signed a deed of settlement. The beneficiaries were the spouses and issue of the claimants. Mrs Oatley died in 2002. Mr Oatley contracted cancer in 2006 and died in January 2007.

The Oatleys own a farming company with 4,333 shares owned by each claimant and 13,001 by the settlement. In 1985 Mr and Mrs Oatley created two discretionary trusts for some of their shares of the company, with the beneficiaries being their issue and ...

Rawstron & anr (executrices of the estate of Lucian Freud) v Freud [2014] EWHC 2577 (Ch)

October 2014 #143

Lucian Freud (the deceased) achieved international recognition as an outstanding painter and draughtsman, and he acquired considerable wealth over the course of his long and successful life. His final will was dated 10 May 2006 (the 2006 will), superseding his previous will of 25 June 2004 (the 2004 will). Both wills were professionally drafted. His residuary estate, after payment of legacies and inheritance tax, was estimated at around £42m.

The claim was brought by the claimants under CPR Part 8 in their capacity as executrices of the deceased’s final will. The first cl...

Catling & ors v Catling & anr [2014] EWHC 180 (Ch)

July/August 2014 #141

This was the trial of a probate action relating to the estate of the late Mrs Joyce Beech Catling (Mrs Catling). She was married to Arthur Joseph Catling (Mr Catling) and they had eight children. The first defendant was the youngest child. The claimants, the seven older children, seek probate in solemn form of her will dated 23 August 2004 (the 2004 will) and codicil dated 2 November 2005 (the 2005 codicil) and say that the court should pronounce against a later will dated 11 May 2007 (the 2007 will), on the ground that Mrs Catling no longer had testamentary capacity and/or did not know ...

Keene & anr v Wellcom London Ltd & ors [2014] EWHC 134 (Ch)

July/August 2014 #141

The Graphic Reproduction Federation (the federation) was formed in about 1916 as an unincorporated association to further the interests of employers engaged in the graphic reproduction trade. It was governed by a set of rules, the most recent of which was dated 1985 (the rules). After 1985 there were no annual general meetings and the management committee has not met since 29 November 1987. No administrative records were kept after that and since 1986 no subscriptions were called for or paid. However, the assets, currently valued at £590,683.98, were held by the claimant trustees and wer...

Rosenzweig v NMC Recordings Ltd [2013] EWHC 3792 (Ch)

July/August 2014 #141

This was an application by the claimant composer for permission to bring a claim against the defendant charity (NMC), alleging a breach of trust and breach of a duty of care and claiming damages of £2.4m, an order that NMC publish his works, and a public apology from NMC. These were ‘charity proceedings’ within the meaning of the Charities Act 2011, s155(8) in that they were under the court’s jurisdiction, with respect to charities or the court’s jurisdiction, with respect to trusts in relation to the administration of a trust for charitable purposes. Accordingly,...

Sheffield v Sheffield & ors [2013] EWHC 3927 (Ch)

July/August 2014 #141

John Vincent Sheffield (JVS) and his wife Ann Sheffield bought 1,000 acres of land in Hampshire in 1968 as tenants in common, with JVS owning 25% and Ann 75% (the 1968 settlement). The land included two farms, numerous residential properties and some shooting rights over adjoining land. Ann died in 1969 and left JVS a life interest in her estate and thereafter to their son Julian. In 1971 JVS married France (who predeceased him) and he lived on the estate until his death in May 2008.

In May 1976 JVS agreed a farming partnership of the farming land on the estate. JVS was entitled ...