Cohabitee inheritance dispute
Inheritance claim lawyer, Naomi Ireson, has been successful in a cohabitee inheritance dispute claim brought by a woman against her late partner’s estate. If your partner has died leaving you financially vulnerable then call our free helpline for guidance and details of no win, no fee funding.
The claim was made by our client, Mrs M, against the estate of her late partner with whom she cohabited. Mrs M was in a relationship with the deceased for over 10 years. The deceased died intestate (without a will) and his net estate was valued in the region of £175,000. Under the intestacy rules hiss son was entitled to receive the entire estate.
The claim was strongly defended by the son, who insisted on receiving his full entitlement under the rules of intestacy, even though his father had failed to make financial provision for his long term partner.
The deceased and Mrs M had lived together in the deceased’s house. During this time the deceased had financially supported her and she had become dependant upon him. So following his death she had a clear housing need and limited income.
We dealt with this cohabitee inheritance dispute on a No Win – No Fee basis as Mrs M was otherwise unable to afford legal fees to her bring her case.
We entered into correspondence with the son’s solicitors. It initially looked as though we would need to commence court proceedings, but an out of court settlement was reached at the 11th hour. This provided Mrs M with the right to remain living in the deceased’s house for the rest of her life, rent-free, as well as a lump sum award and payment of her legal costs.
This was an excellent result for Mrs M and provided her with financial security for her future.
If you are involved in a cohabitee inheritance dispute and wish to bring an inheritance claim against your partner’s estate then contact us for a free assessment of your case and details of no win – no fee funding. Call 0333 888 0407 or email [email protected]