Cohabitee inheritance dispute success
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 in financially vulnerable position, then contact our free helpline for expert guidance and details of no win, no fee funding to claim the provision that you need for your financial security.
This is a real-life case study of a claim that was made by a woman against her late partner’s death when he passed away without leaving a Will or making any arrangements for her financial security.
Our client (who we will simply refer to as Mrs M for privacy reasons) had been in a stable relationship with her partner for over 10 years. Sadly, her partner had died intestate (without a will) and his net estate was valued in the region of £175,000.
Under the intestacy rules his son was entitled to receive the entire estate. Our client thought this was unfair. They had lived together in the deceased’s house, and during this time he had financially supported her. She had therefore become financially dependant upon him and following his death she had a clear housing need with very limited income.
Mrs M contacted our free legal helpline for guidance and we advised her that she was entitled to make an inheritance claim against her late partner’s estate. We agreed to deal with her cohabitee inheritance dispute on a No Win – No Fee basis as Mrs M was otherwise unable to afford legal fees to bring her claim.
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 any financial provision for his long term partner.
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 sensibly reached at the 11th hour. This provided Mrs M with the right to remain living in her partner’s house for the rest of her life, rent-free, as well as a lump sum award, together with payment of her legal costs.
This was an excellent outcome 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 late 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]