The latest High Court Battle Over Inheritance

There has been a dramatic increase over the last 15 years in the number of inheritance disputes reaching the High Court in England and Wales.

In 2005, there were just 15 cases brought to the High Court under the Inheritance (Provisions for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, compared to 158 cases in 2016.

A recent and rather unusual dispute that reached the High Court involves the death of Mr and Mrs Scarle who both died of hypothermia.

The Dispute

Their stepdaughters have been disputing who died first to determine who would inherit their £300,000 house.

Anna Winter, Mr Scarle’s daughter, believes that her step-mum would have died first and therefore, her share of the property would have momentarily passed to Mr Scarle, before passing to Anna herself.

However, Mrs Scarle’s daughter, Deborah Cutler, argues that her step-dad died first so his share of the house would have briefly been inherited by Mrs Scarle, and then passed to her children Deborah and Andre.

It should be presumed that the eldest person died first, under section 184 of the Law of Property Act 1925. Mr Scarle was also 10 years older than his wife.

However, it was argued that due to the conditions of the bodies, it is more probable that Mrs Scarle died first.

High Court Decision

It was up to the High Court to decide who died first and consequently, which side of the family would inherit Mr and Mrs Scarle’s property.

It has been ruled by the Judge that there is not enough medical evidence to determine who died first. Therefore, the Law of Property Act 1925 presumes that the eldest, Mr Scarle, died first.

As a result, Deborah Cutler, the daughter of Mrs Scarle has won the £300,000 inheritance battle.

To reduce the chance of disputes over inheritance, it is advised to keep a well-drafted and valid Will to ensure the individual’s wishes have been shared.

Source: Kings Court Trust