The news that Heather Ilott was awarded £164k after a ten-year fight to benefit from her mother's estate has interested me greatly - because it could be used as a precedent against someone I know. I am naming no names here - even though justification could be a defence against defamation in this case.
The woman I know says she has no intention of leaving money to one of her daughters. She says this daughter stole money from her mother - the daughter's grandmother - towards the end of her life. The grandmother is now dead. The mother and daughter have not spoken since the money went missing. The daughter was always a pretty nasty piece of work and used physical violence against the mother too, when they shared a house.
So, I don't blame her. But I wonder what the courts will make of it if the daughter challenges the mother's will.
I'm happy for Ms Ilott. But her mother was unreasonable. I don't think the woman I know can be said to be anything but justified.
It also reminds me that I and my spouse should really make a will - though it should be pretty straightforward in our case. We've talked about it and we're going to make an appointment. We have one daughter and she's lovely. That makes it very easy. If I die, my spouse gets the lot. If my spouse dies, I get the lot. When we both die, the daughter gets the lot. Simple!
