PixabayA savage millionaire landowner left absolute zilch to his longtime partner in his will but thankfully the decision was overturned by a judge.
Wynford Hodge, 94, and Joan Thompson, 79, spent a whopping 42 years together but it played no part in Hodge excluding his wife from his will.
The 94-year-old was worth over £1.5 million when he died but ended up leaving his fortune to two tenants who had looked after him in his final years.
The owner of Parsonage Farm and Caravan Park in Amroth, Pembrokeshire was adamant about not wanting Joan or her four children to inherit a single penny of his fortune.
He claimed his wife was ‘financially comfortable’ despite having just £2,500 in the bank, according to The Sun.
ParamountShe had to seek help through benefits in a nursing home, when all Joan wanted was to be reunited with her friends on the caravan park.
Judge Jarman (not of Cribs fame) stepped in to re-write the millionaire’s will by handing Joan a £225,000 cottage on the estate.
Jarman ruled Hodge had failed to live up to his responsibilities as a partner.
He also ruled his belief that Joan was financially stable was labelled a ‘mistake.’
A Cardiff High Court heard Hodge had told Joan shortly before dying ‘not to worry as she would be well looked after.’
InBrief writes on the topic of overturning wills:
When someone dies, the administration of the estate will be dealt with, and the net estate distributed according to the terms of the deceased’s Will (or under the intestacy rules if there is no valid Will). In recent years, there has been an increasing number of Wills disputes, with the courts having to rule in many cases.
Some disputes involve, for instance, potential beneficiaries who have been unfairly excluded from the Will; whilst other cases arise where a Will has been found to be invalid for some reason. Whatever the issue, there is a tight time limit within which a claim must be made: claims must be made within 6 months of the date the Grant of Probate is obtained.
Breaking Bad/Sony Pictures TelevisionThey add:
Anyone who has a beneficial interest, or potential beneficial interest in the deceased’s estate, can contest a Will if they believe they have a valid claim. Typically, those who contest a Will are the surviving spouse, children, cohabitee and other dependents, such as adult children who were being financial supported by the deceased, and children who are treated as a child of the family.
Joan and her son Dean moved into a caravan at Parsonage Farm in the 1970s.
She later ended up working on the farm and caravan site while caring for Hodge’s mother.
