A landed family have amended a trust to ensure that if any of their descendants are gay, their partners will have the same rights as heterosexual spouses. The Pembertons have lived at Trumpington Hall in Cambridgeshire for three centuries. The hall has often been used for as a location for films and TV programmes such
A father had understood what he was doing when he left his daughters out of his will and made specific provisions for the division of his estate. That was the decision of the Court of Appeal in the case of two daughters who believed their father had been subjected to undue influence shortly before his
A divorced husband has been given permission by the Court of Appeal to challenge the will of his former mother-in-law. The issue arose out of the divorce settlement between Colin Randall and his former wife Hilary. Mrs Randall had agreed that if she inherited anything from her mother, she would keep the first £100,000 and
People are being urged to safeguard their future as the population ages by taking out a lasting power of attorney (LPA). The Law Society says that with people living longer, it’s vitally important that we plan ahead because there may come a time when we can no longer make vital decisions about our finances and
The Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK are each donating £50m to the new Dementia Research Institute (DRI). The investment is in addition to the £150m already pledged by the government. The DRI is expected to be up and running by 2020. It will have a central UK hub with a network of regional centres
A 91-year-old woman’s will leaving all her estate to her grandson has been declared invalid because she suffered from dementia and was unaware of the consequences of her actions. The case involved a woman who had six grandchildren who all stood to inherit when she died. Three months before her death, her grandson helped her
An employee has lost her claim for compensation for injury to feelings under the Working Time Regulations 1998. The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) held that such compensation was confined to incidents of discrimination. The case involved a woman who brought a claim against her employer for failure to allow her rest breaks as required by
The family of the pop star Prince fear there could be a costly dispute over his multi-million pound fortune because he died without having made a will. Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson, has asked a court in the United States to appoint a special administrator to manage his estate because he left no will or instructions
Research into dementia is making regular headlines, with the recent report of Sea Hero Quest, a smartphone game developed by dementia researchers to record people’s spatial navigation skills. According to the reports, these skills are often the first skills to fail in a person who has dementia. Alzheimer’s Research UK, who have made the game
An elderly woman knew what she doing when she drew up a new will, even though she was suffering from some mental impairment at the time. That was the decision of the Court of Appeal in a case involving a family dispute between the woman’s grandchildren and their uncle. The court heard that in 2003,