Family farms have often been at the centre of acrimonious legal proceedings. In recent weeks, warring sisters-in-law have been fighting over a family farm worth £3.2 million.
67-year-old farmer, Sally Kingsley, has won a High Court legal battle preventing her sister in law, Karim Kingsley, from selling her half of the farm she inherited from her late husband following his death in 2015.
Karim’s husband, Mr Kingsley, worked tirelessly on sustaining a profitable farming business with his sister, Sally Kingsley, until he lost his unexpected battle with cancer in 2015.
He was an advocate for the preservation of the farm and the 287-acres of land, which had been in the Kingsley family for around 200 years.
Despite the fact that her husband wanted the Buntingford Lodge Farm to remain within the family, his bereaved widow, Karim, became increasingly frustrated by her sister-in-law, Sally, who continued to work the land without consulting Karim or acknowledging her half of the business and business interests.
Judge Lance Ashworth QC, presiding judge, claimed that this feeling of exclusion has acted as a catalyst in the case, commenting:
“This has led to a lot of ill-feeling between Karim and Sally, which in turn has led Karim to cause these proceedings to be issued.
“A sale to Sally will allow the farm land to continue to be farmed by a member of the Kingsley family and will allow her to preserve her livelihood.
“Roger’s two apparent concerns as to the continuation of the farming business by members of the family and financial security for his wife and daughter would be met by a sale to Sally.”
However, Judge Ashworth acknowledged the fact that an open sale would lead to the farm dissolving along with Sally’s livelihood, something the judge felt was unjust; especially given Mr Kingsley’s intentions that the farm’s ownership remain in the Kingsley family.
Judge Ashworth ordered a two-month reprieve on any open market sale, allowing Sally Kingsley to raise the funds needed to buy out her sister-in-law’s 50% share of the £3.245 million estate.
Failing this, the farm will be sold on the open market for the best possible price which could mean that the farm is carved up and sold in pieces of land.
Furthermore, the judge ordered a possession order on two additional sections of land that were farmed by Sally Kingsley but solely owned by Mr Kingsley, Karim and her sister, Maria Wheeler. It was claimed that permission for farming this land was not granted beyond Mr Kingsley’s death.
How could this bitter dispute have been avoided? How common are disputes of this nature?
