A cleaner is battling in court with a late Savoy Hotel worker’s family for £415,000 inheritance which she claims was promised before he passed away.
Leonara Da Costa, 50, has claimed that she and the former Savoy Hotel Head Waiter, Harold Tickner had a “father and daughter” relationship in the last few years leading up to his death, and that she was left his entire legacy in a 2014 Will.
However, days before Mr Tickner died of cancer at the age of 91 in 2015, he gave the keys to his Harrow property in London to his nephew, Richard Germain, a retired barrister and bequeathed his daughter Karen, £15,000, but with no mention of inheritance left to Mrs Da Costa in a new Will.
Leonara confirmed to the High Court that Mr Tickner’s final wishes had been ‘turned upside down’ and asked for the 2014 Will to be reinstated.
His daughter, Karen had removed herself from the legal court battle, while Mr Germain claims that Mrs Da Costa received at least £45,000 from Mr Tickner for her services as a cleaner, so should therefore not receive any further remuneration from the estate.
Mr Tickner, who worked as a senior waiter at the Savoy Hotel and also in a bank had become acquainted with Mrs Da Costa when she was employed as his cleaner along with her husband Eduardo, 53, who was recruited as his gardener.
Da Costa’s barrister Thomas Dumont QC said Tickner was ‘extremely fond of Mrs Da Costa’ and he informed a solicitor back in 2012 that he ‘did not know how he would have lived without her’.
The original 2014 Will had bequeathed £25,000 each to his nephew and daughter, along with £50,000 to a friend but the majority of the estate, valued at £415,000 was left to Mrs Da Costa.
Leonara informed the court that she was with him ‘every single day’ following the death of his wife Ursula in 2012. She said:
“We were close friends, like father and daughter, we had great fun together”.
Mrs Da Costa’s argument to the case was that Mr Tickner would have not understood what he was doing when the Will was changed, plus he would not have been able to read it as he was registered blind. However, Mr Germain’s barrister Miranda Allardice confirmed Mr Tickner did not have any mental health issues.
According to Kings Court Trust 2018 research findings, Will disputes are increasing year on year, showing one in twenty adults have had a dispute over a Will. Furthermore, research carried out by Direct Line Life Insurance found that Will disputes and inheritance feuds continue to increase – with disputes that made their way to HM Courts and Tribunals system increasing by 6% in 2018.
It is believed that modern family structures are to blame for making inheritance claims increasingly likely. With more and more people marrying more than once or cohabiting outside of marriage, it changes the dynamics of families as many remarriages include children from previous relationships. Blended families or step-families are more common than ever which makes the likelihood of someone feeling hard done by greater than ever.
Consequently, according to research undertaken by Wealth Manager Charles Stanley, some millennials have unrealistic expectations of inheritance and think it will potentially help them buy their first home.
The survey revealed one in seven young adults expect to inherit money before they are 35, when the typical age at which people inherit is between 55 and 64. The survey also suggested that young people expected to receive nearly £130,000.
John Porteous from Charles Stanley said:
“People are living longer than ever, so relying on an inheritance to get on the housing ladder is a risky strategy as you may get less, and much later than planned.”
What is your opinion of this will dispute case? Have you seen an increase in will disputes and inheritance feuds?
