Sonya Young lost a will dispute case against the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 2019 following her being disinherited from her father’s estate. Mrs Young now faces potentially losing her home following a recent court decision.

The case concerned the estate of Brian Cole who committed suicide in 2013. Shortly before his death, Mr Cole made his latest will (“the 2013 Will”) leaving the majority of his estate to the RNLI and leaving his daughter Sonya Young with a legacy of just £5,000.

Mr Cole who was formally a lifeboat captain for the RNLI, died just 25 days after the 2013 Will was prepared. Under Mr Cole’s 2008 Will, Sonya Young was due to receive his entire estate. 

Mrs Young was embroiled in a bitter will dispute battle with the RNLI since 2015 up until 2019 when the court ruled against her. She even quit her job to focus all of her efforts on the will dispute case. Her case was based on her concern that her father was not of sound mind when he made the 2013 Will and she also relied upon his unexpected suicide which she says indicated lack of the required mental capacity at the relevant time.

It was reported that Mr Cole didn’t have any assets until shortly before his death when he inherited £300,000. After Mr Cole’s death, Mrs Young took funds from her father’s bank account. She paid £214,000 to the RNLI and spent the remainder of the money on herself. 

The 2013 Will was upheld and the Judge ruled that Mr Cole had known what he was doing and a key factor was that the 2013 Will had been prepared by an experienced solicitor who had known Mr Cole for 8 years. Further, Mr Cole had made a previous will in 2012 largely inheriting Mrs Young in favour of his then girlfriend.

Our contentious probate solicitors say that “This case highlights the need for wills to be prepared by qualified and experienced solicitors to avoid will disputes arising”.

A charging order has been placed on Mrs Young’s house to cover the monies that she spent from her father’s estate and RNLI’s legal costs

Cases dealing with will disputes, probate disputes and inheritance disputes all fall on their own facts and it is essential to take legal advice from a contentious probate specialist.

If you would like information about disputing a will, probate disputes or inheritance disputes, please call 01902 424927 and ask to speak to one of our specialist contentious probate lawyers. Our team at George Green LLP are regarded as one of the Midlands' leading teams of will disputes and contentious probate solicitors. Susan Ford is an associate member of ACTAPS. 

We offer a free initial free consultation and we can often act for clients who want to contest a will or commence an inheritance dispute/probate dispute on a no win no fee basis.

Alternatively, please e-mail us at contentiousprobate@georgegreen.co.uk providing a brief summary of the issues you wish to discuss with us, along with your contact details.

We have a dedicated practice team of contentious probate solicitors, covering all areas of the UK (with offices near Birmingham and in Wolverhampton) who are experienced in dealing with all types of contentious probate matters, including challenging a will and estate disputes.