Mr William Tibbles, a former car dealer, passed away at the age of 75 in February 2018.

Mr Tibbles had five children, comprising of his four daughters Terri and Kelly (who were twins), Susan and Cindy, and a son, Paul.

The first will, drafted by solicitors in 2017, left the entirety of his estate to his daughter Terri. A letter of wishes was attached to the 2017 will that stated his other daughters, Kelly, Susan and Cindy, had been a “disappointment” to him, while his son Paul was already financially secure.

However, a ‘DIY’ will was passed to Mr Tibbles’ solicitor shortly before his death in 2018. This will, allegedly handwritten on a piece of a paper “torn from a notebook”, left the entirety of his estate to Kelly, Susan, Cindy and Paul whilst leaving nothing to Terri.

Terri attempted to dispute the validity of this will at the High Court, and was successful in doing so.

Giving judgment, Judge Matthew Marsh said:

“It’s handwritten and not in Mr Tibbles’ hand writing. It’s written on a sheet of paper which appears to have been torn from a notebook. There’s no evidence placed before me about who wrote the will and whether it was written at Mr Tibbles’ dictation, who was present when that occurred and what his state of mind was at the time. There’s no real explanation for his change of mind and no evidence about him signing it. All the evidence and the background circumstances point heavily against the 2018 will being a valid document”.

As a result of the 2018 will being held invalid, it was the 2017 will which would dictate the administration of Mr Tibbles’ estate, leaving the entirety of his £300,000 estate to his daughter, Terri.

If you would like information or advice about a will dispute or any type of contentious probate case, please call 01902 424927 and ask to speak to one of our specialist contentious probate lawyers. 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.

We also have a team of probate lawyers who can assist if you wish to review you current will or to make a will for the first time.

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