Home / Predatory Marriages: Protecting Vulnerable Loved Ones from Exploitation in Wills
2nd October 2024
You may recall the wonderful Mrs Merton once famously asking Debbie McGee the question “what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?”. The question was received with howls of laughter from the audience. But what if an elderly relative is persuaded by a ruthless younger person and that results in marriage? What happens if you find yourself left out of your relative’s will? What will the court do in that situation?”
“When someone marries another, often elderly, person with the intention of gaining access to their wealth upon their death”.
The case of Langley v Qin is a recent example of this and involved 94-year-old millionaire, Robert Harrington, marrying his 54-year-old wife and carer, Guixiang Qin in 2019. Having only been married for 11 months, Mr Harrington changed his Will, disinheriting his 70-year-old daughter, Jill Langley, and leaving his entire estate to Ms Qin.
Ms Langley argued that her father was showing signs of vulnerability years earlier and that he lacked the mental capacity required to execute a Will. The Court agreed, finding that Mr Harrington suffered from a paranoid delusional disorder and had been unduly influenced by Ms Qin into making the Will.
The Will was, as a result, found to be invalid meaning that Mr Harrington’s estate had to be distributed in accordance with the Intestacy Rules. Whilst this represents a better outcome for Ms Langley than under the Will as she will now inherit from her father’s estate, Ms Qin will still receive a considerable proportion of Mr Harrington’s estate, as his wife.
If you are concerned that a loved one is being or has been exploited by their partner or someone else into making a Will, there are options open to you. To ensure that a Will is made in their best interests, please contact our Private Client team. Alternatively if your loved one has passed and you believe their Will was unduly influenced, please contact our Dispute Resolution team. We can be contacted on 0161 832 3434 or info@kuits.com.