What if I think that the person who made the Will was being bullied into creating/changing his or her Will?
Whilst the law does not prevent people from trying to persuade a testator from distributing their assets in a certain way under their Will, the court will intervene if a person has effectively coerced a testator into making a particular Will. In other words, the testator’s own judgment effectively has to have been overridden by the person who has manipulated them into making a particular Will.
To determine whether there has been any improper influence requires thorough consideration of the evidence of the solicitor or Will maker who was involved in the preparation of the Will and the witness evidence of other people who were involved in the testator’s life.
Related FAQs
Yes, but the Courts have been temporarily restructured into three categories:
- Open courts (open for business including vital in person hearings)
- Staffed courts (for video and telephone hearings)
- Suspended courts (no hearings of any kind)
These changes have been effective from Monday 30 March 2020.
People who can make a claim for financial provision are set out in the 1975 Act. The categories are as follows:
- Surviving spouses or civil partners of the deceased;
- Former spouses or civil partners of the deceased;
- Cohabiting partners who lived with the deceased for a least 2 years prior to their death;
- A child of the deceased;
- Someone treated as a child of the deceased’s family (for example a step-child); and
- People who are “maintained” by the deceased – sometimes referred to as people who financially depended upon the deceased.
Maintenance Orders are capable of variation so if your income has reduced as a result of the pandemic, you may be entitled to reduce your payments. You should ensure that any reduction is reflected in a Court Order to ensure your ex-spouse cannot claim arrears from you.
It is not generally possible to vary capital and pension settlements included in Court Orders unless there has been a significant event, sometimes known as a “barder event”. The following four conditions must be satisfied:
- New events have occurred since the Order which invalidate the basis or fundamental assumption on which the Court Order was made and which were unforeseen and unforeseeable. This can include a change in the value of assets, employment status, inheritance and death.
- The new events occurred within a relatively short time of the Order being made.
- The Application to change the Order is made reasonably promptly.
- If the Application succeeded, this would not prejudice any third parties who have acquired assets in good faith e.g. if the family home has already been sold to a third party.
The applications relying on Covid as a significant event have had limited success. The circumstances in which the Barder principle may apply are few and far between. It is of note that the global financial crisis of 2007/2008 was not considered to be a Barder event.
Care should, therefore, be taken when deciding whether to pursue a change to the Divorce settlement and it is recommended that you speak to a specialist Family Law team like ours.
Data on properties, and people, has never been more important.
Given that compliance is at risk here, such a decision must be made by the Board to ensure good governance. Board approval should be sought and recorded for the approach the organisation is taking.
It is essential that you continue to record your data on compliance and report to your board at all times, and that there is a clear audit trail for issues with access, and if appropriate to the Regulator. Access issues as a result of self-isolation should be readily identifiable.
Operatives need to be provided with the tools to operate in as safe a way as possible:
- Checklist of questions to ascertain occupant’s current health
- Protective equipment (masks, gloves, over clothing)
The Gas Safe website is a useful resource for updates: https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/help-and-advice/covid-19-advice-and-guidance/