Increased legacy under Will after promise

The deceased promised his friend of 34 years that he would leave her something in his Will.  He had originally left her 50% of his $6million estate.  He then changed his Will after re-establishing contact with an estranged son and left the claimant only $100,000.

The Court held that the deceased had breached his testamentary promise because the legacy left to her was not sufficient to fulfil his testamentary promise to compensate her in the Will for work done on his farm.  The claimant regularly travelled a 100 kilometre return journey to work on the deceased’s farm without payment and helped him to run the farm during illness and incapacity.  The Court did not accept the claimant’s view that the $3million previous bequest was the value that the deceased place on her work, but did increase the legacy from $100,000 to $450,000.

If you feel that you have not been properly looked after in a will it pays to discuss the matter with a professional experienced in the area.

Leading law firms committed to helping clients cost-effectively will have a range of fixed-price Initial Consultations to suit most people’s needs in quickly learning what their options are.  At Rainey Collins we have an experienced team who can answer your questions and put you on the right track.