Five women who were left with just £50 each of their grandad's vast fortune have now been ordered to pay £220,000 in court costs.
Before Frederick Ward Snr died at the age of 91 in 2020, denied his granddaughters huge amounts from his £500,000 fortune due to them failing to visit him more. The five sisters Carol Gowing, Angela St Marseille, Amanda Higginbotham, Christine Ward and Janet Pett claimed they should have received more from their late dad's share of their grandad's money.
Upset at being handed £50 each in envelopes by their uncle Terry, they sued and took their uncle and aunt to court. But their case was ultimately thrown out by a High Court judge who said it was "rational" for the grandfather to deny them larger shares of his fortune.
Now the sisters have been ordered to pay an estimated £220,000 in court costs after they failed to successfully get their legal battle funded by their late grandad's estate. Frederick Snr, a former soldier described as "independent and strong minded" had previously made a will that split his estate - which included his £450,000 maisonette, between his three children.
Frederick Snr died in 2020 leaving behind a £500,000 fortune (Supplied by Champion News)
Frederick Snr denied his granddaughters much of his fortune (Champion News)But Frederick Jr, the father to the five sisters, died in 2015, after which the family fell out. When Frederick Snr died, a bitter shouting match broke out when the sisters realised they had been cut out which was recorded and played out in court.
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They then sued, claiming their grandad's final will made in 2018 was invalid and that their uncle Terry had "coerced" him to pen a new one. This argument was ultimately thrown out by the judge. "The deceased had made a promise whilst he was alive that, should one of his children die, their children would inherit their share," the judge said, according to MailOnline. "Did the behaviour of the deceased cause the litigation?
Angela St Marseille was denied much of her granddad's fortune (Supplied by Champion News)"It was admitted by Terry Ward at the will reading that such a promise was made. But it can't be said that the deceased was the real cause of the litigation. It was a change in the relationship between the deceased and the claimants, and that is a different matter. I don't consider it appropriate to order any costs to come out of the estate.
"In circumstances where the defendants knew that minimal gifts had been made and that would cause upset, I'm not sure why a will reading took place in the way that it did, causing some of the animosity. Having heard the reading of the will, spirits were high on both sides from the start and the die was cast for a bitter dispute from the outset." The judge later concluded they could understand the claimants' disappointment at being left out.
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