Transatlantic Inheritance Battle Ends in Court Defeat
A propulsion engineer living in Michigan has lost a bitter transatlantic legal fight over his great-aunt's £400,000 estate after she dramatically cut him out of her will, referring to his side of the family as 'The Rats'.
The inheritance dispute centred on the final wishes of Doreen Stock, an 86-year-old from Lewisham, south London, who died childless in 2021. Her estate, primarily consisting of her Charminster Road home valued at approximately £400,000, became the subject of a family feud that reached Central London County Court.
The Family Rift That Changed Everything
Originally, under a will made in 1986, Ben Chiswick, now 39, was set to inherit everything. However, Doreen's relationship with his parents, Patricia and Brent Chiswick, deteriorated dramatically in 2019 after they suggested she might benefit from spending time in a care home while they went on a three-week holiday.
Court documents revealed that Doreen was 'distraught to the point of tears' about the care home suggestion, viewing it as deeply offensive. Her emotional attachment to the home she had shared with her late husband Samuel until his death in 2001 was profound, and she valued her independence fiercely.
The situation escalated when Patricia Chiswick arranged for a capacity assessment for her aunt, which the court heard caused Doreen considerable upset and made her fear her independence was under threat. Doreen's hostile feelings towards the Chiswicks intensified to the point where she began referring to them as 'The Rats'.
The New Will and Court Challenge
In 2020, just a year before her death, Doreen revoked the lasting power of attorney she had granted to the Chiswicks and created a new will, leaving her entire estate to her nephew Simon Stock and his wife Catherine, who lived just minutes from her south London home.
Simon Stock, a tax advisor, told the court he had been 'the nearest thing to a son' Doreen ever had, having received contributions towards his school fees as a child and maintaining regular contact in her later years.
Ben Chiswick challenged the validity of the new will, claiming his great-aunt had been a 'fixture in his childhood' and arguing she lacked mental capacity due to dementia when she disinherited him. He told the court they had enjoyed a 'really happy relationship'.
Judge's Ruling Upholds Final Will
In her judgment, Judge Jane Evans-Gordon acknowledged that Doreen's assessment of the Chiswicks was 'unfair', noting they had only ever acted in her interests. However, she ruled that being unfair did not equate to being irrational or lacking mental capacity.
'Blaming the Chiswicks may have been unfair, but it was not irrational,' the judge stated, adding that she was 'satisfied that Doreen did have capacity to make a will in January to March 2020.'
The judge also noted significant differences in the relationships: Ben Chiswick had emigrated to America in 2017 and hadn't seen his great-aunt for years nor called her since moving, while Simon and Catherine Stock visited regularly and performed small tasks for her.
The ruling means Simon and Catherine Stock inherit the entire estate, while Ben Chiswick receives nothing, bringing an end to the bitter family dispute that crossed the Atlantic.
