A Brazilian-born yoga teacher and birth doula has won a High Court battle against her brother-in-law over her late husband's £5 million property fortune. Gabriela Teixeira, 51, married wealthy London property investor and restaurateur Abbas Moaven in 2002 after meeting him at his Notting Hill restaurant in 2000. The couple had two children and lived in upscale areas including Holland Park and Kensington.
After Abbas died of cancer in 2012 at age 45, Teixeira was shocked to discover that his estate—which she and her children were due to inherit—could be worthless. Weeks before his death, Abbas signed legal documents declaring that four properties worth over £3 million were shared with his mother and brother, Amir Moaven, substantially diminishing the estate and potentially leaving it insolvent due to debts.
Teixeira, along with her children Elis, 22, and Aryan, 19, launched a High Court challenge against Amir to restore the properties to the estate. Her barrister, Alexander Learmonth KC, argued the documents were a 'sham' designed to prevent her from accessing most of Abbas's wealth after his death. He pointed to notes from a meeting between Abbas's solicitor and Amir, which revealed concerns that Teixeira might 'disappear to Brazil' with the children.
Deputy Master Timothy Bowles ruled in favour of Teixeira, finding that the trust documents were a 'fiction' and a 'sham'. He said the properties should fall into Abbas's estate to be inherited by his widow and children. The judge noted that Abbas had never indicated to his wife that the properties were not entirely his.
Teixeira, who works as a birth doula and yoga teacher, described receiving a 'call to serve' after the birth of her first child. Her online profile states she 'supports the needs and wants of the family, while helping to empower the mother to have confidence in herself'. The court victory means the estate, now potentially worth up to £5 million, will be divided among Teixeira and her two children as per Abbas's will.
