Made in Chelsea star Lonan O'Herlihy, known as the 'Posh PT', has been ordered to pay an 'astronomical' £2 million legal bill after losing a court fight over the £38 million estate of his mother's former partner, multimillionaire Hugh Taylor.
The 36-year-old reality TV personality had sought £5 million from the estate, arguing that Mr Taylor was a 'father figure' who had raised him and that he needed the money to maintain an 'appropriate' standard of living. However, High Court Deputy Master William Henderson ruled that Mr O'Herlihy's claim had 'no prospect of success' and that Mr Taylor had no financial responsibility towards him by the time of his death in 2019.
The judge found that Mr O'Herlihy should have abandoned any expectation of inheritance after Mr Taylor sent an email in 2012 disavowing responsibility. The court heard that Mr Taylor, a property dealer and classic car enthusiast, left almost all of his wealth—including a Second World War-era Hawker Hurricane aircraft—to his widow, Jennifer Taylor, under a 2015 will.
Mr O'Herlihy, who joined the cast of Made in Chelsea in 2014, was accused by the widow's lawyers of drawing up 'a wishlist of greed'. He insisted the case was never about greed, saying outside court: 'What I hoped for was simply to retain a small part of what Hugh had always indicated would be set aside for me.'
The legal costs include £1.5 million claimed by the widow's lawyers, £163,000 by the estate administrator, and £355,000 owed to Mr O'Herlihy's own legal team. The star said he now intends to 'focus on moving forward' with his life and work.
