Aunt's £400K Estate Leaves Nephew Empty-Handed After Fallout Over Care Home Suggestion

In 2021, the court heard how an 86-year-old widow's £400,000 estate, including her Lewisham home, was left to her London-based nephew Simon Stock and his wife Catherine, rather than her other nephew Ben Chiswick.

The dramatic change in Doreen Stock's will came after a family rift erupted in 2020 over a suggestion by Ben's parents, Patricia and Brent Chiswick, that Doreen spend a few weeks in a care home while they went on holiday. The fiercely independent pensioner was devastated by the idea, which she saw as an attempt to push her towards permanent residential care. As a result, she began referring to the Chiswick side of the family as "The Rats".

Within weeks, Doreen took steps to revoke the Chiswicks' power of attorney and rewrote her will to leave everything to Simon, whom the court heard was "the nearest thing to a son" she ever had. Ben, who now lives in the US and had not seen his great-aunt for years, challenged the new will, but his claim was dismissed by the judge.

The court found that although Doreen's view of the Chiswicks was "unfair", her actions were not irrational, and she did have the mental capacity to change her will in early 2020. The judge noted Doreen's deep emotional attachment to her home and her determination to remain independent, which led to her resentment "building over time" until it "finally boiled over" in 2019.