A legal dispute over the £400,000 estate of a dementia-stricken widow has concluded, with a nephew losing his challenge to overturn her final will. Doreen Stock, 86, died in 2021, leaving her entire estate to her nephew Simon Stock and his wife Catherine, disinheriting her great-nephew Ben Chiswick.
Ben Chiswick, a 39-year-old propulsion engineer living in Michigan, USA, had been named as the beneficiary in a 1986 will. However, Doreen changed her will in 2020 after Ben's parents suggested she enter a care home. Chiswick argued that his great-aunt lacked the mental capacity to alter her will due to dementia.
The court heard that Doreen, described as 'independent' and 'stubborn', had a deep emotional attachment to her home in Mottingham, south London. She was offended when the Chiswicks suggested residential care in 2019, fearing a loss of independence. Simon Stock, a tax advisor, had been like a son to Doreen, contributing to his school fees when he was a child.
Judge Jane Evans-Gordon ruled that Doreen understood the implications of changing her will, despite her dementia. The judge accepted that Doreen's resentment towards the Chiswicks over the care home suggestion was genuine and not a result of undue influence. Ben Chiswick's claim was dismissed, and the estate remains with Simon and Catherine Stock.
