We act on behalf of clients who feel aggrieved at being left out of a will or not getting what was promised to them during someone’s lifetime. We also act for executors of estates to any defeat claims against the estate. Our team will guide you through this process and where possible, try to resolve matters amicably without the need to go to court.
If you wish to contest a will, you should get advice immediately as there are strict timeframes that must be complied with.
The main reasons to challenge a will are:
The first thing our team will do is ensure that there is a valid will. A will can be challenged on the basis that it does not comply with Irish law. In order to be valid, the will must be in writing, it must be signed at the end by the testator in the presence of two witnesses present at the same time and the witnesses must sign in the presence of the testator. The witnesses can’t also be beneficiaries or spouses of beneficiaries, as the gift will be deemed invalid. If you have reason to challenge any of the requirements, an action can be brought.
A testator must also be of sound mind which is dealt with below.
A will can be challenged by claims that the testator did not have capacity to make a will at the time and did not understand the meaning of what they were doing. These claims often arise where a will was made or changed while the testator was suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. However, it is important to be aware that a person can lose capacity at any age due to mental illness or an acquired brain injury.
The person making a claim that the testator did not have capacity to make a will must establish that the testator was incapable of making a valid will. The proof must go beyond merely identifying a mental illness or other condition which affects the mind. In the absence of medical evidence from the testator’s doctor, a court is likely to pay more heed to the evidence of the testator’s solicitor and of the people closest to the testator.
The test which has been used by the court sets out that the testator must:
Therefore, in order to succeed in challenging a will on the grounds of lack of capacity, a claimant must show that the testator did not understand the nature of what they were signing.
A claim of undue influence is made where there is a belief that someone exerted pressure on the testator to make a will which benefited themselves. If you believe that the testator was under undue influence by another person, advice should be sought at an early stage. It can be difficult to prove and factors would include whether the deceased was dependant on that person at the time the will was made, whether the deceased was frail or ill and therefore more vulnerable, whether the will made amendments and included a person who was not provided for in earlier wills.
A claimant bears the burden of proof of showing that the testator was coerced into making a disposition in favour of a particular beneficiary. There must be positive proof of coercion overpowering the volition of the testator so the burden on the claimant set out by the court is high.
The spouse of the deceased is entitled to a legal right share in the estate regardless of whether or not provision was made in the will. If the deceased had children, the legal right share is one third of the estate and if the deceased had no children, the legal right share is half of the estate. The legal right share ranks in priority to all other devises and bequests under a will.
A spouse can make an election to take his or her legal right share within a year from the date of the grant of probate or within six months of receipt of notification of their inheritance, whichever is the later.
A child can make an application to the court pursuant to Section 117 of the Succession Act 1965 for a share in the estate if it does not make proper provision for them. They must show that the deceased failed in their moral duty to make proper provision for the child. There are strict timelines for bringing a claim so it is imperative that advice is sought at an early stage.
There are a number of criteria which can be taken into account by the court when deciding whether the deceased failed in their moral duty to make proper provision for the child including:
Any child seeking to make a claim under Section 117 should try as best as possible to identify what if any monies he or she received from the deceased in the past.
A section 117 application is not available to a child where the deceased died without a Will as the child is automatically entitled to a third of the estate.
It should be noted that this is an evolving area of law so the criteria required is subject to change.
The Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations Act 2010 (the “Cohabitants Act) sets out that a cohabitant or civil partner can seek redress from the court if there is no provision for them in the will or the testator died intestate (without making a will). In order to qualify, an unmarried couple must be living together for at least 5 years or 2 years if they have a child together. There are short timelines within which to bring an application so advice should be sought shortly after the death of a partner.
Section 172(2) of the Cohabitants Act sets out what a Court will consider when deciding if someone qualifies as a cohabitant. These are;
If the court makes an order, the inheritance will be taken tax free. If a testator has made provision for their unmarried partner in a will, the inheritance will be subject to Capital Acquisitions Tax in the same way as if they were strangers. This is vastly different to the position of a spouse who takes their legal right share and any other disposition tax free.
A will can be contested on various grounds, including challenging the validity of the will, claiming that the testator did not have capacity to make a will or was under the undue influence of another person at the time the will was made.
A claim can also be made by a child, spouse or co-habitant if proper provision has not been made for them.
Any person who claims to have an interest in an estate can contest a will. Usually a claim is made by aggrieved family members who were excluded from a will but some claims, such as a claim for estoppel, can be made by any person who relied to their detriment on a promise made by the testator.
A will can only be contested after the death of a testator as it does not take effect prior to then.
For some reliefs the Grant of Probate or Grant of Administration must be extracted prior to the commencement of the action. As the time limits differ depending on the relief sought, it is advisable to seek advice at the earliest opportunity.
It is important to note that you cannot bring an action against the Executor for failure to administer the estate until the first anniversary of the death of the testator.
Yes. A will can be contested after a Grant of Probate has issued. In some cases, it is necessary to wait until after a Grant of Probate has issued before commencing proceedings.
The timeframe for bringing an action to contest a will depends on the relief sought.
As the time limits differ depending on the type of claim being brought, it is advisable to seek advice at the earliest opportunity if you believe you have a valid claim against an estate.
The cost of an action will vary on a case by case basis depending on the complexity of the estate, the length of the court hearing etc.
At the outset of your case, a solicitor is required to give you an estimate of the likely cost.
Costs are at the discretion of the court. However, the practice in Ireland has been that the costs are usually paid out of the estate provided the litigation is reasonable in the circumstances and it was conducted bona fide.
It follows from the test that if a court finds a claim unreasonable or frivolous, a costs order could be made against the claimant.
Legal proceedings are issued in the court office to commence an action to contest a will. Pleadings will then be exchanged between the solicitors and the case will be set down for hearing before a judge.
The judge will hear from both sides and make a decision based upon the evidence before him or her.
Every case varies depending on the circumstances. It is difficult to estimate as it will depend on the backlog in the court lists, the speed at which the pleadings are delivered by the party defending the application and whether parties can resolve matters outside of court.
If an amicable resolution can be obtained, it usually cuts down the length of time significantly. Our experienced solicitors endeavour to reach a satisfactory outcome at the earliest possible opportunity.
The merits of each case will be determined based on the specific facts so the chances of success will vary on a case by case basis.
Once you provide the background and instructions to one of our experienced solicitors, they will be in a position to advise on the merits of your case.
