From the beginning, it was not like that.

Cụ ông 91 tuổi tài sản 15 tỷ đồng, nhưng chỉ chia thừa kế mỗi cháu 1,5 triệu: Từ đầu nghe lời thì đã không như vậy - Ảnh 1. — Frederick Ward Snr died in 2020 aged 91 and his will has sparked a bitter family battle. Photo: Champion News

According to the Mirror, a man named Frederick Ward Snr, living in England, passed away in 2020 at the age of 91 with assets of about 500,000 pounds, equivalent to about 15.5 billion VND, kept in a bank account. However, his grandchildren only received an inheritance of 50 pounds, equivalent to 1.5 million VND because they were "too lazy to visit him".

The decision sparked a family row. After all the grandchildren learned that they had been disinherited from the majority of the estate, five of them – Carol Gowing, Angela St Marseille, Amanda Higginbotham, Christine Ward and Janet Pett – launched a lawsuit. They claimed that they should have received at least a third of their grandfather’s estate because their late father was, after all, his biological son.

Frederick Ward Snr, a former soldier turned cable fitter and socialite, lived in Willow Road, South Ealing, London, and died aged 91 in 2020. He had three children, Fred Jr, Terry and Susan. He had previously made a will dividing his assets, including a £450,000 cottage, between the three. But Fred Jr died before his father in 2015, and Mr Ward rarely saw Fred Jr's wife and children after that.

After Mr Ward died, his will was read out to the family by his son Terry. The entire process was recorded and played back in court as evidence later. According to the transcript, after Terry read out the will, a heated argument broke out when Fred Jr.’s five children were completely denied their grandfather’s estate of around £500,000. All they received were envelopes containing £50 in cash.

Angry at the decision, Fred Jr.’s wife and children sued, claiming that their grandfather’s 2018 last will was invalid, made when he was “a sick man” and manipulated by Terry. They also accused Aunt Susan, who cared for Mr. Ward in his final years, of exerting “undue influence” over their grandfather.

Their lawyer told the judge that Terry had shown particular "hatred" towards his niece Carol Gowing after the family fell out over property.

Cụ ông 91 tuổi tài sản 15 tỷ đồng, nhưng chỉ chia thừa kế mỗi cháu 1,5 triệu: Từ đầu nghe lời thì đã không như vậy - Ảnh 2.

However, their case was dismissed by High Court judge James Brightwell in the UK. The will stated that the grandfather's frustration in cutting off his grandchildren due to lack of attention and attendance in his final years was "entirely reasonable". Now, a source close to the family says his daughter-in-law has also expressed "outrage" at her father-in-law's decision.

A source told MailOnline: "She was visibly upset. If her late husband were still alive, he would have been devastated to see his own father treating his children like this. She also believes it's not about money, her children are just fighting for what should have been theirs, as promised by their grandfather."

Ultimately, Supreme Court Justice James Brightwell clarified that the allegation that Terry and Susan had influenced Mr Ward to cut off his nieces' inheritance was "inconclusive".

The judge also dismissed claims that Mr Ward lacked “capacity” to make a will in 2018 or that the will was invalid, based on the relevant information that was investigated.

It can be seen that some people may think that parents must divide their assets equally among their children, and that the child who has passed away will receive that share from their grandchildren, but in reality, this is not the case at all. The decision on how to divide the assets is entirely up to the person with the assets and the will they make. Therefore, the grandchildren who are too lazy to visit their grandfather now have to accept the small amount of money they are given.

Everyone also agreed that if from the beginning the children had cared about their grandfather, visited him and asked about his health, things would not have turned out like this.

*Source: Mirror, MailOnline

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