A widow left disinherited in her husband's will after 66 years of marriage wins half of a £1million inheritance.

A widow whose husband had their four daughters excluded from his will, leaving everything to his two sons, has won a high court case to get a share of an inheritance worth more than £1m.

Judgment

Mr Justice Peel heard that Karnail Singh, who died in 2021, "wanted to leave his inheritance exclusively through the male line" by writing his will in 2005. He heard that Harbans Kaur, who married Singh in 1955, estimated the value of the inheritance at £1.9 million, but one of her sons estimated it at £1.2 million.

The judge, who heard that the family ran a clothing business, decided that Kaur, 83, should receive 50% of the net value of the inheritance. He said it was clear that "reasonable provision" had not been made for Kaur, whose income consisted of state benefits of about £12,000.

Peel, who heard the case in the family division of the High Court in London, said the evidence showed Kaur played a "full role" in the marriage and worked in the family clothing business. In his ruling, the judge said: "By [the will], dated June 25, 2005, the estate was left in equal shares to two children ... sons of the plaintiff and the deceased.

Lawyer's comment

Heledd Wyn, a partner at law firm Shakespeare Martineau, said the ruling should be a warning. The lawyer said: "This decision is proof that people cannot simply be excluded from wills, especially spouses who have made significant contributions over the years. The court was very clear on this point and ruled in the interests of fairness."