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Mother leaves £1.1m to son over daughter's lack of love; judge rejects suit

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Central London County Court confirmed the validity of a 2018 will that disinherited Aysel Gencay and her younger brother, Attila, in favour of the eldest son, Dogan Halil. Gencay argued her mother was improperly swayed by Dogan, despite her own regular visits from Turkey to see the matriarch before her death at age 94. Judge Mark Raeside KC dismissed the suit, concluding there was no proof the eldest son helped draft the final will or the accompanying explanatory notes. Notably, Dogan and his wife had already arranged to pass a one-third share of the assets to Attila using a deed of variation.

Key points

  • The county court ruled that the 2018 will was valid and completely reflected the independ…: The county court ruled that the 2018 will was valid and completely reflected the independent wishes of the deceased.
  • Lack of evidence regarding improper assistance or manipulation led the judge to entirely…: Lack of evidence regarding improper assistance or manipulation led the judge to entirely dismiss the daughter's legal claim.
  • Longstanding inheritance intentions can be legally overridden if the testator consciously…: Longstanding inheritance intentions can be legally overridden if the testator consciously chooses to alter them without improper pressure.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

A family dispute over a £1.1 million inheritance has ended with a UK judge upholding the will of a London mother who excluded her daughter and younger son from her estate, saying they had failed to show her enough “love and respect”. According to a report by The Independent, Dervishe Halil, who died aged 94 in 2021, left her entire estate to her eldest son, Dogan Halil, in her final will, drawn up in 2018. Her daughter, Aysel Gencay, challenged the document, alleging that her brother had manipulated their mother into changing her inheritance plans. The court rejected her claims and ruled that the will was valid.

Dervishe, who was originally from Cyprus, moved to London with her husband in 1952. She had three children and, in earlier versions of her will, intended to divide her wealth among them. However, relations within the family deteriorated following a dispute between Dogan and his younger sister Aysel. The disagreement centred partly on a valuable family property in Packington Street, Islington, with Aysel accusing her brother of taking part of the property for…

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