Animals miss out as daughter recovers farm
The RSPCA is appealing against a High Court ruling that a Yorkshire farm should be inherited by a widow’s daughter and not bequeathed to the animal charity as stated in the will
The High Court, sitting in Leeds, ruled that the will, leaving the £2.3m property to the charity and excluding Dr Christine Gill, was invalid because Joyce Gill had been coerced by her husband to make a will contrary to her wishes.
A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said the charity was surprised and disappointed by the ruling and concerned about the implications for charities and other groups. The RSPCA had made different offers to Dr Gill to settle this through possible compromises, including an offer of £650,000 plus her costs.
‘Throughout this, the RSPCA has been in an extremely difficult position,’ she said. ‘The will left by Dr Gill’s parents was very clear – in one sentence they left their entire estate to the RSPCA, and in the next they said their daughter should receive nothing. In that situation the RSPCA cannot just walk away. In fact we are legally obliged to seek the funds under charitable law.’
Dr Gill said in a statement: ‘I always believed from what my mother said to me, that she wanted to leave me the farm. That is what the court has decided today.’
Author: Clarissa Dann
Clarissa Dann was the editor of Caritas as well as an HR and management online service,he People Bulletin until July 2011.
She is now the editor of the specialist trade finance magazine, Trade and Forfaiting Review which can be viewed at www.tfreview.com but does write on charity finance and investment from time to time.
Clarissa has a background in legal and professional publishing, as well as business journalism and holds an MBA from
There are no comments on this article. Be the first to comment.