Robert Grierson, a 56-year-old barrister specializing in tax and will disputes, has lost a court battle against his younger brother Duncan over a £1.2 million inheritance.
The case revolved around allegations that Robert forged their late mother's signature to exclude Duncan from the family fortune.
The High Court heard that Elise Grierson, the brothers' mother, had altered her will shortly after their father's death in 2022, favoring Robert with the majority of the estate.
However, Duncan challenged this change, arguing that a previous will from 2020, which divided the estate equally, was their mother's true intention. He claimed there was no valid reason for her to have changed her mind in the intervening years.
Central to the dispute was a 2013 declaration of trust that purportedly awarded Robert half of Elise's £1 million home in Sutton Coldfield. Judge Joanne Wicks KC found both the house gift and the will invalid, citing "compelling evidence" that Elise did not sign the trust document herself.
Furthermore, the will was deemed improperly witnessed, and Robert could not prove that Elise was of sound mind when it was made.
Duncan's barrister, Constance McDonnell KC, presented expert testimony suggesting that Elise's signature on the trust document was likely a "simulation," possibly created using an "indented tracing guideline."
This evidence led the judge to rule in favor of Duncan, despite Robert's absence from court to defend himself. While the court did not make a definitive finding on whether Robert committed forgery, his defense was struck out due to his failure to disclose evidence earlier in the year.
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