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06/11/2009
Sellars error may show need to keep wills up to date |
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New legal revelations about the will of late comedian Peter Sellars have revealed that the wrong woman inherited his fortune because changes to his documents were not made in time.
Papers that are being put up for auction have revealed that as Mr Sellars was in the process of being divorced from his fourth wife Lynne Frederick in 1980, the pair drew up an agreement that would exclude her from his will once the marriage was officially over.
However, he died of a heart attack before the divorce came through, meaning that as they were officially wed, she inherited £4.5 million.
The longer-term consequence was that Ms Frederick's daughter from a different relationship inherited her fortune when she died in 1994, whereas Peter Sellars' own children only got £750 each in his will.
Such a situation may suggest that those looking to change a will should ask a lawyer skilled in will drafting to compile the document in a way that would cover contingencies such as somebody dying while a legal process is incomplete.
Earlier this week, director general of the Society of Will Writers Brian McMillan said many wills are invalidated because they are not updated to take account of changes to family situations or instances of moving house.
Written by Anthony Dyson
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