H I G H P R O F I L E
I N H E R I TA N C E
D I S P U T E S
What cases were in the public eye towards the festive period? Well we’ve got
some bitesize articles for you to look at below – surprisingly the articles share
one common ground – disputes over inheritance.
B LY T H V E STATE OF CH AR LES
CAU D LE ( 2 0 1 9)
This has been quite a high-profile case for some
time following an ongoing dispute between
Mr Caudle’s fiancée and his ex-wife over his
estate.
Background
After divorcing his wife Ms Muddleman in 2007,
Mr Caudle started a relationship with another
successful business owner, Ms Blyth, in 2008.
Shortly after, Ms Blyth moved into Mr Caudles
multi-million-pound home and soon after, they
were engaged.
In 2010 Ms Blyth moved out of the home with
their children and into a bungalow owned
by Mr Caudle worth around £300,000. It is
claimed the reason for this was because there
was friction between his son and Ms Blyth’s
children. However, they continued to be in
a loving relationship until he died in 2016
18
the society of will writers
following a battle with cancer.
Mr Caudle died leaving a Will which he had
signed in 2014. In the Will it named his ex-wife
as the executor and trustee of his estate with
his son as the only beneficiary. Incidentally the
Will did refer to Ms Blyth as his fiancée but
only provided for her once the gifts and any
other legacies were paid out first. There was
no provision for her to remain in the bungalow
with her children.
Ms Blyth argued that after she moved out
of the home, she maintained to be in a
relationship with him and he had always told
her she would have a “roof over her head.”
However, it was very clear that he had not
gifted her the bungalow and therefore action
commenced against Ms Blyth on the grounds
of trespass.