Wrigley Claydon Solicitors

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  • Sister wins inheritance after Solicitor’s cat knocks over legal papers to uncover Brother’s lost will

    Venetia Murray has been awarded £2m following an inheritance dispute.

    Venetia’ brother Dean Brunt died in 2007 and was thought not to have made a will.

    His share of a £6m farm he, his brother, Dale, and Venetia owned went to his mother, who then gave it to Dale.

    However, Venetia discovered the existence of two wills made by her brother in 1999 and she pursued a claim against Dale and the mother’s claims.

    It was claimed that one of the wills showed “crucial evidence” of Dean’s intention to give his sister half his wealth. This will was found when a solicitor’s cat knocked over a pile of papers about to be shredded in the solicitor’s office.

    At the High Court in London, Judge Teverson rejected claims by Dale and his mother that the wills were forged, and ruled that Venetia will get half of Dean’s share of the farm.

    Judge Teverson said there was a “substantial amount of evidence” that Dean had talked in the late 1990s about having made a will.

    It was claimed that Dean had told friends he had done what his grandfather would have wanted, leaving his share of the farm to his brother and sister, with his mum getting nothing.

     

    Suffering a dispute can have serious implications on you and your livelihood and reputation.  Our dispute resolution solicitors will quickly and efficiently put your case together and act on your behalf. Call Vijay Srivastava or Shalish Mehta in our civil and commercial litigation department on 0161 624 6811(Option 6) or email vjs@wrigleyclaydon.com or sm@wrigleyclaydon.com. We can advise you on the appropriate course of action and assist with any legal documents or proceedings that may occur.

    Will Dispute
    Civil Litigation
    Dispute Resolution
    Commercial Litigation
    Intellectual Property Solicitors

  • Johnny Depp files for defamation lawsuit against The Sun Newspaper

    Johnny Depp’s defamation litigation against News Group Newspapers over a 2018 article in the Sun newspaper which referred to Depp as a “wife beater” is currently being heard in the High Court.

    The article related to allegations made against Depp by actress Amber Heard that he was violent towards her during their marriage, which he denies.

    In an earlier hearing the newspaper group’s legal team had previously argued that Depp was in breach of a court order because he had not given the team a series of text messages between himself and his assistant. It said the messages, sent in February and March 2015, demonstrated that Depp was trying to get hold of drugs while staying in Australia with Heard, during which time an incident of domestic abuse is alleged to have occurred. However, the Court ruled that despite the breach Depp would be allowed to continue to his case.

    Suffering a dispute can have serious implications on you and your livelihood and reputation.  Our business solicitors will quickly and efficiently put your case together and act on your behalf. Call Vijay Srivastava or Shalish Mehta in our civil and commercial litigation department on 0161 624 6811(Option 6) or email vjs@wrigleyclaydon.com or sm@wrigleyclaydon.com. We can advise you on the appropriate course of action and assist with any legal documents or proceedings that may occur.

    Civil Litigation
    Dispute Resolution
    Commercial Litigation
    Intellectual Property Solicitors

  • Legal action taken against Celtic Football Club regarding sexual abuse allegations

    Formal legal action has begun against Celtic Football Club regarding claims it failed to protect victims from sex abusers working around Celtic Boys’ Club.

     

    Celtic declined to answer questions put forward by the Guardian in relation to the legal action but instead referred to a statement made by the club in February, where it said: “Celtic Football Club is appalled by any form of historic abuse and has great sympathy for those who suffered abuse and for their families. “The club is very sorry that these events took place. The abuse of young people is an abhorrent crime.”

     

    The statement also said: “With regard to the allegations regarding historic abuse at Celtic Boys’ Club (which, so far as we have been made aware, relate to the period prior to 1997), although Celtic Football Club is a separate organisation, we take these extremely seriously because of the historic contacts between the two organisations.”

    Historic sexual abuse cases often involve abuse over a number of years within a family, at a school, in residential care homes or the church.

    We have helped a number of clients who have been victims of historic sexual abuse and have successfully secured thousands of pounds for them.  

    Suffering abuse can have serious implications on you and your livelihood.  Our injury solicitors will quickly and efficiently put your case together and act on your behalf. Call Vijay Srivastava or Shalish Mehta in injury department on 0161 624 6811(Option 6) or email vjs@wrigleyclaydon.com or sm@wrigleyclaydon.com. We can advise you on the appropriate course of action and assist with any legal documents or proceedings that may occur.

    Litigation Solicitors
    Criminal Injuries
    Personal Injury Solicitor
    Accidents at Work
    Claims for Death
    Clinical Negligence Solicitor
    Criminal Injuries
    Dental Negligence Solicitor
    Occupiers Liability Solicitor
    Car Accident Solicitor
    Trips and Slips Accident Compensation Claims

  • Separation and Divorce in challenging times

    With the incremental easing of some of the lockdown restrictions enquiries about divorce and separation are on the rise.

    During the last few months, new enquires were focussed on the reactions to the restrictions imposed by the Prime Minister; such as how best to manage the arrangements for children who were used to spending time between two households (there was never any restriction to prevent the continuance of that) and the impact on the finances of the households where one or other parties circumstances were radically changed.

    Now we are seeing increasing demand for advice about the divorce process and the financial consequences of a likely separation.

    The process in Parliament to make a change to the Divorce law ended on the 17th of June and now awaits Royal Assent (essentially the Queen putting her signature to the new law) but the new “no fault” law allowing a divorce without blame is unlikely to become “useable” until Autumn 2021 according to the Justice Minister.

    If you are thinking about or are ready to separate, we are here to assist and guide you with all aspects of that.

    Our Family Law Solicitors (headed by Rhona Royle) are both committed to helping you through this sensitive time with skill, compassion and good old-fashioned common sense.

  • Rebekah Vardy suing Coleen Rooney for defamation

    Court records show that proceedings for defamation have been registered at the High Court in London by Rebekah Vardy against Coleen Rooney.

    The women had a very public falling-out last year over what was nicknamed the ‘Wagatha Christie’ affair.

    Coleen Rooney claimed she’d discovered that stories leaked to a tabloid newspaper could only have been seen by Rebekah Vardy’s social media account.

    Rebekah Vardy has always denied the claims – saying other people had access to her social media accounts.

     

    Suffering a dispute can have serious implications on you and your livelihood and reputation.  Our business solicitors will quickly and efficiently put your case together and act on your behalf. Call Vijay Srivastava or Shalish Mehta in our civil and commercial litigation department on 0161 624 6811(Option 6) or email vjs@wrigleyclaydon.com or sm@wrigleyclaydon.com. We can advise you on the appropriate course of action and assist with any legal documents or proceedings that may occur.

    Defamation Solicitors
    Civil Litigation
    Dispute Resolution
    Commercial Litigation
    Intellectual Property Solicitors

  • Supreme Court to hear Nigerian communities’ pollution claims against Shell

    The UK Supreme Court will hear arguments from the Ogale and Bille communities in Nigeria that Shell should be held accountable significant and systematic pollution caused by oil extraction in the Niger delta.

    They say they have suffered decades of pollution, including the contamination of their water wells with potentially cancer-causing chemicals, as well as the devastation of mangrove vegetation, all of which was documented by the UN

    The UN reported it could take 30 years to clean up the pollution caused by oil extraction and recommended an initial fund of $1bn (£800m) for the first five years to be paid by the oil companies that operate in Ogoniland – including the largest company, Shell.

    The High Court ruled in January 2017 that Shell was not responsible for the harm because it was merely a holding company that did not exercise any control over its subsidiary.

    Wrigley Claydon Solicitors have been trusted for 225 years and have offices in Manchester, Oldham and Todmorden

  • Relief for bereaved families

    When someone passes away, banks and building societies will typically freeze their accounts and if the balance in the account is significant, they will require an official document known as a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration before most of the money can be released. This process can take months.

    However, some of Britain’s largest banks are increasing the amounts of money they will release from customer accounts to bereaved relatives without them first having to apply for a Grant.

    This is welcome news for many bereaved families, but concerns have been raised that as a result of the informal waiving of probate requirements the system could now be open to abuse. There are a number of practical issues that that need to be considered such as large amounts of money falling into the wrong hands and the implications this can have on the administration of an estate .For example  recouping money that has been paid out to the wrong person or  keeping track of the amounts of money due to the estate and how they should be shared out  can be difficult. This can also result in family disputes.

    With this in mind it is even more important to ensure that you have a Will. By having a Will, you can set out your wishes and appoint an executor or executors who you trust and know will administer your estate in accordance with your wishes as set out in your Will. If you have a will, the banks and building societies can only release your money to your chosen executors.

     If you would like to discuss making a Will or wish to review your current Will the team at Wrigley Claydon will be happy to help. Please call Rachel Damianou or Jyoti Patel on (0161) 624 6811 or email them at rld@wrigleyclaydon.com and jxp@wrigleyclaydon.com.

    Our offices are now open for clients by appointment and we hope to reopen our Saddleworth clinic very soon.

  • A Helping Hand

    Many people will have been isolating over recent months and some will be continuing to do so. It is at times like these that we realise how much we depend on others to help us out and that it’s essential to have a good network of people we can rely on. However, those we rely on need to have the tools to enable them to help us. During lock down many people have found a Lasting Power of Attorney was invaluable and many others have come to realise the need to have one.

     

    So what is a Lasting Power of Attorney?

    In its simplest form it is a legal document that you sign authorising someone to help deal with your affairs if necessary.

     

    Why can my next of kin not help me without one?

    More and more authorities are now requiring a Power of Attorney because sadly individuals have been taken advantage of by their family.

     

    Why should I make one now when I am fit and healthy?

    If you wait until you sadly have lost mental capacity due to illness or dementia it will sadly be too late for a Power of Attorney.

     

    How can I make a Power of Attorney?

    You can download the forms from the Office of the Public Guardian website or contact a solicitor. A solicitor will be able to act as the witness to your signatures and also carry out the assessment necessary to confirm you have the ability to make the Power of Attorney. Please call 0161 624 6811 or email rld@wrigleyclaydon.com and one of our team will be happy to answer any questions you may have and the prepare the paperwork for you if you decide to proceed.

  • Tiger King’s Joe Exotic Forced To Hand Zoo Over Following Legal Battle

    Joe Exotic, the subject of a cult documentary Tiger King on Netflix, has been forced to hand his zoo over to his Tiger King co-star and rival Carole Baskin.

     

    The GW Exotic Animal Memorial Park in Oklahoma had been left by Exotic to his former business partner – and fellow Tiger King star – Jeff Lowe and his mother. However, a judge has now ruled that this transfer was, in fact, fraudulent, and handed the land over to Baskin,

    The ruling forms part of a $1 million settlement Exotic was ordered to pay Baskin due to copyright infringement.

     

    A reunion special, The Tiger King And I, followed a month later, although Baskin declined to take part, as she was unhappy with how she was depicted on screen.

     

    Suffering a dispute can have serious implications on you and your livelihood and reputation.  Our business solicitors will quickly and efficiently put your case together and act on your behalf. Call Vijay Srivastava or Shalish Mehta in our civil and commercial litigation department on 0161 624 6811(Option 6) or email vjs@wrigleyclaydon.com or sm@wrigleyclaydon.com. We can advise you on the appropriate course of action and assist with any legal documents or proceedings that may occur.

    Litigation Solicitors
    Civil Litigation
    Dispute Resolution
    Commercial Litigation

  • New insolvency law to help businesses survive in face of ‘aggressive debt recovery’ during pandemic

    Businesses struggling to stay afloat through the Covid-19 crisis could be saved by the introduction of a new Corporate Governance and Insolvency Bill giving companies time to restructure, refinance and keep trading when they might otherwise go out of business because of debts caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

    Under the rules, wrongful trading provisions will be temporarily suspended; meaning directors could continue trading through the pandemic without the threat of personal liability.

    Wrongful trading makes it an offence for a company to continue trading when they know a business will not be able to avoid going into liquidation. However, the pandemic means that thousands of businesses have found themselves in a position where they must trade when they are technically insolvent.

    The measure will suspend the use of written demands from creditors to pay a debt, known as statutory demands, where the debt has been caused by the coronavirus crisis.

    Winding-up petitions, which allow creditors to demand that a company in default of its debt payments will also be suspended until at least the end of June.

    Directors still have legal responsibilities under wider company law and these duties would remain in place, as would measures in insolvency law to penalise directors who abuse their position.

    When it comes to legal advice, all businesses need someone skilled, reliable and experienced they can turn to for support and guidance. Call John Porter  in our Company and Commercial Dept on 0161 624 6811(Option 4) or email jap@wrigleyclaydon.com.

    Company and Commercial Solicitors
    Commercial Property Solicitors
    Employment Solicitor in Manchester, Oldham and Todmorden
    Company Law Solicitors
    Company Health Check
    Landlord Advice
    Licensing Solicitor
    Commercial Litigation