If you think that the deceased’s signature on their Will is not theirs, you may be able to challenge the Will on the basis of it being forged, for advice and assistance call our leading experts on 0845 144 1441.
In order to prove this, you would have to obtain original examples of the deceased’s signature. As a person’s signature may naturally change over time, and degenerate as they get older, the signatures should be those dated from around the time that the Will was made. It may be necessary at some point to obtain a report from a handwriting expert.
Please note that you can also be penalised by the Court if you allege fraud without reasonable evidence, and are unsuccessful, as it is considered to be a very serious allegation. Under these circumstances, the Court could order that you have to pay your opponent’s legal costs.
This is a very complex area of law, and we would strongly advise that you seek legal advice at the very start of your case, to minimise the potential of costs being ordered against you. Stephensons have a specialist Inheritance Dispute team who will be able to advise you in relation to your dispute. You may also be entitled to Legal Aid, depending on whether you are financially eligible.
