PC: AI Generated
An accountant and property developer died, leaving an estate valued at around £1.8 million, but two women claimed to be his wife after he married them in Las Vegas five years apart. James Dinsdale married dentist Victoria Fowell in 2012 and beautician Margaret Dinsdale in 2017. Dinsdale died from cancer in October 2020, aged 55, without leaving a will. Dinsdale married Dr Victoria Fowell, a cosmetic dentist based in St Albans, at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas in June 2012. Five years later, he married Margaret at the Chapel of the Flowers on the same street, about 600 metres from the first venue.
His estate was due to pass to Fowell and his son under intestacy rules.
Margaret asked the High Court to recognise her as a spouse for an inheritance claim and award her a share of the estate, according to the Independent. The couple did not divorce.
He had not divorced his first wife before the second ceremony, making the later marriage void.
Margaret’s barrister told the court that she and Dinsdale had met in 2008 and become friends before starting a romantic relationship in 2014. Dinsdale died in October 2020, aged 55, after cancer. Margaret brought a claim under the Inheritance Act 1975, seeking reasonable financial provision from the estate. Her claim was for at least half of the £1.8 million fortune. Master James Brightwell was told it was not disputed that Margaret should be considered a spouse under the 1975 Act. It was alleged that she had received £375,000 from the estate or sums derived from Dinsdale.
Under intestacy rules, his estate was due to be shared by Fowell and his adult son, William Dinsdale. Because she had married Dinsdale in good faith, believing he was no longer married to Fowell, she argued that she should be treated as a spouse.
He told the court she did not know he remained married to Fowell and only discovered the earlier marriage after his death. Her barrister said she believed Dinsdale was divorced when they married. At a preliminary High Court hearing, Margaret’s barrister Jonathan Davey KC said she had been Dinsdale’s primary carer during his final illness and had looked after him around the clock. He said, “She and James had a relatively lavish lifestyle, which was funded by his wealth and she was entirely financially dependent on the deceased. ” “Dr Fowell and William Dinsdale were not being financially maintained by the deceased at the time of his death.
They moved in together the following year. He had built a property development business based around central London and left no will. Her claim was against Fowell and Dinsdale’s son William. The court heard that they had been together for six years and planned to have children. He made a declaration to that effect for the purposes of her claim. The declaration did not decide how much Margaret would receive. Master Brightwell directed that a further hearing should consider how the estate would be divided between Margaret, Fowell and William. The court also heard differing accounts of money Margaret had already received.
Her barrister disputed that figure, saying she had received only £20,000 from his pension. The judge allocated Margaret £50,000 from the estate to help meet her bills and legal costs while the case continued. Her projected legal costs were estimated at about £175,000 overall.
The information reflects the statements and legal proceedings reported in the case. Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available court proceedings and media reports. The Times of India has not independently verified the details of the marriages, financial arrangements, or inheritance claims. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.