Three daughters who were cut out of their mother’s will after she left everything to her son have won a share of a £3 million inheritance.
Ho Chin, 82, was pressured by her traditionalist husband George, 87, into leaving everything to their only son Winston, sparking a legal battle.
The couple’s daughters, Ivy, 60, Rose, 61, and Ruby, 57, insisted their mother had wanted them to receive something from the family’s £3 million fortune, but she signed a new will which left them nothing after suffering a stroke that left her frail.
Judge Milwyn Jarman QC has now agreed the will was “procured by the undue influence” of her husband or son — or both — and said Mrs Chin signed the document “for the sake of a quiet life”. “It is likely her desire to avoid family squabbles and enjoy a peaceful life played a large part in her succumbing to those wishes,” he told the High Court. Mr and Mrs Chin built their restaurant business and property investments after moving to Essex from Hong Kong in 1965.
Mrs Chin wanted to leave her £97,500 share of the family restaurant in Southchurch Road, Southend, to her five daughters and son equally, but was “worn down”, the court heard.
She wrote a will in 2009 which stated: “I am very happy that my only son, Winston, is the main beneficiary of the Chin estate. I also want to bless my five daughters with my share in the property.” But a document drawn up two years later cut out her daughters.
Judge Jarman ruled Mrs Chin did not fully understand the new will, which was written in English rather than the Chinese languages she usually used, and Winston had kept it “secret” until after their mother’s death in 2015.
A fourth sister Lia, 47, supported her brother, while a fifth, Lydia, 54, was not involved. The judge ruled the 2009 will represents Mrs Chin’s final wishes, and her share should be split equally between her children.
