A father had been assisted in his business by his second son. After the father’s death, the mother transferred the business assets to that second son. After her death, the elder son sought the transfer of those assets back into her estate, saying that in the absence of her having taken independent advice, the younger son’s position brought an implication of undue influence.
Held: The mother’s actions were adequately explained by her wish to do what she thought her husband would have wanted.
Fletcher Moulton LJ summarised the general rules applicable to cases of persons who are competent to form an opinion of their own: ‘All that is necessary is that some independent person, free from any taint of the relationship, or of the consideration of interest which would affect the act, should put clearly before the person what are the nature and the consequences of the act. It is for adult persons of competent mind to decide whether they will do an act, and I do not think that independent and competent advice means independent and competent approval. It simply means that the advice shall be removed entirely from the suspected atmosphere; and that from the clear language of an independent mind, they should know precisely what they are doing.’
and ‘It is possible that there might have been a transaction between the son and the mother, with regard to a purchase of this leasehold property, in which the son would have had to shew that he had given her full information in every possible way as to the value. But in this case the gift was not based on value in any way at all. The mother knew the house, she had lived in it for twenty years, and knew the son was managing it. She meant it to go to the son whatever its value was . .’
Neville J, Fletcher Moulton L
[1911] 1 Ch 174
England and Wales
Citing:
Appealed to – Re Coomber; Coomber v Coomber CA 2-Jan-1911
The Coomber family sold beer in Battersea. Coomber Senior had increasingly relied on his second son. After his father’s death, the second son continued to run the business. His mother shortly afterwards assigned both the licence and the premises to . .
Cited by:
Appeal from – Re Coomber; Coomber v Coomber CA 2-Jan-1911
The Coomber family sold beer in Battersea. Coomber Senior had increasingly relied on his second son. After his father’s death, the second son continued to run the business. His mother shortly afterwards assigned both the licence and the premises to . .
Cited – Royal Bank of Scotland v Etridge (No 2); Barclays Bank plc v Harris; Midland Bank plc v Wallace, etc HL 11-Oct-2001
Wives had charged the family homes to secure their husband’s business borrowings, and now resisted possession orders, claiming undue influence.
Held: Undue influence is an equitable protection created to undo the effect of excess influence of . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Trusts, Undue Influence
Leading Case
Updated: 09 November 2021; Ref: scu.222821
