Two wives married to same man fight over his £1.8m fortune
James Dinsdale, an accountant, died of cancer aged 55 in October 2020, and his most recent partner Margaret Dinsdale, 41, assumed that she would inherit his estate as next of kin.
But the beautician was shocked to discover that Mr Dinsdale was still legally married to his first wife when they got married in 2017, making their marriage 'void' and leaving her with no automatic right to inherit.
In 2012, Mr Dinsdale had married Dr Victoria Fowell, 53, a cosmetic dentist, in Las Vegas but never divorced her – making her the accountant's heir alongside his adult son under intestacy laws.
The two women are now in a High Court battle after Ms Dinsdale launched a claim for her late husband's money on the basis she should be treated as a 'spouse'.
In a preliminary hearing, High Court judge Master James Brightwell heard that Mr Dinsdale built a property development business and left an estate now valued at around £1.8m.
Jonathan Davey KC, Ms Dinsdale's barrister, said his client met in Mr Dinsdale in 2008 and became friends, before beginning a 'romantic relationship' in 2014, but she had no idea he was still married.
Mr Dinsdale had not made a will so his money is set to be divided between Dr Fowell and his son, William Dinsdale, 28.
Mr Davey said 'there is no evidence' that Ms Dinsdale was aware of her husband's still-valid marriage to Dr Fowell when they married in 2017.
He said: 'She understood the marriage between the deceased and Dr Fowell to have ended some time prior to the relationship between the deceased and the claimant beginning.
Touching on Mr Dinsdale's 2017 wedding, he noted that the ceremony took place 'in almost the same location', in a Las Vegas wedding chapel – similar to the one where Mr Dinsdale and Dr Fowell were married in June 2012.
Ms Dinsdale has made a claim in court for ' reasonable provision ' amounting to at least half of the £1.8m estate left by Mr Dinsdale.
Mr Davey said Ms Dinsdale had looked after her husband '24 hours per day' during his final struggles with terminal cancer and was his 'primary carer.'
He said the couple had been together for six years, and Ms Dinsdale was 'entirely financially dependent' on him after giving up work during their marriage.
Mr Davey highlighted no evidence of 'financial need' on the part of Dr Fowell, and Ms Dinsdale alleged that her husband had provided his first wife with a property and a £2m lump sum after their relationship ended.
Although the court heard it is alleged that Ms Dinsdale has already received £375,000 'from the estate or in sums derived from James', Mr Davey said that is denied and that she has only received £20,000 from his pension.
Judge Brightwell ruled it was 'not disputed' that Ms Dinsdale should be considered a 'spouse' and said there should be a future hearing regarding how the estate should be divided between his wives and son.
The judge also allocated Ms Dinsdale £50,000 from the estate to help cover her bills and contribute towards lawyers' bills as the case progresses.
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