Claims made by Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy on his £24million fortune are likely to come to nothing, a leading lawyer has warned.
The One Direction singer, who tragically passed away last October, hadn’t made a will – meaning that his ex-partner Cheryl Tweedy, mum to their son Bear, has been handed control of the estate. Their young son is expected to be the sole beneficiary, alongside music lawyer Richard Bray, who’s been appointed an administrator.
Despite being left without any automatic legal claim, it’s been reported that might have a case if she were to fight for a slice of the estate.
Kate, who the MailOnline reported to have been receiving a £20,000 monthly allowance from Liam and had access to his credit card, might attempt a ‘reasonable financial provision’ claim – essentially arguing that she depended on him, according to experts.
And while they weren’t engaged, it’s been suggested that three pieces of ‘evidence’ could support her case – a note reportedly penned by Liam stating: “Me and Kate to marry within a year/engaged and 2gether 4ever 444”, the number ‘444’ often linked to spiritual reassurance, plus testimonies from Kate and Liam’s pal Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores.
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But solicitor John Lambe, partner at Forbes Solicitors and expert in contentious estate claims, believes Kate’s chances are slim.
He explains: “Courts are generally very sceptical of informal, non-binding statements regarding future marriage intentions.
“Testimonies, whether personal conversations between Kate and Liam about a desire to get married and have children in the future, or a friend’s testimony about Liam asking him to be best man one day, would not carry the same weight as documented evidence or formal commitments like an engagement.
“The testimonies would not establish a legal or financial obligation, which a court would be looking for.”
Lambe explained how no matter now personal and genuine, this type of evidence would also fail to convince a court about the sincerity of future matrimony, as the couple weren’t engaged.
“In this sense, a claim on the estate would struggle because it’s unable to show the relationship was akin to a common-law partnership,” he said.
“The strength of evidence about Kate’s financial dependency on Liam will require a factual and consistent history of financial dependence.
The legal expert outlined how bank statements may well show deposits of a monthly allowance into Kate’s account, but it’s conceivable this could be dismissed as generosity.
“A successful claim would need to demonstrate that the financial support was substantial enough to establish maintenance,” he said.
“It’s also worth considering that the estate’s administrators and beneficiaries would most like contest the dependency and argue that the support was discretionary, rather than obligatory.
“Bringing a claim in these circumstances would prove extremely contentious. It could take months and months to resolve, at a time when loved ones may want to be focusing on processing grief and treasuring memories.”