Tel Aviv Court Overturns Will Favoring Younger Lover
Translated & summarized from Mignews by baba
A Tel Aviv court invalidated a will that disinherited a 42-year marriage husband in favor of a younger lover. The court found the man manipulated the deceased woman, who was in a depressive state and admitted to an affair. The widower was declared the sole heir and the younger man must pay 250,000 shekels in legal costs. The case has been sent to police for a criminal investigation.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Tel Aviv court invalidated a will leaving a woman's estate to a younger lover, disinheriting her husband.
- The court found the younger man manipulated the woman, who was in a depressive state and admitted an affair.
- The widower of 42 years was declared the sole legal heir to the estate.
- The defendant must pay 250,000 shekels in legal costs.
- The case materials were sent to Israeli police for a criminal investigation.
A Tel Aviv Family Court has invalidated a will that left a woman's entire estate to a man 15 years her junior, disinheriting her husband of 42 years. The court ruled that the younger man had manipulated the deceased woman's emotions to gain control of her assets. The court recognized the widower as the sole legal heir.
The couple met the man in 2012 through his mother, who worked at a nursing home where the deceased's mother resided. The man offered household assistance to the couple, gradually earning their trust. Three years later, the woman secretly drafted the will, excluding her husband and prohibiting him from living in their shared apartment. She died in 2021.
Upon the man's petition to validate the will, the widower objected, alleging deception, emotional dependency, and systematic withdrawal of funds from their accounts, including the purchase of a 300,000 shekel Lexus for the defendant. The defendant claimed he viewed the woman as a mother and denied any romantic or financial motives.
The court found the defendant's testimony unreliable and contradictory. Crucial evidence came from a psychiatrist's report, documenting the woman's depressive state and her admission of a love affair with a married builder shortly after signing the will. The psychiatrist noted her mood's critical dependence on the man's actions and her transfer of all assets to him.
Judge Ester Zhitnitsky-Rokover stated the defendant cynically exploited the woman's emotions, creating an illusion of romance for financial gain. The court recognized undue influence and fraud, nullifying the will and restoring all inheritance rights to the widower. The defendant was ordered to pay the plaintiff 250,000 shekels in legal costs, and the case materials were forwarded to the Israeli police for a criminal investigation.
