A London court has ordered a man to pay almost £490,000 in legal costs after he lost a bitter dispute over his late brother’s multimillion-pound estate.
The case centred on the estate of the late property investor and restaurateur Abbas Moaven, whose widow, Gabriela Teixeira, successfully challenged documents that significantly reduced the inheritance available to her and the couple’s two children.
Teixeira, a yoga teacher and doula, married Moaven in 2002. Following his death after a battle with cancer, she discovered that his estate had been substantially diminished by declarations of trust signed shortly before his death. The documents claimed that four London properties, previously believed to be owned solely by Moaven, were in fact jointly owned by him, his brother, Amir Moaven, and their mother.
Teixeira brought legal proceedings against her brother-in-law, arguing that the declarations of trust were a sham designed to prevent her and her children from inheriting the bulk of her husband’s wealth. Deputy Master Timothy Bowles agreed, ruling that the documents were not genuine and describing the explanation for their creation as a “fiction.”
The judge found that the declarations were intended to deprive Moaven’s widow of access to a substantial portion of the estate.
Following that ruling, the court has now ordered Amir Moaven to pay approximately £490,000 in legal costs, alongside an accountant and a conveyancing solicitor whom the judge found had assisted in preparing the disputed documents.
Pending a detailed assessment of the final costs, the defendants were ordered to make interim payments of £154,800 towards the legal costs incurred by Teixeira and her children, £318,800 towards the costs of the estate’s administrators, and a further £17,000, which Amir Moaven must pay personally.
During the trial, Teixeira told the court that her husband had never suggested the properties were jointly owned. Her legal team argued that internal legal notes demonstrated the trust arrangements had been created specifically to prevent her and the couple’s children from making claims against the estate.
Amir Moaven maintained that the declarations accurately reflected longstanding ownership arrangements between himself, his brother and their mother.
However, the judge rejected that evidence, finding that Amir had advanced “an entirely fictional and dishonest case” in support of the disputed trust documents.
As a result of the ruling, the four disputed London properties will be restored to Abbas Moaven’s estate, significantly increasing the assets available for distribution to his widow and the couple’s children.
