A grieving 79-year-old widow received a surprising shock when she was told that her millionaire husband of 42 years left her nothing in his will.
Joan Thompson, 79, had lived with her husband Wynford Hodge in Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom, for 42 years leading up to his death in 2017.
His net worth was around $2.1m, but instead of leaving anything to his wife or children he left a bulk of his wealth to “tenants who were kind to him in his final days”.
New York Post reported that Hodge had made clear that he did not want his wife, Joan, or her four children to inherit any of his fortunes. He dubbed his wife “financially comfortable” despite her having a modest $3,500 in the bank.
Thompson had been forced to live in a nursing home.
However, Judge Jarman ruled for Thompson to inherit a $318,000 cottage on the estate the judge believed Hodge had failed to match up to his responsibilities to his long-term partner.
He also ruled the landowner’s belief that his wife would need no financial support after his death as a “mistake.”
In addition to the cottage, widow Joan will receive almost $268,000 in cash to pay for the refurbishment and to provide her with reasonable financial support.
Hodge, who suffered from prostate cancer, made more than 10 wills before his death. In the hospital, before he died, Hodge told Joan “not to worry, as she would be well looked after,” Cardiff High Court heard.
But in his final will, he chose to leave it all to tenants Karla Evans and Agon Berisha, who had carried out unpaid errands and helped him with his shopping.