Wives at war over bigamist husband’s £1.8m fortune after he secretly married both of them

Two women are locked in a legal battle over the £1.8 million fortune left behind by accountant James Dinsdale, who secretly married both of them before his death from cancer in October 2020 at the age of 55.

Margaret Dinsdale, 41, who believed she was James’ lawful wife, discovered after his passing that he was still legally married to his first wife, Victoria Fowell. The revelation meant her marriage was “void,” leaving her with no automatic right to inherit his estate.

The dispute has now reached the High Court, where Margaret is seeking a share of the estate, claiming she married James “in good faith.”

James had married Dr Fowell, a cosmetic dentist, in 2012 during a trip to Las Vegas. However, they never divorced. Five years later, he married Margaret in a Vegas chapel located just 600 metres from the venue of his first wedding.

Margaret’s lawyer, Jonathan Davey KC, told the court that she had no knowledge of James still being married and assumed his assets would be split between her and James’ son William under intestacy laws.

“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,” Davey said.

“We have no idea what James’ state of mind was, perhaps he didn’t realise he wasn’t divorced. Margaret’s assertion is that she believed the deceased to be unmarried and already divorced when she married him in good faith.”

Margaret is now seeking “reasonable provision” from James’ estate under the 1975 Inheritance Act, claiming at least half of the £1.8 million. The legal claim has been brought against Dr Fowell and James’ 28-year-old son William. Mr Davey described the couple’s relationship as loving and said Margaret cared for James “24 hours a day” after his cancer diagnosis.

“She and James had a relatively lavish lifestyle, which was funded by his wealth and she was entirely financially dependent on the deceased,” he said. “Dr Fowell and William Dinsdale were not being financially maintained by the deceased at the time of his death.”

The court heard conflicting claims regarding money already received by Margaret. While it was reported she had received £375,000 “from the estate or in sums derived from James,” her lawyer argued the true figure was just £20,000.

High Court judge Master James Brightwell has allocated £50,000 from the estate to Margaret to help cover her living expenses and legal costs as the case continues.

He ordered a future hearing to determine how James’ estate should be divided among Dr Fowell, Margaret, and William. Under the Inheritance Act, individuals treated as a spouse or civil partner are eligible for higher payouts compared to unmarried partners.

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