Tel Aviv | Court rejects attempts by relatives to challenge will of deceased man with whom they have not communicated for 20 years

A family court in Tel Aviv has rejected a lawsuit seeking to invalidate a will in which the deceased left 15 million shekels to his friend and his neighbor.

The plaintiffs alleged that the testator was unlawfully influenced to disinherit his family members and leave all the money to a friend and neighbor.

However, when the case was examined, it turned out that the relatives had not communicated with the deceased since the early 2000s, and that in the last years of his life he was looked after by his friend and his neighbour, who did his shopping for him, shared his leisure time with him and helped him get to the synagogue and return home.

Eyewitness testimony and an analysis of medical records by a court-appointed expert showed that the deceased’s cognitive abilities were normal at the time the will was drafted.

In making his decision, he noted that the plaintiffs cannot claim that pressure was exerted on the deceased, since they have not communicated with him for the last 20 years and have no idea about his life during this period.