Overview
- Mr Justice Green struck out John and Steven Maile's challenge to their grandmother's 2016 codicil and ordered them, their mother, and their father to give up possession of West Hook Farm to executrix Sheila Kempthorne.
- The judge found no undue influence or lack of testamentary capacity and said the allegation against the family's solicitor was extraordinary and should never have been made.
- Secret recordings made by John Maile were cited as evidence of pressure on the deceased, with the judge describing his conduct as scheming and intimidating.
- An earlier 2011 will named the grandsons as beneficiaries, but the 2016 codicil left the 170-acre farm near Okehampton to Mary Stevens' two daughters; Mary died in 2020.
- The brothers were allowed to keep the livestock, while the court noted the farm's near‑century family history and assets valued at about £2.65 million, including a farmhouse, holiday cottages, and outbuildings.