Heir Hunter Ordered to Pay £250,000 in Legal Fees

After failing to acknowledge the will of a pensioner, Andrew Fraser, a professional heir hunter, has been ordered to pay costs of £250,000. 

 

 

Andrew Fraser, of firm Fraser and Fraser, a genealogist had been asked to investigate the will of a 1930s model, Tessa Amstell. Fraser questioned whether the will had been made with impartiality and whether Ms Amstell did in fact have capacity at the time the will was written.   The will was subsequently lost and the application for probate was never made. 

 

Due to there being no will, Fraser applied for power of attorney, grant of probate and began the administration process of the estate.  Fraser’s company entered into an agreement with alternative blood relative, Keith Simpson, which would entitle the company to a substantial commission. 

 

Martin Amstell, Tessa's nephew and to whom a large proportion of the estate had been left in the original will, challenged Fraser and was given full control of the estate.  Fraser was eventually ordered to pay £250,000 in costs.   Judge Nigel Gerald said Fraser was “primarily focused on his financial gain and was materially misleading.”