The son of a multi-millionaire car boot king is in a legal battle with his young step-mum over the family inheritance after not receiving a penny from his Dad’s £5m Will.
Richard Scott died at the age of 81 last summer after making a fortune from managing the UK’s second biggest boot fair from his huge Cheshire farm – where ITV’s ‘Car Boot Challenge’ was filmed.
Mr Scott’s eldest son, Adam Scott, aged 56, says he worked closely on the farm with his father from a young age and was told it would be all his one day.
But following Richard’s remarriage to Jennifer Scott, who was 28 years younger than him, Adam was written out of his Will entirely – but instead left control of his millions to Jennifer.
Adam, who is two years younger than his step-mum is in a legal fight to win back his inheritance, claiming his father was not of sound mind when he signed his two final Wills.
But Jennifer’s lawyers claim that Richard knew exactly what he was doing when he disinherited Adam and confirmed their relationship had “completely broken down” after he attempted to get his father sectioned.
Adam’s lawyers told Judge Nicholas Caddick QC at London’s High Court that the Scott family had been farming in Cheshire for around 300 years and “traditionally passed the family’s farmland and business down the generations”.
Adam’s mum, Richard’s first wife died in 1976. In 1994, Richard started his long relationship with Jennifer as he did not marry her until 2016, which was two years before he died.
By the time of his death last June, he possessed a vast quantity of land around Chelford which was a large chunk of the £5m which made up his estate.
Adam’s lawyers confirmed to the judge that he had worked with his father, helping run the farm and manage the car boot, for over 40 years.
However, in 2016, after he married his second wife, Richard signed the two Wills, making Jennifer the sole executor and the main beneficiary – along with her two sons and Adam’s sister as beneficiaries too.
Adam is now contesting the two Wills, believing his Dad lacked mental capacity at the time they were made and signed.
He also claimed he relied on his dad’s promises that he would inherit it so did not pursue opportunities to make a life for himself elsewhere as a result.
His barrister William East said: “Adam began working on the farm aged nine when he learned how to use the potato harvester.
“Throughout his childhood, Richard encouraged Adam to involve himself as fully as possible on the farm.
“Adam would help out on the farm whenever his assistance was required…he assured Adam he would one day take over the farm and the family farm business.”
Adam insists his father “lacked capacity” to write him out of his Will by 2016, because of an increasingly severe degenerative brain disorder which was causing him to “act strangely”, he continued.
But Jennifer’s lawyer told the judge that Richard had fallen out with Adam on reasonable grounds.
“Adam was excluded by his father from the farm in the context of their falling out after he tried to have his father committed on the basis that he lacked capacity,” he said.
“There is very good evidence that there had been a total breakdown of their relationship, and that was a situation which continued up to Richard’s death.
“At the end of Richard’s life, there were difficulties between him and Adam. Adam was told not to trespass.”
He further added: “Jennifer is the widow of the deceased and was his partner for 25 years and was appointed the executor of the estate. There are lots of beneficiaries with an interest.
“The farm is in the estate and Adam was excluded during his father’s lifetime. Jennifer is in possession of the deceased’s parts of the farm and is farming them as executor.
As Will writer, what is your opinion of this contentious probate case?
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