82-year-old grandmother kicked out after giving daughter £1.4m house

The face of an 82-year-old grandmother who gave her house to her daughter for “inheritance tax measures” homeless After being kicked out in court amid bitter family disputes.

Norma Gibbons and her daughter Dawn Gibbons, 52, lived in upstairs and downstairs apartments in the same £1.4m converted home on Allfarthing Lane in southern Earlsfield. . London.

In 2004, when their relationship was still good, Norma transferred the second floor of the apartment to her daughter’s name without telling her to avoid inheritance tax.

However, after Dawn’s daughter was born in 2008, Norma made 155 “hoax calls” to the police to file a complaint against Dawn, despite the late hour of 3:00 am. There was tension between

After hearing her mother “yelling” at her young daughter, Dawn said their relationship completely fell apart. Dawn said it was the “last straw” in an already long quarrel.

A bitter legal battle ensued, with Norma claiming she was “tricked” into giving away her property and Dawn petitioning to evict her mother.

After ending a decade-long battle in Central London County Court, Judge Nigel Gerald ordered Norma to move out of the house she had lived in for more than 40 years.

He made the decision, and while some may find it “amazing” that his daughter kicks out his 82-year-old mother, others may see Dawn as “brought to the breaking point” by her mother’s actions. said it couldn’t.

The court ruled that the mother and daughter lived in the same converted apartment upstairs and downstairs.

But in 2004, Norma transferred freehold ownership of the three-bed apartment, which had been in her name, and the entire building, which had been jointly owned, to her daughter’s sole name for “tax purposes.”

Dawn, who works in finance, told the court that they had a good relationship after becoming a parent in 2008 before falling out with their mother.

She said she had a series of problems, but the final crisis was when Norma “yelled” at Ms Dawn’s young daughter.

She then cut ties with her mother, and the altercation culminated in a devastating relationship breakup and a series of lawsuits.

Norma said her mother had repeatedly made hurtful accusations about her to social services, and as a result, Norma was told by the city council to stop contacting social services.

She was also the victim of 155 “hoax calls” from her mother to the police filing accusations against her, resulting in police being unnecessarily active around the clock until at least 3am. It is said that

“We had to put surveillance cameras inside and outside to prove what we were doing,” she said.

“It’s been really bad. I’m tired. It’s been 10 years and enough.”

According to her, her mother launched a harassment campaign against her, including banging on the apartment upstairs, intentionally causing a water leak in the £800,000 downstairs apartment, and asking her to go upstairs to fix the problem. It is said that he refused to enter the floor builder.

She said she had issued a court order to force her mother to let the merchants in, and they were torn up and thrown into the yard.

The lawsuit was heard in county court last year by KC Judge Alan Johns, alleging that Norma “tricked” her daughter into signing up for an apartment.

However, Judge Johns found that Norma had willingly handed over the £600,000 flat to her daughter as a “gift” to avoid inheritance tax, but without telling Dawn, and Norma’s claim. rejected.

Dawn handed his mother an eviction notice last November after she allegedly kept refusing to let him manage the upstairs apartment.

As a result, the case was brought back to court last week before Judge Gerald after Dawn sued her mother to evict her from the apartment and hand over the keys.

The mother’s attorney, Lara Simak, resisted the application, arguing that she would not have given the apartment to her daughter if she thought she could be evicted.

She said Norma always had “expectations to live there for the rest of her life” and that must have been part of the transfer agreement.

“Certainly she didn’t expect to be kicked out of her apartment by her daughter otherwise she wouldn’t have moved,” she said in the altercation.

But Judge Gerald said Norma could not claim that she was “tricked” into not even knowing about the transfer and then relied on the agreement to stay for the rest of her life. rejected.

She said it was impossible to understand how a defense based on such a promise would proceed, and that her hopes of avoiding eviction based on it were only “on cloud nine, not on Earth.” Said it didn’t exist.

“On May 12, 2022, Judge Johns determined that this apartment was given to her daughter by her mother on August 19, 2004, with the assistance of an attorney, without her knowledge.” he said.

“From that you can see it was a complete gift. I think it was part of some kind of tax strategy.

“It also follows that the mother was the naked license owner of the apartment, and upon receipt of her daughter’s notice to terminate the license effective December 5, 2022, the mother owns the apartment. You will be obliged to surrender your rights.”

He added: “Ms Dawn has told me that she is dissatisfied with all of her mother’s alleged harassment, but that she is not seeking a court ruling on it.”

“Therefore, in my presence, she only orders the mother to give the property right away.”

“It may come as a bit of a surprise to observers that a daughter asks her mother in her 80s for possessions, but it is essentially a moral judgment and an observation.

“However, if someone were to look at the extent of the mother’s allegations against her daughter and that she was the subject of multiple harassment issues, an observer might conclude that she was pushed to the limit.

“I order the defendant to immediately give title to the plaintiff.

“I hope this is the end of the matter.”

The judge also ordered Norma to pay £10,000 in advance to cover her daughter’s legal costs, which Dorn said cost £28,000.

“I gave her a lot of orders and she tore them up and threw them in the yard,” Dawn said in an earlier court appearance.

“We would like the builders to come in to investigate what damage there is and what repairs are needed.”

“Water is coming in through the ceiling. It’s moldy. The damage is irreparable, so you need to go upstairs.”

“I am seeking occupancy because the defendant continued to disregard the court’s order.”

“Since 2017, I have worked with friends, family, police, courts, environmentalists and more.

“My house has no electricity. My daughter and I are in danger.

“I have made a plea to the defendant. What more can I do?”