Supreme Court overturns ruling in long-running family inheritance dispute

The Supreme Court of Cyprus has overturned a first-instance ruling in a 17-year legal battle between two brothers in Limassol over their late mother's estate. The dispute centered on a claim of 128,500 euros, which the plaintiff brother argued he was owed as his legal share of the inheritance after their mother passed away in 2009, following a 1986 will. The District Court of Limassol had initially sided with the plaintiff, finding that the will violated statutory requirements for reserved shares.

However, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the defendant, the estate's executor, after determining that the courts must account for significant property gifted to both brothers by their mother during her lifetime. Financial evidence showed the plaintiff had received real estate worth 4,008,000 euros, while his brother received assets valued at 3,477,500 euros, resulting in a surplus of 530,500 euros for the plaintiff. Consequently, the Supreme Court concluded the plaintiff had already received more than his legal entitlement and dismissed his claim for additional compensation.

Separately, in a different case, the Paphos Court of Appeal recently rejected a woman's attempt to invalidate two 2006 wills of an 81-year-old woman, citing lack of evidence regarding coercion. The appellant was ordered to pay 4,500 euros in legal costs.