Widow leaves cutlery to her three daughters, millions to her son

A woman's will in Ireland has been contested in the High Court by her eldest son, after one of his brother inherited the bulk of the family estate.

The mother bequeathed to one brother, 'K', who also happened to be the executor of his mother's estate, 199 acres of land worth $4.7 million (€3m) at the time of her 2013 death, according to The Irish Times.

Another brother, 'J', received gifts valued at almost $1.2 million (€748,547)

While her eldest son, also 'K', was left a fraction of that and given a 3.5 acre strip of land, to the value of $65,800 (€42K).

Adding further insult to injury, the widow's three daughters were each left a selection of china, Delph and cutlery, valued at $7,800 (€5K). No land at all.

However, none of the women contested this.

The married father-of-two who did contest the will however, argued that he was promised land by his mother before a falling out with his mother and brother, at which point he was forced off the family farm in 2007.

He was also able to prove to the court he worked on the family farm more than his younger brother.

Justice Denis McDonald ruled in favour of the man, saying the matriarch "did fail in her moral duty to make proper provision for the plaintiff in her last will".

"A just and prudent parent would, in my opinion, have made more significant provision for him," he said in his findings, adding that the amount the defendant was given was "disproportionately small".

The man, now a truck driver, is set to receive 90 acres, valued at $2 million (€1.27m).