Overview
- O’Herlihy’s claim for about £5m was dismissed by Deputy Master William Henderson as out of time and having no real prospect of success under the Inheritance Act 1975.
- Hugh Taylor’s 2015 will left the bulk of his fortune to his widow, Jennifer Taylor, including high-value properties, classic cars and a World War II Hawker Hurricane aircraft.
- The court found O’Herlihy could support himself as a personal trainer and that Taylor had cut off financial support in 2012, with probate granted in November 2019 and the claim issued in October 2024.
- Reports state O’Herlihy has been ordered to pay substantial legal costs, with an interim payment of about £370,000 ordered now and the final total to be set by a costs judge, with some estimates exceeding £2 million.
- The ruling referenced a 2012 email in which Taylor said he would stop support, noted O’Herlihy’s £61,000 spend on private investigators and a threatened documentary, and observed his use of misleading “fluff” on social media in a business context.